News at Eleven (Back Page): When the Millions' Poet competition was launched

with a six-week-long audition tour around the Gulf in 2006, thousands of young poets tried out, but less than 5 percent of them were women. This was understandable, considering that it's frowned upon for women to appear on camera, "exposing" themselves to millions of prying eyes.

As the show has steadily gained in popularity, however, the number of women competing has been on the rise. Today, approximately one in every four of those auditioning for the show is a woman. And this is causing a stir.

Aydah Al Jahani, a young Saudi poetess who wears a niqab--an outfit that covers not only the body, but also the face--faced the wrath of her family and tribe for entering the third and most recent season of the competition. Upon hearing the news, her family pleaded with her to withdraw.

from The Philadelphia Inquirer: Poetry is a voice for women

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