We’ve been going around some of the poetry and spoken word events in Melbourne armed with stickers and leaflets to find newcomers to the scene and introduce them to a whole world out there in Melbourne of regular open mics, poetry slams, performances in different cities and performers you don’t want to miss.

We thought we would highlight to you all some gigs listed in our ‘Upcoming events’ page that you certainly want to try and get to, including a gig hosted by this very website!

SLAMALAMADINGDONG: The Nerd Slam! Featuring Bron Batten and Randall Stephens
Thursday, May 16 @ 7.30pm / The Bella Union, Trades Hall, cnr of Victoria and Lygon Street (enter via Lygon Street) / $15-12 (ticketed) / Open slam (see event)

MelbourneSpokenWord.com presents spoken word at Conduit Arts featuring Benjamin Solah, Amanda Anastasi, Steve Smart, Kerry Loughrey, Randall Stephens and Santo Cazzati
Saturday, May 18 @ 8pm / Conduit Arts, 83 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy / $5

Dan Poets featuring MelbourneSpokenWord.com editor, Benjamin Solah
Saturday, May 25 @ 2pm / The Dan O’Connell Hotel, 225 Canning Street, Carlton / Free / Open Mic

One night stanza with Anis Mojgani, Ken Arkind, Carrie Rudzinski, Randall Stephens and Steve Smart, Michelle Dabrowski, Grace Vanilau and Ajak Kwai
Sunday, May 26 @ 7pm / The Performance Space, Footscray Community Arts Centre, 45 Moreland Street, Footscray / $15 (ticketed)

Port Phillip Gilgamesh Readings featuring Ken Arkind and Carrie Rudzinski
Monday, May 27 @ 7pm / Claypots Evening Star, Sth. Melbourne Market, Corner Cecil & York Streets, South Melbourne / Free / Open Mic

Williamstown Literary Festival: Three Poets’ Journeys featuring Matt Hetherington, Maxine Beneba Clarke and Amanda Anastasi
Saturday, June 1 @ 5pm / Williamstown Library, 104 Ferguson St, Williamstown / $10-7 (ticketed)

Passionate Tongues featuring Cece Ojany
Monday, June 3 @ 8.30pm / Brunswick Hotel, 140 Sydney Road, Brunswick / Free + Raffle / Open Mic

Keep Left featuring Maxine Beneba Clarke
Saturday, June 22 @ 8pm / Under the Hammer Arts Hub, 158 Sydney Road, Coburg / $5 / Open Mic

We will also be hosting a stall as part of Page Parlour during the Emerging Writers’ Festival, which will feature publications and CDs from poets and spoken word artists from around Melbourne, as well as special leaflet with events that are happening after the festival. If your gig is happening in June, and want to make sure your event is included, make sure you email us at melbournspokenword@gmail.com.

Words by Benjamin Solah

Keep Left, a great poetry gig that celebrated left-wing poetry in Melbourne, run by Paulie ran monthly for most of the second half of 2012. I was lucky enough to be the first ever feature. It was an ambitious gig with a real identity and had promise, but sadly ceased to be toward the end of last year. I’ve decided to revive the gig starting in June, with the help of other progressive poets. The home of Keep Left will now be at the Activist Arts Hub, Under the Hammer, a space for left-wing artists. The first gig will feature Maxine Beneba Clarke on Saturday, June 22 from around 8pm.

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Brisbane’s Ghostboy is joining Sarah Curro and Sir Lady Grantham in a show across many art forms including spoken word over two nights, October 12 and 13 and Hares and Hyenas.

The Facebook event page describes the show as “Sarah Curro presents her solo amplified violin show VOLUME. New music, costume, film clips and instruments. This year joined by the astounding Ghostboy and Sir Lady Grantham show WE LOVE YOU! -an exquisite combination of dark comedy, neo-cabaret, spoken word and theatre of the provocateur enhanced by the musical sounds of Sir Lady Grantham. A deliciously naughty experience.”

But check out the YouTube clip below to get a taste for yourself…

VENUE:
Hares and Hyenas
63 Johnston Street
Fitzroy, Victoria 3065

DATES: 12-13 Oct
TIME: 9.00pm (2hr30min)

TICKETS:
Full: $25
Concession: $15
Group: $10

TO BOOK visit melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666

Ghostboy will also be performing at the Dan O’Connell poetry readings on Saturday, October 13 from 2pm. See the ‘Upcoming events’ page for more details.

The Dan Poets crew have released the names of the upcoming feature poets for September. Every Saturday from 2pm till 5 at the Dan O’Connell Hotel in Carlton there’s a feature and open mic poetry in one of the longest running poetry events in Melbourne.

September begins with an open mic competition on the 1st with a $50 cash prize with two $20 runner up prizes for the best poem using this quote by Emily Manger: “Graceful, with a hint of haste.”

Followed by:
Sept 8th – Santo Cazzati presenting his Northcote Plaza Opera.
Sept 15th – Alicia Sometimes
Sept 22nd – Geoff Lemon
Sept 29th – Janet Jackson

Sunday, August 5 @ 5pm – Egg Gallery, 66a Johnston Street, Fitzroy – Facebook event

Egg Gallery along Johnston Street in Fitzroy have begun regular spoken word nights to complement their art exhibitions, which is an exciting new collaboration between the wordy and visual. They’ve been happening roughly monthly and the third night will take place on Sunday, August 5 from 5pm and feature seven poets doing ten-minute sets including Amy Bodossian, Amanda Anastasi, Benjamin Solah, Anna Fern, Emilie Collyer, Annerliegh Pappos & Steve Smart. It’s also hosted or ‘DJ’d’ by Santo Cazzati.

Previous performer Randall Stephens on the new event said,

“Melbourne poetry at it’s most basic, comin’ in from the cold off a busy street in a dive part of town, performing for mostly non-poets, sitting on a dusty concrete floor, drinking out a cask being passed around, an arm’s length from the speaker/audience. Nowhere to hide. Loved it.”

Other upcoming performances include Koraly Dimitriadis vs Ben John Smith in a poetry war at Polyester Books on August 3 as well as West Word in Footscray featuring Santo Cazzati and then George O’Hara on August 12 and 26 respectively. As always, keep up to date with upcoming events and features on the left sidebar or at our dedicated page.

Brisbane’s Darkwing Dubs is “set to put a fire under Melbourne spoken word’s cold winter ass” with a live show and two-day workshop from Friday the 13th of July to Sunday the 15th. The host of Jam Jar poetry impressed Melbourne poetry events with shows last year at Slamalamadingdong, Sweetalkers, and Passionate Tongues. He’s definitely one of the most unique and engaging performers in Australia mixing the moving and amusing, spoken word, hip hop and theatre.

Institute of Postcolonial Studies in North Melbourne, he will be doing a special half an hour set on Friday, the 13th of July with added performances by Tariro Mavondo, Randall Stephens and Sista Zai and hosted by Steve Smart followed by a two-day workshop on Saturday and Sunday. And it’s all hosted by the fabulous ‘Stillwaters Women’s Storytelling Collective.’ More information at their Facebook event.

As part of the Northern Exposure Visual Festival, Annerliegh has organised for some Melbourne poets to take to the streets and become a real metaphor on the tour of High Street. Poets are part of the furniture. Or should be.

On Friday the 15th of June, six street poets will take their place at three street venues as part of the Visual Art Tours. The tours start at 6:30 and then again at 8pm beginning at the Northcote Uniting Church, then onto our first poet who will perform on the steps of the Town Hall. The second poet will perform outside the Peacock Hotel, with the final poet waxing lyrical at the tram stop next to IGA. If you hang around you might see some freestyling by these artists throughout the night.

Poets will include Meena Shamaly, Brigitte Lewis, Lana Woolf, Kirsti Whalen, Benjamin Solah and Santo Cazatti.

A further night of street poetry will occur next week – watch this space for details.

Saturday August 18 @ 6pm / Bella Union, Trades Hall: Level 1, Trades Hall, Corner Lygon and Victoria Streets, Carlton (entrance off Lygon Street), Melbourne

Launched by Cate Kennedy.

Kevin Brophy teaches creative writing in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne. From 1980 to 1994 he was founding co-editor of the national literary journal, Going Down Swinging. In 2005 he was awarded the Martha Richardson Medal for poetry. In 2009 he was co-winner of the Calibre Prize for an outstanding essay.

Nathan Curnow is a writer, performer and past editor of Going Down Swinging. His books include The Ghost Poetry Project which was based upon his stays at ten haunted sites around the country. In 2010 he was winner of the Josephine Ulrick Poetry Prize.