The online portal to all of the upcoming events in the live spoken word and poetry scene, as well as videos, interviews, reviews and opinions. For weekly updates on all the gigs happening straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter. To support the work of this not-for-profit organisation, please consider becoming a Patreon Patron.

Upcoming event

Collected Works and Soulbay Press present Howl!

When

Saturday, October 10 @ 2:30pm

Where

Collected Works Bookshop
1 37 Swanston Street

Price

Free

Has an Open Mic?

Collected Works and Soulbay Press invite you to HOWL!

This month marks the 60th anniversary of the legendary Six Gallery reading in San Francisco on Oct. 7, 1955, an event which helped galvanise the Beat literary scene and influence postwar American poetry, where Allen Ginsberg debuted “Howl” and a number of poets of the San Francisco Poetry Renaissance read for the first time in public, a night immortalised by Jack Kerouac in “The Dharma Bums”…

To celebrate, a mad, motley gathering of local poets and musicians will be performing “Howl” in its holy entirety!… along with the work of the other then relatively unknown poets who read that night–Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, Michael McClure, Philip Lamantia, and Kenneth Rexroth! (who was the emcee)…

Featuring: Π.Ο., ROBBIE COBURN, ANDY FRANKS, KRIS HEMENSLEY, MICHELLE LEBER, JENNIFER MACKENZIE, GEORGE MOURATIDIS, SEAN O’CALLAGHAN, DAVID PEPPERELL, BENJAMIN THEOLONIOUS SANDERS (IQ), LARRY SCHWARTZ, and LUCY VAN… with hep rhythms by NICK TSIAVOS.

Words Out Loud: eroding confidence

The Printers Room

The non-compulsory theme for the last event of the year is ‘eroding confidence’. The night features a preview of writing from the Weathering the Future ekphrastic art exhibition, as well as the usual open mic slots.

Words Out Loud is a reading, poetry and open mic night held at The Printers Room. Ballarat Writers is pleased to co-organise this event and encourages members to come along for an evening of fine words and finer company. There is an open mic for people who wish to read their own work, or perhaps a piece by a favourite author. Poetry, prose and all forms of spoken word are most welcome. Bar snacks are available and the sound system is of a very high standard. The event is free, but a gold coin donation is appreciated (so much so, there’s a door prize for donors!)

Video — October 10

Zuleyha Gurdag / Woman

By Benjamin Solah

Winner of September’s slam, Zuleyha Gurdag, performs ‘Woman’ at Slamalamadingdong on September 26, 2018 at The Melba Spiegeltent.

Zuleyha is a Melbourne born and raised poet who takes pride in her Turkish heritage and Australian nationality. Her passion and goal is to raise awareness of intersectionality and empower Muslim youth, particularly women, from the stereotypes and stigmas that surround them. For the long term run, she hopes to become a gynaecologist to advocate female independence and power in disadvantaged communities to change the gender roles accustomed to the people in her community and inspire women to reclaim their rights and increase their knowledge. In her spare time, she enjoys writing poetry, spending time with her cat and educating herself on interfaith dialogue and her Turkish history.

Video — September 19

Tariro Mavondo / Black Boy

By Benjamin Solah

Tariro Mavondo performs ‘Black Boy’ at the closing night of the Melbourne Spoken Word & Poetry Festival at Howler Melbourne on June 3, 2018.

Tariro is a Melbourne/Naarm based artist who uses multiple disciplines to connect through creativity. Tariro writes and performs poetry as well as facilitates workshops around Australia. She sees art as a conversation, a dialogue and her practice focuses on creativity as a facilitator of change. She also works as an actor on the Australian stage (MTC, STC, Bell Shakespeare, Belvoir, Red Stitch) and screen (Neighbours, Winners and Losers), has been an actor in the internationally acclaimed, awarding winning web series Shakespeare Republic and has done voice overs for La Trobe, AFLW and Thomas The Tank Engine (UK).

Wiki | Contact Us | Touring Melbourne | List Your Gig