Welcome to Uplift’s monthly free events newsletter, featuring poetry events in Meanjin (Brisbane), Queensland, and Australia-wide.
This month’s newsletter is a little earlier than usual, as we’re thrilled to be jetting off to attend Red Dirt Poetry Festival next week!
Don’t see your fave event listed? Leave us a comment below or send us an email (upliftpoetry@gmail.com), and we’ll include your event in our next newsletter and/or feature it on our social media.
Poetry Month
Uplift Poetry was recently lucky enough to receive a Micro Grant from Red Room Poetry, as part of Poetry Month!
Launched in 2021, Red Room Poetry’s Poetry Month (1-31 August) aims to increase access, awareness and visibility of poetry in all its forms and for all audiences.
Queensland
17 August, 2pm at Indooroopilly Library & online - Evoking the Senses with Raelee Lancaster
17 August, 2pm at Ipswich Art Workshop - Paper Poetry: Beauty from the discarded
25 August, 2.30 pm at Tamborine Mountain - David Terelinck’s Small Epiphanies book launch
26 August, 8pm at The Braddyton, Moorooka - late night poetry tea party
28 August, 6.30pm at Lefty’s Music Hall - Australian Poetry Slam - Brisbane Heat #1 (Ruckus)
31 August, 12pm at Avid Reader - Stella Day Out: The Art of Poetry
31 August, 6.30pm at VENTspace - A Night at the Circus: zine launch & poetry open mic
1 September, 2.30pm at Avid Reader - Madeleine Dale - Portraits of Drowning book launch
12 September, 6pm at Avid Reader - Celestial Bodies, edited by Aidan Demmers
29 September, 6pm at Avid Reader - Jazz Money - mark the dawn book launch
19 October, 2pm at Indooroopilly Library and online - Learn to make a zine with Bianca Martin
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Alternator Poetry - last Thursday of the month at Dust Temple
Avid Reader - book launches and events throughout the year
Carindale’s Creative Writers group - at Carindale Library
Calanthe Poetry - regular poetry events at Tamborine Mountain
Captain Snips Collage Creations - monthly collage event at Netherworld
Echoes from the Cave open mic - first Tuesday of the month at the Cave Inn
Ekphrastic Writing Club - first Saturday of the month at Museum of Brisbane
Liquid Lyrics - spoken word poetry events in Coolum
North Pine Bush Poets and Bribie Island Bush Poets - various dates throughout the month
poets@stones - last Thursday of the month at Books@Stones, Stones Corner
Poets Up Late - third Thursday of the month at Wynnum Library
Poetry Writers Queensland - third Thursday of the month via Zoom - Contact Mike Gilmour, Coordinator - mgilmour92@gmail.com
QUT Galleries + Museums - Texta book club and other events
QUT Literary Salon - salon reading events every month
Queensland Writers Centre - writing events throughout the year
Red Light Poetry - Prince Poetry Beat every month at the Gold Coast
Ruckus Poetry Slam - last Wednesday of the month at Lefty’s Music Hall
Scribblers on Sunday - second Sunday of the month at Carindale Library
Wham! Bam! Cabaret Slam! - second Tuesday of the month at The Bearded Lady
Writers of Manly - third Tuesday of the month at Wynnum Library
Yaysayers Poetry - regular Poems in the Park events
Online & Australia-Wide
Red Dirt Poetry Festival - digital program out now
Red Room Poetry Month - events held throughout August
16-22 August, online - Sarah Temporal launch week for Tight Bindings
17 August, 2pm - Evoking the Senses with Raelee Lancaster - in-person and online
23 August, online - Water Lenses : Behind The Pen
26 August, 7pm, online - Accessible Online Open Mic
19 October, 2pm at in-person and online - Learn to make a zine with Bianca Martin
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Events on The Verandah with Cath Drake - events throughout the year via Zoom
Girls On Key Poetry - events throughout the year via Zoom
Haiku Feedback Workshops - last Sunday of the month on Zoom
Perth Poetry Club - events throughout the year on Zoom
Poetry Writers Queensland - third Thursday of the month via Zoom - Contact Mike Gilmour, Coordinator - mgilmour92@gmail.com
Red Room Poetry - online and in-person events throughout the year
WestWords - in-person and online poetry events throughout the year, including workshops, open mics and WestWords Academy
Victoria
August-September - Australian Poetry Slam and Red Room Poetry Month events
18 August, 10.30am at Mesopotamia Art Space - Between Rivers: Poetry and Ceramics Workshop
20 August, 6pm at Institute of Post Colonial Studies - Jazz Money - mark the dawn book launch
21 & 28 August, 10.30am at Mesopotamia Arts Space - The Poetry Sessions
23 August - 8 September - Sonic Poetry Festival
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Assorted Sporks - queer friendly poetry and performance night - last Thursday of the month at Mamma Chen's
Ballarat Spoken Word - events throughout the year
Chamber Poets - spoken word, second Saturday of the month in Woodend
Cherry Poets - events throughout the year
Crockpot Poetry - monthly poetry and spoken word night hosted at Unassigned Gallery
La Mama Poetica - poetry events throughout the year
Last Outpost of Poetry - weekly poetry and spoken word open mic in St Kilda
Melbourne Morphemes - community poetry in Naarm
Melbourne Poetry - comprehensive calendar for poetry events in Melbourne
Mother Tongue - events throughout the year
No Place Poetry - events throughout the year
Pizza Box Poetry - monthly open mic at Palling Bros Brewery
Poetryspective - monthly poetry in Footscray
PoetiCas - fourth Saturday of the month at the Northern Arts Hotel
Radio Laria Poetry - women’s poetry, first Wednesday of the month
Radio Talk: Poetry Open Mic - every fortnight in Fitzroy
Roundtable Readings - events and submissions open throughout the year
Sip & Share Speakeasy - spoken word events on the Mornington Peninsula
Slamalamadingdong - monthly poetry slams at Brunswick Ballroom
Spoken Word at Bar Oussou - every second Monday of the month
Thin Red Lines - quarterly poetry events
To the Ends of the 'Verse - third Tuesday of the month in Northcote
Words Out Loud - poetry and spoken word events throughout the year
Writing Days - poetry events throughout the year
ACT
August - Red Room Poetry Month events
26 August, 7pm at Smith’s Alternative - That Poetry Thing feat. Elanna Herbert + open mic
9 September, 7pm at Smith’s Alternative - That Poetry Thing Open Mic
12 September, 4.30pm at Sir Roland Wilson Building, ANU - Rae Armantrout in conversation with Kate Lilley
23 September, 7pm at Smith’s Alternative - That Poetry Thing feat. Jacqueline Collier & Yleia Mariano + open mic
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Canberra Poetry Slam - monthly poetry slam events
Poetic City Canberra - poetry festival, events, performances and workshops
That Poetry Thing - weekly Monday night poetry at Smith’s Alternative
NSW
August - Australian Poetry Slam and Red Room Poetry Month events
22 August, 7pm at Gumbramorra Hall - "I Grant You Refuge" - Poems for Palestine and Sudan
31 August, 7pm - The Knox Street Bar, Chippendale - Poetry Sydney: 2024 N E W S : Poets from the NORTH . EAST . WEST . SOUTH
11 September, 10am at Coledale Community Hall, Wollongong - Strange Folds Zine Fair
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Bankstown Poetry Slam - spoken word poetry at Bankstown Arts Centre
Bread and Butter Poetry Slam - last Thursday of the month in Camperdown
Enough Said Poetry Slam - last Thursday of the month in Wollongong
Loose Leaf Literature - monthly events supporting local creatives
Poetry Sydney - poetry events throughout the year
Poets Out Loud - various slams and poetry courses throughout the year
Quiet Readers by licensed poetics - quiet reading events in Camperdown
Sappho Books, Cafe & Bar - poetry and open mic nights throughout the year in Glebe, including AVANT GAGA
Society City - monthly poetry, zine and other events in Wollongong
Sydney Poetry Lounge - third Wednesday of the month at the Glebe Hotel
WestWords - in-person and online poetry events throughout the year, including workshops, open mics and WestWords Academy
Northern Territory
21-25 August at Mparntwe (Alice Springs) - Red Dirt Poetry Festival
22 August, 8pm at Gap View Hotel, Mparntwe (Alice Springs) - Australia Poetry Slam – Central Australian Heat 2024
23 August, 12pm at Water Tank Cafe, Mparntwe (Alice Springs) - Centre Verse, Desert Voice
25 August in Araluen - Agapi & Other Kinds of Love by Luka Lesson
15 September, 2.30pm at Red Kangaroo Books, Mparntwe (Alice Springs) - Jazz Money mark the dawn book launch
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Centre Verse, Desert Voice - monthly poetry at Watertank Cafe, Mparntwe
Northern Territory Writers Centre - various events throughout the year
Red Dirt Poetry Festival - 21-25 August 2024
Wild Words - open mic events on the last Sunday of the month in Darwin
South Australia
August-September - Australian Poetry Slam and Red Room Poetry Month events
29 August, 6pm at Mount Gambier - Poetry on my Porch
7 September, 6pm at Coriole Vineyards - poets, pasta and pavlova
28 September, 10.30am at Cove Civic Centre - Draw Your (S)words Poetry Workshop
12 October, 6pm at Dymocks Adelaide - BE NATURAL Poetry Slam
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Draw Your Swords - spoken word events throughout the year
Effective Living Centre - Poets Corner and other various poetry and writing events throughout the year
Ellipsis Poetry - open mics held throughout the year
No Wave Poetry - Monthly poetry reading series at The Wheatsheaf Hotel
Spoken Words SA - various events throughout the year
Winter Words - poetry slams and events throughout May-August
Tasmania
August-September - Australian Poetry Slam and Red Room Poetry Month events
17 August, 7.30pm - Launceston Heat, Australian Poetry Slam
7 September, 7.30pm at Australian Italian Club at Launceston - Tasmanian APS State Final
11 October, 12pm at Launceston Library - Tasmanian Poetry Festival (TPF) workshop with Sarah Lock
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Fullers Bookshop, Hobart - events throughout the year
Poet’s Corner at Hobart Library - events held monthly
Poets Corner at Rosny Library - events held monthly
Silver Words Poetry - monthly events at Shambles Brewery, Hobart
The Hobart Book Shop - events throughout the year
Western Australia
August - Australian Poetry Slam, Perth Poetry Festival and Poetry Month events
21 August, 6.30pm at Centre for Stories - OUTspoken
23 August, 7pm at Perth Town Hall - Perth Poetry Festival Gala
31 August, 4.30pm at Rosemont Hotel - You Need to Listen. The Art of Slam Poetry.
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Perth Poetry Club - every Saturday at The Moon, Northbridge & on Zoom
Perth Slam - monthly poetry slams at Rosemount Hotel
Perth Poetry Festival - 1-31 August 2024
Poetry Lovers Perth - fortnightly workshops at Hillview Intercultural Community Centre
The Marritree, Witchcliffe - home to Witchy Words & Music, a monthly performance night, as well as book clubs, writers groups and workshops
Victoria Park Poetry Club - fourth Thursday of the month
WA Poets - various events and opportunities throughout the year
Writing WA - various events and opportunities throughout the year
Uplift is based on stolen lands in Meanjin, the lands of the Jagera and Turrbal people. Sovereignty was never ceded. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land.