Bringing poets together for one weekend,
is this amazing event, my friend.
It takes place in winter, so it's not aestival,
It's the Queensland Poetry Festival!
Okay, so it's not going to win any awards. But if, as their website states, the purpose of the
Queensland Poetry Festival is to 'promote a poetry culture' in our fair state, then mission accomplished!
The Queensland Poetry Festival was established in 1997 and has since helped to launch the careers of modern Australian poets like
Bronwyn Lea and
Jaya Savige. The festival brings together the largest gathering of poets that you're likely to ever encounter, with two days of performances by writers and groups with whimsical names like
The Hysterical Typewriters and
Neonblisters. There are also two awards for unpublished poets; the Val Vallis Award (named after the distinguished Queensland poet) is awarded to the best Australian poet, while the Thomas Shapcott Award (uh, also named after the distinguished Queensland poet) is reserved for Queensland poets.
This year's Poet-in-Residence is edgy performance artist Emily XYZ; see her in action
here. XYZ and Myers Bartlett will open the festival on Friday 27 August.
The Queensland Poetry Festival takes place from 27 – 29 August at the
Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts. Ticket prices start at $15.00.
