Our Projects

Community Voices series

The Regent | 2022-23

Poets Out Loud presented a special workshop and performance series to support the recovery and healing. The two shows, titled ‘How We Heal’ and ‘Who We Become’, also presented a selection of voices from our community workshops. Stories from the Northern Rivers were led by First Nations artists and healers as a collective exploration of healing and becoming. Hosted and produced by Sarah Temporal, this series featured Jex Lopez (music), Michael Philp (First Nations artist), Scott-Patrick Mitchell (poet), Kylie Miles (First Nations healer), Boy Renaissance (spoken-word). Poets Out Loud Community Voices was proudly supported by NSW Government in partnership with Tweed Shire Council.

HOLD: Arts Recovery Fundraiser

Tweed Regional Gallery | 2022

In the aftermath of the devastating 2022 floods, Poets Out Loud presented a special performance to support the recovery of the Northern Rivers arts community. With poetry, circus, music and cabaret, we honoured what we have lost, and celebrated what we hold, and recognised artists as facilitators of collective healing. HOLD featured Hannah Darling, Marita Schlink, Sarah Temporal + Britt Portelli, Anna Avocado, and MC Mae Wilde, with photography by Jay Penfold. All funds raised were donated to help our arts industry thrive again.

Stories of Us: Reclaiming Queer Narratives

Online | 2022

Poets Out Loud teamed up with The Bunker to host acclaimed UK poet Joelle Taylor in her 2022 tour of Australia. Joelle led a workshop for 10 selected regional queer-identifying poets, and featured alongside these poets at our online performance. We were proud to produce this showcase of queer voices from regional NSW and Qld. Joelle Taylor is an award-winning poet and author whose poetry collection C+NTO & Othered Poems won the T.S Eliot Prize 2021.

Feature Poets

Live and Online | 2019 – 2022

Poets Out Loud aims to expand regional arts and culture by hosting the best spoken-word artists from Australia and beyond. Some of our favourite features were:

Arielle Cottingham (Berlin), Zoohab Zee Khan (London), Jacki Morrie-Grace (Isle of Mann), Joelle Taylor (UK), Mark Tredinnick (Aus), Huda the Goddess (Aus, pictured).

Poets silent disco

UnUsual Festival Lismore | 2019

As part of Unusual Festival in Lismore, Poets Out Loud invited 5 of our favourite poets to form a silent disco. Stationed at various indoor and outdoor locations, the poets were transmitted via silent disco headsets to punters as exploring the art space. UnUsual Festival was produced by RealArtworks, a post-disability arts organisation. Pictured: Katinka Smit, poet.

Open mic

M-Arts | Gallery by Bacaro | 2019 – 2022

Poets Out Loud began as an open mic night and poetry slam held in the M-Arts Precinct, Murwillumbah. Presenting feature poets locally and on tour, the event attracts enthusiastic audiences of up to 120 people per month. The monthly event continued during Covid lockdowns as on online gathering, bringing together poets Australia-wide and even internationally.