Poetry Month
August is Poetry Month! Grab your calendars and mark these special poetry events coming up across the NT.
Wild Words Spoken Word
Sun 27 July | Saltwater at Bundilla (Garramilla/Darwin)
This month’s theme is: “Home Is Where The Heart Is”. Not a reference to that kitsch embroidery that greets you upon entering a boomer’s house; more a reference to the feeling of belonging to ‘a place’. So gather your favourite writing medium and prepare to unleash your Wild Words:)
Talking with the dead
12pm Sat 2 Aug | Online
Talking with the dead is an accessible workshop ideal for those including poets who are interested to research character (non-fictional or fictional) as well as historical and place-based settings. Over 2 hours we will develop rich interviews with people or characters passed and past.
NT Poetry, Politics and Place: Online Panel
6-7pm Tue 5 Aug | Online
Join acclaimed Djapu mother, poet, storyteller and performer Melanie Mununggurr, Northern Territory Literary Award-winning writer-poet Dave Clark, and Mparntwe/Alice-Springs based poet, spoken word performer and poetry educator Laurie May as they explore the intersections of their practice with their communities, local and national politics, and how it connects to the land beneath their lines. Hosted by Red Room Poetry’s Nicole Smede.
Middle of the Air: Writing Lyrics with DOBBY and Leah Senior
7-8pm Wed 6 Aug | Online
Join acclaimed singer-songwriter and folk diviner Leah Senior and ARIA-award winning multi-genre musician DOBBY as they explore the key elements of the lyric-writing process — experimenting with structure, rhyming schemes, genre, storytelling devices and more.
Workshop: Finger Exercises for Poets with Dorianne Laux (US)
9-10:30am Wed 13 Aug | Online
Focused on exercises from her book on craft, Finger Exercises for Poets, join us for an engaging and inspiring invitation to practice poetry alongside one of its masters. With wide-ranging examples from classic and contemporary poets, Dorianne Laux demystifies the magic of language that makes great poetry and offers generative exercises to harness that magic.
The Dirty Word: Poetry & Spoken Word Open Mic
6pm Thur 7 Aug | The Roastery Cafe (Mparntwe/Alice Springs)
The Dirty Word is an open-mic spoken word poetry event running on the first Thursday of every month from April to September 2025. We want to hear your words – be inspired by your prose, whther you’re a bush balladeer, a slam champ or a haiku heathen – we want to hear what you create.
Pathways for Poets: An Industry Discussion
1-2pm Wed 13 Aug | Online
The publishing landscape is rapidly changing and, as a result, publishers are increasingly cautious in commissioning new work, particularly from debut authors. Red Room Poetry and the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) are teaming up this National Poetry Month to host a free discussion with industry experts to demystify poetry publishing and chat about how to navigate the Australian book industry as a poet.
NT Poetry Slam Hits the Highway: All Ages Workshop
Sat 30 Aug | Olive Pink Botanic Gardens (Mparntwe/Alice Springs)
Are you the next Australian Poetry Slam Champion? All you need is an original poem and two minutes on the mic. If you are one to shine from the audience, join us to cheer, snap, hold-up scorecards in this nation-wide celebration of spoken-wordsmiths.
NT Poetry Slam Hits the Highway: Mparntwe Slam & Central Au Final
6pm Thur 4 Sep | The Roastery Cafe (Mparntwe/Alice Springs)
Are you the next Australian Poetry Slam Champion? All you need is an original poem and two minutes on the mic. If you are one to shine from the audience, join us to cheer, snap, hold-up scorecards in this nation-wide celebration of spoken-wordsmiths.