31 Ways to Celebrate Poetry Month

Poetry Month
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  1. Welcome Poetry Month at our National Poetry Month Gala, hosted by Benjamin Law and featuring Australian comedy, performance and - of course - poetry! (Can't come in-person? Stream it online!)
  2. Secure your spot in a weekly 'pay what you can' online workshop to learn from brilliant Australian and international poets.
  3. Look out for poetry launches in your area. (If you're in naarm/Melbourne, come celebrate the release of Grace Yee's glorious Chinese Fish!)
  4. Be part of our #30in30 poetry competition! Every day from 1-31 August, we’ll release a new writing prompt by a Red Room commissioned artist. To join in and win fabulous book prizes (or just to stay inspired!) follow us on any of our socials.
  5. Know an emerging poet? Tell them about our Emerging Poets Residency - 2024 applications now open!
  6. Want to publish your own poetry? Hear from leading poetry editors at our online Poetry Editors Panel.
  7. Make reading or listening a poem before going to sleep your new bedtime ritual.
  8. When you wake up, make your dreams into poems - however lucid or fragmented!
  9. Check out one of our many poem recordings and keep an ear out for new episodes of our podcast, Line Break.
  10. Explore Red Room Poetry’s online archive. Did you know we have the biggest public collection of Australian poetry on the internet?
  11. Visit our STORYBOX at Circular Quay’s Gateway Plaza, where poems by ten Australian artists will be projected as part of the ‘Rise! Voices and Hands!’ installation.
  12. Learn about our Poetry in First Languages program, delivered with the generous support of our donors.
  13. Check out our Fair Trade program, which commissions and connects First Nations poets from around the world.
  14. Write a poem about the last picture on your camera roll - whatever it may be!
  15. Keep an eye out for new releases from independent Australian presses, like Giramondo Publishing and Pantera Press.
  16. Come along to our new online Poetry Book Club.
  17. Read past entries from our #30in30 competition, like Maxine Beneba Clarke’s TikTok Dance.
  18. Learn about our POEM FOREST project, where nature poems by Australian students become actual trees! Encourage a young person - or a teacher - to get involved.
  19. Subscribe to one of Australia’s many wonderful literary periodicals (try Voiceworks or HEAT magazine).
  20. Write a line of poetry on your morning commute, another at lunch and a third on your way home.
  21. Make a virtual visit to indigo eli’s free online exhibition, The Poetry of Object 0.2, from 1-31 August.
  22. Celebrate the release of our brand new anthology A Line in the Sand: 20 Years of Red Room Poetry by joining our free online launch.
  23. Want to share your poetry in a casual setting - or just revel in poetic energy? Check our calendar for an open mic in your area or join one on Zoom.
  24. Attend a poetry slam.
  25. Submit your own community poetry event to the Poetry Month Calendar.
  26. Hold an intimate poetry gathering. Workshop lines over coffee or share something by your favourite poet.
  27. Enjoy a Poetry Month showcase in one of nine cities - or watch them in your own home!
  28. Gift someone a poetry book or add one to a street library.
  29. Search your local library for poetry collections and use their request form to ask for more Australian poetry books.
  30. Let a friend know about a Poetry Month event they would love.
  31. Make a donation to Red Room Poetry to support Australia’s foremost commissioner of new poetry.