Poetry Month is rolling across the country once again, showcasing a raft of readings and events. ArtsHub asked some participating poets how they would promote and highlight this art form.
Jennifer Wong, Andrew Moss, Emilie Zoe Baker, Shastra Deo and Dr Tamryn Bennett offer their thoughts on the value of poetry.
Poetry Month is returning for the third year, with events spread across the national calendar during August. There will be showcases, workshops, writing prompts, poetic installations, live and online events, the National Poetry Month Gala in Sydney celebrating 20 years of Red Room Poetry (including the release of its anthology A Line in the Sand) and 30in30 (a new poem by a different poet presented for each day of the month).
Given that the Poet Laureate position has not yet been filled, ArtsHub asked a number of guest presenters and ambassadors how they would go about broadening the reach of poetry to Australians should they be given the chance to assume the mantle.
Thuy On is the Reviews and Literary Editor of ArtsHub and an arts journalist, critic and poet who’s written for a range of publications including The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Sydney Review of Books, The Australian, The Age/SMH and Australian Book Review. She was the Books Editor of The Big Issue for 8 years and a former Melbourne theatre critic correspondent for The Australian.
Her debut, a collection of poetry called Turbulence, came out in 2020 and was released by University of Western Australia Publishing (UWAP). Her second collection, Decadence, was published in July 2022, also by UWAP. Her third book, Essence, will be published in 2025.
Threads: @thuy_on123 Instagram: poemsbythuy
