About Us

Australia Poetry exists as a national poetry body to interconnect and support a flourishing community of Australian poets, to enhance and promote their poetry, here and internationally, and to reach and engage directly with readers, lovers and potential admirers of Australian poetry, and promoters of it.

We do this by offering an extraordinary nation-wide calendar of events which are, usually, either high profile artistic activities, connecting poets with their audiences across all major literary festivals in all states and territories, for example, or accessible, affordable professional development activities, which cater to all poetry practitioners, no matter what their vocational level, ability, cultural background or geographical location. We see this program as streaming into three divisions: LIVE, PUBLICATIONS and DIGITAL. Of course some projects will go across two or more.

Australian Poetry was formed in 2011 when two former poetry organisations, based in NSW and Victoria, merged to create the first national poetry body. It is based at the Centre for Writing & Ideas, The Wheeler Centre, Melbourne, but its motivating influence is to initiate and run exciting, meaningful programs across the nation. It acknowledges the critical funding support, organisationally, which it receives from the Australia Council for the Arts and Creative Victoria.