Tucked in behind Sydney Road in Houdini Lane is Brunswick's best hidden secret... Red Betty. and the third Monday of each month is a poetry open mic where poets can Be Fearless!

Melbourne poetry would not be Melbourne poetry without Eddy. That's how much he means to performance poetry. Artist, singer, poet and magnificent human being. And strange. Or was it weird? Anyway, you are in for an absolute treat on Monday.
There will be open mic of course, and the famous hospitality of Red Betty.

St Kilda's weekly poetry & spoken word open mic, hosted by Danksta Downunder, in Claypots seafood restaurant @ 213 Barkly Street. Bar snacks & drinks available to whet your appetite for words that may or may not rhyme, let alone make sense &/or nonsense!

@misfits.space

@birdgirlau Music & MC
@chelseaeldermusic
@sirakeeghan

@tiernxy (MC)

The 2025 Woorilla Poetry Prize has broken all records and attracted quality entries from across Australia and the World.

The judges, Andy Jackson and Gayelene Carbis, have created their short lists and decided on the winning entries, which will be announced at the event. Over 900 poems have been painfully whittled down to a few for the shortlist, and this is where you'll hear about them.

Blessed we are indeed to have the wonderful Robbie Coburn as our feature this week. Robbie has been on the poetry scene for almost half his life - his first published poem appeared in ‘Unusual Work’ when he was 17 years old and he is currently 31. Pretty amazing. He has been published in oodles of journals and is the author of six books and two chapbooks, including the recent verse novel ‘The Foal in the Wire’ (Hachette 2025).

With an all-star line-up of poets including Evelyn Araluen, Andy Jackson, Toby Fitch and Ender Başkan, along with poetry and music collaboration Panda Wong and Hannah Wu of Lotus Threads, Big Verse promises to transport you through the rambunctious and politically charged world of contemporary Australian poetry.

This in one of our bi-monthly events with a Feature Artist and 8 open mic spots. Mother Tongue is a place for Passionate, Powerful, Vulnerable and Honest performance; it stands aside from most Spoken Word events in its depth and authenticity.

Welcome to our Yarra Valley Spoken Word Community.

We meet at The Dreaming Space Academy at Yarra Valley ECOSS, Wesburn on the second Friday of the month and welcome you to join us and share your musings.

Radio Laria is ending 2025 with two fantastic features, Fiona Stuart and Ebem Toala. Fiona is an authentic woman of strength whose poetry stays loyal to both the beautiful and the harsh realities. Ebem Toala is a theatre and mime artist dedicated to creating moments of depth and sensitivity on stage. We have ten open mic spots for poetry, or other artistic forms of expression…

Join us to celebrate the launch of local acclaimed poet Emilie Collyer's second collection.

This second collection digs deeply into Collyer’s avid feminine and feminist interest in the place of the body: what it feels like to have one, how bodies are gendered, assessed, analysed and valued, how the body of an artist and a body of creative work is forged.

Welcome to the Motley Openhaus! A space to let your heart bleed and words run. An inclusive, encouraging space for writers of all experiences to come up and read whatever they've been working on. Long form, short stories, haikus, spoken word, if you wanna say it, we wanna hear it! Every Wednesday evening, 7:30 start. Free entry

Tune into yourself through the guided experience of contemplation, meditation and poetry writing.

In this fortnightly workshop, you will be gently guided into your deeper self before being invited to express your internal world onto the page.

Café Philosophique runs the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the Bridge Hotel in Werribee, exploring the hidden forces that shape our lives through music, poetry and conversation.

Theme: The Past

Feature: Amanda Anastasi

Hosted by MC Danksta Downunder, the format is OPEN MIC for all to join!

No-one knows what will happen on the night! All languages are welcome here. 100% survival rate for first-time performers guaranteed. Spoken Word @ Bar Oussou has a long history within the Melbourne poetry scene - come and join in every Tuesday

St Kilda's weekly poetry & spoken word open mic, hosted by Danksta Downunder, in Claypots seafood restaurant @ 213 Barkly Street. Bar snacks & drinks available to whet your appetite for words that may or may not rhyme, let alone make sense &/or nonsense!

Our monthly Spoken Word gathering. Optional prompt for one of your pieces. 5 minute time slots. All welcome.

A poetry & music event where a poet and a singer-songwriter share the stage together going poem song poem song back to back. Fundraising for FemiliPNG, dedicated to supporting Papua New Guineans experiencing sexual and family violence.

Feature: TBD

Open mic? You know it. Sign up from 1.30pm, show kicks off at 2pm.

Chamber Poets #116 - Myron Lysenko & Bill Wootton

With a hearty open section, great original live music from Black Forest Smoke and good value RSL food and drinks. 1pm for a 115pm start..

Our Poetry and Spoken Word events are held on the second Saturday of the month AT A NEW TIME 1 p.m., with a Poetry Writing Workshop running from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Featuring Ynes Sanz

**DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER, CHECK ORGANISER POST FOR VENUE

Poetry from Agitation Hill presents LIVE in the CHAPEL but also zoomed, Helen Lucas. Friday, November 7th 6-7pm.

This reading will take place in the chapel of the Uniting Church, Castlemaine, but will also be zoomed across Australia and into the DigiWorld.

Welcome to the Motley Openhaus! A space to let your heart bleed and words run. An inclusive, encouraging space for writers of all experiences to come up and read whatever they've been working on. Long form, short stories, haikus, spoken word, if you wanna say it, we wanna hear it! Every Wednesday evening, 7:30 start. Free entry

Hosted by MC Danksta Downunder, the format is OPEN MIC for all to join!

No-one knows what will happen on the night! All languages are welcome here. 100% survival rate for first-time performers guaranteed. Spoken Word @ Bar Oussou has a long history within the Melbourne poetry scene - come and join in every Tuesday

Headless poetry is back on the first Monday of November- the 3rd, for the third session. Come to Red Betty in Brunswick, 7:00 for a 7:30 start. A late Halloween and an early Guy Fawkes night.

Featuring:
Jupiter V - @jup1terandsaturn / Cainne - @criticalsxxtheory / Rue Elliot - @washedup_retailsuperstar / Panda Wong - @faun.ish

Poetry Bauhaus is a fabulous gig set in West Gippsland, Warragul.

Feature Gerard Lewis Fitzgerald.

Plus a popular  open mic,  where poets vie for the much coveted Bauhaus Poetry Cup, also a support feature in our next gig.

Convened by Yvette Stubbs,

supported by Baw Baw Arts Alliance.

Feature: TBD

Open mic? You know it. Sign up from 1.30pm, show kicks off at 2pm.

Assorted Sporks is a queer friendly regular poetry and performance night at Mamma Chen's on the last Thursday of the month.

Featuring: Mils D-C

Theme: Dicks and Sadness - Themes are not mandatory, they are just to encourage you to experiment with your writing and improvisation. Feel free to make it weird.

Welcome to the Motley Openhaus! A space to let your heart bleed and words run. An inclusive, encouraging space for writers of all experiences to come up and read whatever they've been working on. Long form, short stories, haikus, spoken word, if you wanna say it, we wanna hear it! Every Wednesday evening, 7:30 start. Free entry

IT'S THE SEASON FINALE!!!! So we're doing a MUSICAL episode deliciously Co-Curated with the wonderous Pelaya Arapakis @pelaya_a

It's the Poetry × Music cross-over of the millennium (and our last TRL for a whiiiiiiiile) so come soak up the vibes one last time in 2k25

FEATURING:
Angela Costi / Nick Tsiavos / Emilie Collyer / Pirritu / Tariro Mavondo / Yaru

Tune into yourself through the guided experience of contemplation, meditation and poetry writing.

In this fortnightly workshop, you will be gently guided into your deeper self before being invited to express your internal world onto the page.