Poetry from Agitation Hill presents Lauren Williams. Friday May 3rd 6-7pm EST

A veteran of Melbourne’s live poetry scene, Lauren discovered it by chance in 1982, and was active in it for the next 25 years, before relocating to central Victoria in 2007.

She has performed Australia-wide and internationally at poetry festivals and events large and small; reviewed for Australian Book Review; worked in the legendary bookshop Collected Works, taught poetry, briefly and controversially, at RMIT; was an associate editor with Going Down Swinging; Poet-in-Residence for Radio National; and convened La Mama Poetica for several years. Prior to and throughout her poetic career, Lauren sang in many bands, and was Australia’s first gigging female rapper, back in 1989-90.

Prizes include the 1992 Launceston Poetry Cup (Australia’s oldest slam format prize), the 2000 Melbourne Writers Festival Poetry Slam, and the Melbourne Poets Union International Prize in 2003. Lauren’s work has appeared in many journals, magazines, and anthologies, with collections published by Penguin Books, Five Islands Press, Picaro Press, and Soup

Publications. Her most recent book is Cleanskin Poems (2016, Island Press Co-operative).

In the mid-2000s, her focus shifted to songwriting. She performs and records under her full name – Lauren Lee Williams. Her 2 nd album, She Blew Into Town, was released in 2022 and is available on Bandcamp. Books, CDs & download cards will be for sale at the gig. Please join us on zoom for a night of great poetry. Zoom link posted Thursday May 2nd. Zoom room open by 5.45 pm