Welcome Wordies to Ballarat Spoken Word. We are featuring Alex Jan Angus for our November event.

Ballarat born poet Alex Jan Angus recently returned to their roots after many years in regional towns but based mainly in Melbourne.
They began writing poetry unexpectedly 35 years ago when asked to contribute a few words on a large farewell card for a senior nursing colleague. This began an impossible urge to write their life experiences in poetry form for the next 40 years.
As a non-binary member of the GLBTIQA community, and previously married with 2 adult sons, this provides Alex scope for exploring identity. Possessing a keen observer’s eye, and with undergraduate studies in literature and psychoanalysis they are inspired to write with a focus on inner and outer lives both of their own, and others.
Alex’s poetry is shaped somewhat by early classical piano training with a persistence towards various rhythms, phrasing and timing. And their love of words is traced to formative years when an abundance of lyrics of Celtic and English folk music, early African American Spirituals and Christian hymns formed a sizeable part of their piano albums for leisure playing. Their father was an ordained minister of the church, a talented and inspiring orator with a highly developed social conscience. His words unwittingly left an imprint.
Alex poetry explores several themes such as childhood, identity, love, lust, environment, madness and embodiment in illness. They are extremely indebted to Marty MonStar who established Ballarat Spoken Word - BSW which provides a platform for the performance of their poetry, and the opportunity and pleasure of meeting with many remarkable poets both established and emerging.

Come and share your words/poems/prose/songs with us on the Open Microphone. 5 minutes of reading time allocated to each creative.