SIP & SHARE - A speakeasy evening of poetry and spoken word on the Mornington Peninsula with feature poet Andrew Rogerson..

Join us for a 'speakeasy' evening of wine and spoken word performances at Rahona Valley on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula.

PoetiCas has been hosting regular poetry gatherings in Castlemaine since 2015, following on the tradition of Ross Donlon's poetry readings in the decade prior. It has grown into a wonderful community and their monthly events are beloved by many.

Acclaimed local poet Cate Kennedy will feature at the PoetiCas reading in July.

Cate Kennedy's collection Signs of Other Fires was published in 2001, and won the Vincent Buckley Award, enabling Cate to travel to Ireland in 2002 and write many of the poems that appear in her second collection Joyflight - poems concerned with legacy, loss and memory.

Feature: Dan Hogan

Open mic? You know it. Sign up from 1pm,

Please Note: earlier starting time this week due to a large booking at the pub later in the afternoon. We have a hard out at 4pm so we're opening the board at 1pm and the show will kick off no later than 1.30pm. This is not a drill, and not poets' time

Join us for a tall glass of red and escape the cold with a showcase of Melbourne poets reading their most recent works. Hosted by Tim Loveday. Dan Hogan, Helen Jarvis and Peter Bakowski.

Join us for the next Platform Poets with feature guest Michael Reynolds at Platform 3095 💕💕

Join award-winning spoken word poet Megan J Riedl for a showcase of new poems and old favourites celebrating the women in her life and her own journey as a neurodivergent single mother. Set in the surrounds of the Seasons of Women exhibition, a group show of a staggering number of local Ballarat creative women, sharing an artistic snapshot a day for 365 days. Curated by Janette Wotherspoon.

Feature: Angela Costi

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

Please join us for a night of great poetry with our special guest, Alex Skovron, online only.

Zoom link posted on https://www.facebook.com/ross.donlon.58 by Thursday prior

Our Poetry and Spoken Word events are (usually) held on the second Saturday of the month at 3 p.m., with a Poetry Writing Workshop running from 2 pm to 3 pm for anyone interested.

Featuring Anke MacLean

Feature: Graeme Turner

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

Chamber Poets #112 ft. Anna Fern & Maurice McNamara

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..

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.

Shyaire (which aptly means poetry in Hindi) is a writer, slam poet and stand-up comic. Her performances have taken her from Melbourne to stages in Dubai, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam and Madrid. She’s been published in Chaotic Musings Vol 1 & 2, Mavens Mag, and featured at events like UNESCO’s Slam-O-Vision, Malthouse’s The Hate Race, Poets for Palestine, and Melbourne Fashion Week 2024.

Come join us for a warm candlelit night of music, poetry and story. The Simba Sessions is a intentional monthly event, curated around a theme. As our artist offer their own stories, we review our own.

Doors open 7pm. All welcome.
Food and drink available.

Please join us in welcoming Bert Spinks as Feature Poet Friday 13th June 2025.

Bert Spinks is a poet, writer and bushwalking guide from Tasmania. He lives in an old train carriage in the forest. Bert's work is largely about the relationships humans have with the environments in which they live. He has performed his stories and poems in a wide variety of settings over the last 15 years.

Join in this special Zoom poetry event to hear both Annes read  – a must for all of us listening, reading and thinking about the insights that poetry can bring.

Radiolaria Storytelling started in 2025, a sister event to the traditional poetry stage where community is invited to share stories on a theme.

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.

Feature: Paul Kohn

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

Dear Friends, please join us for a night of great poetry with Joel Deane from Agitation Hill on Djarra Country, Castlemaine. Exclusively via Zoom. Friday, July 4th 6-7pm

Poetry, as the man said, is for everyone, and if you are the slightest bit curious about what is happening in contemporary Australian poetry, this is your chance to find out. We have a diverse assembly of twelve excellent poets reading from their own work; live music from a talented and vibrant vocal quartet; a discussion about how poems are made; and—working the Christmas in July theme—the world premiere of new musical setting of two original carols by Mark Tredinnick.

OUTSPOKEN is not your average night of entertainment… it’s a deeply moving experience where truth takes centre stage.

This is a space for the stories we don’t usually tell. The ones weighed down by shame, silenced by fear, or hidden in the name of keeping things ‘comfortable.’ But not here! OUTSPOKEN is a celebration of authenticity, where raw, powerful storytelling is met with open hearts, genuine connection, and exquisite presence.

SIP & SHARE - A speakeasy evening of poetry and spoken word on the Mornington Peninsula with feature poet Andrew Rogerson.

Join us for a 'speakeasy' evening of wine and spoken word performances at Rahona Valley on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula.

PoetiCas has been hosting regular poetry gatherings in Castlemaine since 2015. Our monthly events have become a cherished part of the community. Regular monthly gatherings include a featured poet and an open mic segtion, which you register your interest on arrival. All are welcome. So, buy a drink from the bar and join us at The Coolroom at the Northern Arts Hotel, the home for PoetiCas.

Featured Poet ; Ross Gillett
Ross Gillett lives on Dja Dja Wurrung country in Daylesford, Victoria. His chapbooks The Sea Factory (Five Islands Press) and Wundawax and Other Poems (Mark Time Books) were published in 2006 and 2010 respectively.

Yvette is an award winning published poet and well-respected matriarch of the Melbourne poetry scene, from La Mama Poetica to the late great Dan O’Connell. She has performed in poetry festivals in Melbourne (Sonic Poetry) and Scotland (Belladrum Heart).

Poetry from Agitation Hill presents Jean Atkin, coming to us via zoom from the U.K. on Friday 20th June 6-7pm EST. It's a morning start for Jean to be here. Thanks, Jean.

Please join us for a night of great poetry zooming  across Australia and into digispace.

Poetry@Chrissy Hills

The Famous Open Mic

BYO poem, humour, food, drink to share

Featured Reader: Gayelene Carbis

Assorted Sporks is a free queer friendly regular poetry and performance night at Mamma Chen's on Thursday the 26th of June

Featuring; Juniper Ruth Ariel Maffescioni

Theme: Canines

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

Join us for the next Platform Poets with feature guest Stephen Smithyman at Platform 3095 💕💕

Poetry/spoken word- world of poetry, a spoken world, words of worlds, worlds of words!

Poetryspective #132
Featuring

Laura Fisher
plus
Rachael Rose’s rock girl retrospective experience

Toby Davidson coming on down to Melbourne from the NSW Central Coast. Toby is in town to launch his new poetry collection (Readings Carlton w/ Mal Mckimmie also launching a new book). Launches give you a fine taste of the poet's work, but we've got him for two whole sets at Cherry! Plus open mic of course. Sign up from 1.30, gig starts at 2pm.