Get excited for April! This month, don’t miss out on the Newcastle Writers’ Festival, a great series of poetry slams and workshops, as well as a feast of other excellent events, readings and launches.
3 April: Word in Hand April – Betty Grumble & Gabrielle Journey Jones
Performance artist Betty Grumble and spoken word artist Gabrielle Jones come together to share their words, stories and music. Get ready for a transformative performance at the Red Rattler Theatre on 3 April, from 7pm to 10pm. Open mic sign-ups are available on the night. Click here for more information.
4-20 April: Word Travels – Rumble Poetry workshops, Fairfield City Rumble Poetry Slam Night, C-Town Rumble
Word Travels is bringing you a whole feast of poetry slam events this April! Start off by honing your writing and performing skills with three FREE Rumble Youth poetry workshops on Wednesday April 4, Wednesday April 11 and Thursday April 19. Then it’s time to show off your skills at the Fairfield City Rumble Poetry Slam Night on Thursday 19 April! The C-Town Rumble takes place the night after on Friday 20 April at the Campbelltown Arts Centre. Youth Off the Streets is providing a free barbeque from 5pm as well as buses to help people and their families attend the event. Winners of each Rumble will represent their region at the NSW Rumble Final at the Sydney Writers Festival in May. Check out the full list of their events here.
6-8 April: Newcastle Writers’ Festival
Don’t miss #NWF18! The amazing 2018 program features talks and events from fantastic authors including Michael Sala, Michelle Seminara and Mehreen Faruqi. Make sure you go to their free event Outside the Square on 7 April from 1.30pm to 2.30pm, where Julie Koh, Ryan O’Neill and Jane Rawson will discuss this question: is experimentation in Australian literature dead? Check out the full program here.
7 April: Spineless Wonders @ #NWF18
Spineless Wonders is coming to the Newcastle Writers’ Festival! On 7 April from 11.30am to 12.45pm, check out the Joanne Burns Microlit Award Ceremony, including a discussion around time and the launch of the Time anthology. Then from 1.30pm to 2.30pm, head to the book launch of What you Might Find by Richard Holt, and launched by Cassandra Atherton. Throughout the festival, attendees can also take part in Spineless Wonders’ interactive exhibition in the foyer of the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music. Look out for more #storybombing during the festival!
9 April: Judith Bishop in-convo with Felicity Plunkett & Eileen Chong
Acclaimed Australian poet Judith Bishop is celebrating the launch of her new collection, Interval, published by University of Queensland Press. Judith will be in conversation with fellow poets Eileen Chong and Felicity Plunkett at Better Read than Dead in Newtown, at 6.30pm on 9 April. Click here to book your place.
11 April: Westwords – A Touch of Poetry @ Castle Hill Library
Presented by Westwords and Castle Hill Library, A Touch of Poetry is a series of monthly poetry readings featuring award-winning Australian poets. The April session features the acclaimed poet Andrew Taylor reflecting on the notion of poetry as exploration. This free event takes place on 11 April, from 6.30pm to 7.30pm. Click here to RSVP.
15 April: Bring it On! Festival @ Fairfield Showground
Bring it On! Festival is the biggest event of Fairfield City Council’s Youth Week NSW program. Come along for free music, sport, art and live entertainment from talented artists including Yours Truly, Vlado and Rachael Fahim. Even better, there’s free transport to the festival from Fairfield, Cabramatta and Canley Vale train stations all day long. The event happens on Sunday 15 April, 10.30am to 7.30pm, at Fairfield Showground.
19 April: Site of Passage Exhibition Opening
Site of Passageis a new exhibition curated by Claire Field and Tian Zhang exploring personal journeys, transitions, expressions and affirmations. Each artist embarks on a voyage to claim parts of their identities that have been obscured by colonisation, displacement or migration. Artists featured include Atong Atem, Cigdem Aydemir and Anindita Banerjee. The exhibition opening occurs at Customs House on 19 April from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
19-21 April: Obscene Madame D at Riverside Parramatta
Fall under the spell of this daring new adaptation of Obscene Madame D with Theatre Kantanka. Explore the psychological landscape of Madame D., a reclusive grieving widow living under the stairs. With binaural sound, hand-crafted animation and enchanting live theatre, this performance is fiery and unforgettable. Experience this groundbreaking show at Riverside Theatres Parramatta from 19 to 21 April. But don’t fret if you miss out—the show is coming to 107 Projects in Redfern in May.
26 April: The Flying Optometrist Book Launch @ Kinokuniya
The Flying Optometristby Joanne Anderton is a moving picture book story detailing an optometrist’s adventure across the Australian landscape as he flies from a coastal city into the heart of the Australian desert. This story was inspired by the author’s father, Philip Anderton, who provided eye healthcare to remote communities. Join Joanne and Philip at Kinokuniya Books Sydney on Thursday 26 April, from 6pm. Click here for details.
27-30 April: Varuna & Sydney Writers’ Festival – Blue Mountains Program
Varuna and the Sydney Writers’ Festival proudly present their Blue Mountains festival program. Workshops, panels and discussions abound featuring excellent writers such as Eileen Chong, Omar Sakr and Rawah Arja. Events take place at Varuna, the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre and the Carrington Hotel in Katoomba from 27 to 30 April. Get the full details here.