Nandi Chinna, Renee Pettitt-Schipp, Daniel Hansen and Luke Sweedman, commissioned in 2019 for New Shoots WA

The first ever national Poetry Month kicks off 1 August with an exciting line-up of ambassadors sharing their personal reflections 

The 2021 Poetry Month ambassadors are Grace Tame, Dr Karl, Megan Wilding, Peter FitzSimons, Steven Oliver,
Yassmin Abdel-Magied and Tenzin Choegyal

The 2021 inaugural Poetry Month has something for everyone with workshops, showcases and events plus newly commissioned work from a diverse range of writers, poets, artists and public figures to be released throughout the August.

Reflections from Poetry Month ambassadors include:

Poetry was wired into my soul by my father, Peter McCloy FitzSimons who had learned huge slabs of Kipling, Tennyson, Pope, Banjo Paterson, et al while serving as an AIF Lieutenant in North Africa during the Second World War – to keep his mind active…All these years on, I often wonder if my pleasure in writing Australian history, and the rhythms with which I wrote it, owes something to learning all those poems…–– Peter FitzSimons, best-selling author

Poetry is pure expression. It’s an infinite canvas for linguistic creativity. It can be structured or completely unstructured. The parameters are the prerogative of the poet and that’s what makes it so beautiful. –– Grace Tame, 2021 Australian of the Year

Poetry for me is like the mountain, like the ocean or the sky. It helps in evoking or mapping many emotions that we keep within ourselves in few lines while leaving much space for those who encounter them to form their own stories too.–– Tenzin Choegyal, composer

My first proper introduction to poetry was on the stage, rather than on the page. Like many others, I had read poetry at school, but it wasn’t until I saw poetry being spoken out loud, performed and embodied by people (like me) that I began to truly understand its power.–– Yassmin Abdel-Magied, author and social advocate

Poetry is a way that art reflects the real world. Some things in our manufactured universe are functional, while others are artistic – but poetry manages to marry both.
The ‘functionality’ of poetry becomes evident when you realise you look at the world around you in a different way – so poetry functionally changes you.–– Dr Karl, scientist, author and broadcaster

With poetic collaborations, a First Nations focus, a poetry prize connecting sustainability and young voices of the future, daily commissioned poems and writing prompts, online workshops, and a Gala showcase, the first ever Poetry Month calls on Australians to celebrate all the ways poetry connects, entertains and expands our understanding.

Full program and key dates available here 

Featured photo: Prize winning poet, Jill Jones