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Amir Sulaiman in Australia – 17 December

A message from our friends at the Naxariis Foundation Inc

presenting…

Amir Sulaiman’s ‘The Meccan Openings’ Melbourne Tour

Come along and witness DEF Jam Poet Amir Sulaiman’s first ever Australian tour as he takes Melbourne through his poetic pilgrimage.

Amir Sulaiman is an accomplished poet, activist, recording artist and a 2 time HBO Def Poet. Host and performer for national Breed Love Odyssey Tour with Mos Def and Talib Kweli and special guest on KRS-ONES Hip Hop Lives Tour there is a steady but ever increasing buzz building around Amir quickly gaining the attention of everyone from Kanye West and Russell Simmons (who referred to Amir as “blessed”), to Dave Chapelle. In addition, organizations such as the ACLU, Amnesty International and Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH Coalition have used Amir’s poetry and voice to bring life to multiple campaigns dealing with social justice and art. Consistently working across the United States and Canada, Amir has shared the stage with artists such as Kanye West, Lauryn Hill, Common , Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pharoah Monch, Floetry, Black Thought of The Roots, Goapele, Stevie Wonder, The Last Poets, Dead Prez, Ghostface of Wu-Tang Clan, MOP, and more.

Hosted by Luka Lesson and featuring a line up of amazing Melbourne based, talented poets:

Alia Gabres
Nour Abouzeid
Sara Mussa
Xaamud Aden
Zoe Hendrix Newport
Abshir Ahmed
Salim Mohamed

Poetry and art are historically significant part of East African and Somali culture and to highlight the strength and perseverance of the East African people we aim to positively inspire the youth and showcase their talent while raising funds for the drought stricken victims in East Africa. This night will also feature elements of East African culture such as dance, story telling, and so much more.

Proudly brought to you by the ‘Strength Not Silence’ campaign

Saturday 17 December
Carrillo Gantner Theatre
Sydney Myer Asia Centre
761 Swantson St (cnr Monash Rd)
Parkville

For info on tickets, or reservations email bookings.naxariis@gmail.com, or call Ahmed Shide on 0401 876 778 or  Halima Fiqi on 0401 124 670

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Queensland Poetry Festival open for submissions

A message from our friends at QPF for all you Melbourne poets seeking winter respite in 2012:

Queensland Poetry Festival invites expressions of interest and proposals from poets, performer, and artists interested in being part of the 16th annual three-day festival spoken in one strange word. QPF 2012 will run from 24 – 26 August at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane.

We are keen to hear from all individuals and groups interested in performing at QPF 2012, or who have projects to pitch that can be run in association with the festival. While all projects should have a relationship to poetic language, we encourage applications from artists wishing to explore the relationship between poetry and other art forms. If you are programmed to perform at QPF 2012 flights, accommodation and performance fees will be provided.

Submission deadline: Wednesday 22nd February, 2012

For submission form & guidelines please visit www.queenslandpoetryfestival.com 

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Word is born – 10 November 2011

A great gig coming your way, featuring some of Overload’s best friends. Check it out:

Entering its 3rd event, Word Is Born joins the poetry and hip hop communities of Melbourne together, showcasing spoken word pieces on the topic Revolution: A Tribute To Gil Scott-Heron.

Hosted by Omar Musa (08’ Aus. Poetry Slam Champion, ‘The Massive’ E.P, ‘World Goes To Pieces’ L.P, MoneyKat, Scott-Heron German tour support act) and Joelistics (TZU, Elefant Tracks, ‘Voyager’ L.P) will speak on Revolution as it’s obvious global and personal manifestations in our time.

Also to pay tribute to the ‘Godfather of Rap’, one of the world’s greatest pioneers of the spoken word. Poet, author, activist, song writer and musician Gil Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011). Scott-Heron is best known for his song The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Melbourne Poetry heavyweights performing include Emilie Zoey Baker (winner, 2010 International Slam Review), Steve Smart (Founder of Overload Poetry Festival), Sean M. Whelan & Isnod (‘Tattooing the Surface of the Moon’ book, 2010 winner of the Moving Galleries People’s Choice Award), Michelle Dabrowski (Throw Poetry Collective, Montreal), Joel McKerrow (Centre for Poetics and Justice, Global Poetics Tour), Nour Abouzeid (State Champion 2010 Aus. Poetry Slam), Randall Stephens (Sweetalkers) and Meena Shamalay (Centre for Poetics and Justice, Aus. Poetry Slam finalist, ‘Best Performance’ at Poetry Idol).

They will be joined by local Melbourne hip hop icons Candice Monique (& The Optics), Marlon ‘Elf Tranz’ Porter (Combat Wombat, Metabass’n'Breath, ‘Ethereal Lotus Fleet’ L.P), Lotus, Ee’da (‘Holographic Love’ E.P), Ollie MC (‘Battlefield Of Distraction’ E.P, ‘Navigate The Crosswind’ L.P), Link McElvenny (Inkstain Pro, Squid Squad), Vytal One & Muma Doesa (Blunt Paper Massive) and Ali MC (New Dub City Sound). Word Is Born aims to merge the Melbourne communities of hip hop and poetry to be entertaining, informing and inspiring to all lovers of words under one umbrella. Handouts on the night will contain affiliated events, gigs and artist information that acts are involved with to help connect the scenes with the public, especially the new-commers.

Word Is Born will be held at Bella Union (Level 1 Trades Hall, Cnr. Lygon & Victoria Streets, Carlton) on Thursday November 10. Doors from 7pm. $12 tickets available at www.bellaunion.com.au

www.facebook.com/TimHelmyPresents

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Poetry In Film Festival 2011

A message from our friends at the Poetry In Film Festival:

The wait is over – eight independent filmmakers have been chosen as finalists in the Poetry in Film Festival 2011. The emerging filmmakers are now in the running to win awards in five categories at PIFF’s Screening and Awards Night at Melbourne’s Palace Como on October 9th.

Selecting the eight finalists was a tough call for PIFF Judges documentary filmmaker John Hughes, director, cinematographer and screenwriter David Muir, and upcoming film director Jessica Lawton. According to the judges, each film represented an entirely unique interpretation of the poem, “Four Letters, Three Words” by Belinda Hilton.

The eight films and filmmakers selected as finalists are:

Aimee – Directed by Dana Newell (Sydney)
Jordan’s Choice – Directed by Jackson Raine
King Neptune – Directed by David Vincent Smith (Western Australia)
Love is a many childish thing – Directed by Mikael Hattingh
Shadow Dreams – Directed by Scott Lewis
The Family Mills – Directed by Paul Dowie
The Prank – Directed by Mark Bluett & Sean McCart
Would you hold me – Directed by Sarah Elizabeth Harney

Working in collaboration with Palace Cinemas, the Poetry in Film Festival (PIFF) aims to raise awareness and appreciation of poetry in popular culture while uncovering the talents of up-and-coming Australian independent filmmakers. Filmmakers were asked to interpret the poem “Four Letters, Three Words” into a seven minute short film.

PIFF Screening and Awards Night Sunday 9th October, 4:30PM Palace Cinema Como, 299 Toorak Road, South Yarra, Melbourne Tickets are on sale now

https://www.palacecinemas.com.au/sessiontimes/session/155/67752/

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Thank you!

It’s hard to believe that almost two weeks have gone by since the end of the Overload. After a break (sort of), we’re back on the treadmill rying to dream up what to do next year. Sounds crazy? Always is. On to number 11!

A big thank you must be said to heaps of people:

The Overload family – Ashley Molese (couldn’t have done it without you), Steve Smart, Denice Smart, all the Overload volunteers, Eleanor Jackson, Michael Reynolds, The Global Poetics Tour and Centre for Poetics and Justics crew, all the Melbourne regular poetry reading convenors and anyone who organised a one-off gig. Our sponsors and event partners – City of Yarra, Arts Victoria, Brooklyn Arts Hotel, Monash Radio, Fed Square, NGV, The Wheeler Centre. Anyone who helped spread the word: Aural Text on RRR, Maxine and all the crew at Slamup.blogspot.com, Little Girl with a Big Pen, Benjamin Solah, David McLaughlan @ Red Lobster TV, and our awesome designer, the man responsible for this website Mik Efford.

Stay tuned because we’ll be posting some photos soon, as well as keeping you up to date with what’s happening in Melbourne poetry. If you’ve got gigs you  want to promote, hit us up, and we’ll try to help you spread the word.

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Closing Night

New Shane web

So this is it. The moment we’ve all been waiting for. Is it possible to have two of the most amazing nights in Overload history on the same weekend? I’m sure it is.

It’s an absolute pleasure to host what will be an unbelieveable night of poetry and performance by the cream of poetry in this country, with a very special overseas guest. A truly stellar lineup:

Canadian spoken word virtuoso Shane Koyczan sits at the crossroads between fine writing and superstardom. Authentic, genuine and powerful, he navigates his audience through social and political territory with a furious honesty and a tender humanity that has brought audiences to their feet in New York, London, Edinburgh, Sydney and Los Angeles.

Sean M Whelan and the Interim Lovers – a post-rock/spoken word collaboration. Their album Softly and Suddenly is a mysterious love story written by Whelan inspired on Lewis Carroll’s Hunting of the Snark, beautifully instrumented by the Interim Lovers.

Emilie Zoey Baker – an internationally acclaimed poet and slam champion, winner of the Nimbin Performance Poetry World Cup, the Berlin International Literature Festival’s International Slam Review, and a guest of literary festivals in North America, Europe and Asia.

Eleanor Jackson – a poet of poignant, conversational style and the creator of a unique experiment in poetic storytelling, the Melbourne Poetry Map.

Allan Boyd and Maitland Schaars – The Antipoet and The Enforcer, described as 21st century performance poets in your faces. Raw and political spoken word by two seasoned performance poets from WA.

Lapkat (Lisa Greenaway) works with multilingual spoken word and minimal global beats in DJ sets featuring spoken word artists, poets, storytellers, MCs in all languages mixed with eclectic music styles, from old treasures of the world to the new sounds of the global electronic movement.

SOME DISCOUNT TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE through Rushcrowds. An absolute bargain.

If all else fails, Trybooking is your way to go, or of course at the door. Fitzroy Town Hall, (Main Hall) 201 Napier St Fitzroy.

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Overload day 9

So we skipped the day 8 preview, but hey, it was a big day. One of the most amazing in the history of the Melbourne Poetry Scene. A packed Footscray Arts Centre saw the absolute brilliantness of the Centre for Poetics and Justice Crew and three of the best poets in the world: Jive Poetic, Ken Arkind and Shane Koyzcan. The Global Poetics Tour is almost drawing to a close, so if you missed this, you may have a few opportunities to see a glimpse of what happened at Footscray on Friday check out globalpoetics.com and cpj.org.au.

Two other beautiful gigs were on simultaneously at Collected Works and North Melbourne Library, of which you can see some photots here, thanks to Overload’s good friend Michael Reynolds. (Heaps more photos from the festival coming to this site soon).

On to today! at 2 pm for the third year in a row we hear poets in response to artworks at the National Gallery of Victoria. This year’s commissions will be in response to the Aboriginal Art Collection at the Ian Potter Centre, by Jordie Albiston, Tony Birch and Luka Lesson. While you’re there, you might want to check our Electric Text on the East Shard.

If you’re after a more swashbucklin’ afternoon, head to the Dan O’Connell Hotel where it’s Talk Like a Pirate Day (?) and Allan Boyd, Meg Dunn and Thom Roker bring out the rum, swords and make you walk the open mic plank.

At the Workers Club from 5.30-7.30 the No Competition poets get on stage to show you how it’s done. Slam winners and consumate performers come together for this fantastic showcase: Armand Petit, Andrea Thomas, Ashley Higgs, Santo Cazzati, Bronwyn Lovell and Felix Nobis.

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Overload day 7

As we approach Saturday, the Overload team is overtaken by a strange mix of sadness, satisfaction, relief and excitement at the last couple of days of the festival creep up with a drug cocktail high.

Today, we continue one of the most successful and amazing projects Overload has been blessed to host – Eleanor Jackson’s Melbourne Poetry Map. This is the new batch of poets in a yearly series of digital poetic storytelling in the Melbourne CBD, and tonight’s lineup is amazing: Amy Bodossian, Alia Gabres, Omar Musa, Luka Lesson, Tariro Mavondo, Betsy Turcot and Jessica Alice.

But if the leafyness of Eltham is more your cup of tea, you can head to the Courthouse Readings where Chloe Wilson, author of The Mermaid Problem joins this intimate and fabulous night.

Back in the inner north, Northcote’s Willow Bar opens up to Overload for Beware of Greeks Bearing Poems – a celebration of emerging Greek Australian poets.

And after a few technical glitches, we have poems 24-hours-a-day on the East Shard of Federation Square until the end of the festival. Check out the Electric Text, corner of Swanston and Flinders Streets in the city. Some absolute gems there.

Check out as well Slamup blog’s reviews of the Overload Poetry Festival, some controversial opinions, join the discussion.

 

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Overload day 6

Your_Looking_Eyes promo01

As director of the festival, all poets are my favourite children, but a special mention needs to go to Andy Jackson who along with Genevieve and her trusty harp Jezebel, and David Splatt on saw, absolutely knocked the socks off the punters at the Edinburgh Castle. Coburg never sounded so good. I can’t be everywhere though, so tell me, what knocked your socks off last night?

But today – two booklaunches: Initially NO’s Wierd stuff happening at lunchtime in Prahran. Then at 5pm, come straight from work to the Abbotsford Convent for the launch of Emilie Collyer’s Your Looking Eyes with special guest Amy Bodossian. The book has been beautifully illustrated by Eirian Chapman.

Then at 6.30, the mufftastic (that’s how Eleanor described it to me) Mills and Boon Swoon at Long Play. A spin on the “boy meets girl…” archetype – girl meets girl. Tune in to 3RRR’s Aural Text from midday today to hear Eleanor and Betsy Turcot talk about their show, Melbourne Poetry Map and closing night.

And for the harcore, at Palookaville, a re-encounter with the ghosts of poetry readings past. Class of 99, featuring nine handpicked poets from Overload’s prehistory.

Three days to go! Unbelievable. Have you booked tickets for the Closing night yet? You better be quick. You won’t want to miss Canadian superstar Shane Koyczan performing with some of the best poetry talent in Australia.

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Overload day 5

speak me deadly

Half way through the Overload as Shelton Lea gives way to two options. 

If you missed the premiere of Shelton Lea: a Life in Poetry last night, you can catch it again sans performances today at 6.30 at Long Play on St George’s Rd.

After that, you have to make a choice: 

Almost up the road at Bar Nancy, Speak me Deadly: a poetry tribute to film noir. Steve Smart, Amy Bodossian, Panman, Eddy Burger and more take you down a dark alley… 

Meanwhile, in Brunswick, a banjo, an accordion, a harp and other unusual instruments accompany the delighful words of Andy Jackson, Jessica Alice and Sean M Whelan. Notes on Sound is at the Edinburgh Castle, where it is also pot-and-pie night too.

Yipee!