Lend an ear to the Queensland Poetry Festival 2014
Gifted wordsmiths from all over this sun-bitten continent and beyond are making their way towards the Judith Wright Centre in Fortitude Valley for a three-day celebration of spoken word, music and performance this weekend.
Whether used to help or hinder, language is an incredibly potent device. It has the power to weasel tears out from the toughest of folks and crack smiles in the sternest of faces. This weekend, more than 40 of the finest contemporary poets and spoken-word artists from around the world will push creative boundaries at the Queensland Poetry Festival 2014: spoken in one strange word. Late-night events, film screenings, spoken-word performances, a poetry slam, book launches and more will push mind cogs into motion from Friday August 29 to Sunday August 31 at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts.
The 18th annual festival will kick off with the opening-night spectacular Needlepoints of Light tomorrow, Friday August 29, which features 2014 Arts Queensland Poet in Residence Warsan Shire, Singaporean poet Cyril Wong, local talent Sarah Holland-Batt and musicians The Bell Divers and McKisko. You can grab tickets for the launch event online, while the rest of the weekend program is entirely free. Saturday night will see the innovative cabaret-poetry show Night Uncurls Its Palm uniting poets, dancers, musicians and visual artists, while QPF Up Late will explore why Teen Makeouts Hate Poetry. On Sunday afternoon, kick back in the IMA Screening Room with some of the best poetic films from around the globe and get your heart pumping at the QPF Slam from 7:30 pm that night. Check out the full festival program and line-up of artists online, and keep an eye on the festival’s Facebook page for updates.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.