Melbourne Poets Union

Image above by Brendan Bonsack.

We have opportunities for you! New opps and comps page is HERE

Thinking of joining the MPU committee? Our 2019 AGM approaches

Currently we have expressions of interest open to be part of our 2019 events calendar.

AND we have a competition to design the new MPU banner and logo.

So click that link already and get involved. If you missed it in the header HERE it is again.

Our Annual General Meeting is on at Night Heron in Footscray on March 25th. Click HERE for our guide to negotiating the AGM with downloadable forms and docs. Nomination forms are due no later than 5pm, March 18th 2019. Keep your eye on the event page for details of the poetry show that follows the AGM.
(update: 17th of Feb 2019)

We've added a page for MPU member bios, pics and Q&As. We'd love you to submit yourself HERE. And we've gotten our Hire a Poet service back up and running (see button below) to help find work for our members.

And we've fixed our contact form. Apologies it's been busted for a while. This has been resolved and tested, it works now! Click HERE to send us a message through the web form. And we're working through the backlog, should have gotten back to everyone by weeks end. (Feb 21th 2019)

Join MPU Now (click here)

Hire a Poet today

Our first chapbook launch for 2019
is on Feb 20th

Click HERE for all the info on Henry's launch. We think it's gonna be beautiful.

UPCOMING EVENTS - 2019

Photo credit Brendan Bonsack

For our first regular gig of the year which will be February 23rd at Hares and Hyenas in Fitzroy. That's a Saturday night and that, my dears, is how confident we are that we have a big show for you. A big show featuring Natalie Jeffreys and Tariro Mavondo plus a $100 Open Mic Prize.

Followed by our AGM / Poetry Event / Retirement Party on Monday March 25 (we're fixing the date on the poster, don't fret/email us to tell us it's wrong, we know). This will mark the official retirement of Wendy Fleming from the MPU committee and Anne Elvey from MPU Publishing, and they're both going to read a set of poems for us!

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE INFO

Our next workshop is
Stage + Page
with David Stavanger
Saturday May 18th 2019

For all the info on how you can book yourself in for David's upcoming workshop at the Kathleen Syme Library & Centre in Carlton, why just click right HERE.

David will also be performing for MPU on May 17th at Hares and Hyenas with Ania Walwicz!

STILL REASONABLY RECENT NEWS

Our thanks to 2018 International Poetry Competition judge Joel Deane for his superb work and congratulations to our winners and commended poets.

First: Brett Dionysius (Qld) “My Father on a Horse, Date Unknown”
Second: Ross Gillett (VIC) “Paling Fence”
Third: Philip Neilson (Qld) “Genetics"

Martin Downey, Urban Realist Award
Rob Wallis, (VIC) "The Hours Alone "

For the full list of winning and commended poems, to read the 1st & 2nd place poems, to read Joel Deane's speech from the IPC Awards Night, and to see heaps of photos from the night by Brendan Bonsack and Di Cousens (phew!) click HERE

(updated: Dec. 28th, 2018)

SITE UPDATES

Currently (Feb 10th, 2019) updating committee bios and photos. Click HERE to see where we're up to with that. Updating events - see below or click HERE, including an Event Recap section that is brand new. Also just added a new page for opportunities and competitions we're running, see above on this page or simply click HERE. And our member bios section is
HERE.

MPU Chapbooks - currently updating pages

We are currently getting our chapbook author pages up to date, so keep checking back to make sure you have all the MPU titles in your collection. It'll take a little while but we'll get there (there are quite a lot of books y'know). Elizabeth Beaton's book can be found right HERE.

A small part of a bigger story

Melbourne Poets Union has been operating since 1977. In those 41 years we have seen many changes to the Australian arts landscape. We keep striving to put poets in clear view of modern Australia with events, competitions, print and online publications and all manner of opportunities.

Click HERE for more MPU history.

Most recent Chapbook launch
Lyn Chatham's Artisan December 1st, 2018
@ Eastern Hub, Geelong

Lyn's book was launched by John Bartlett with an introduction by editor Julie McLean.

Eastern Hub is located at 285a McKillop St, East Geelong. It's a fb space and we encourage you to check it out if you're in the area.

Click HERE details of Lyn's book.