Friendly Street Poets
Encyclopedia
Friendly Street Poets is a poetry reading group and publisher in Adelaide, South Australia. It has some claim to be "Australia's longest running community open-poetry reading venue."
Friendly Street Poets was inaugurated as a fortnightly poetry reading on 11 November 1975, organised by Andrew Taylor
, Richard Tipping and Ian Reid. It soon became a monthly event and after a couple of changes of venue is still running. In 1977 a selection of the best poets from that year's readings was published as the Friendly Street Reader, and a similar volume has been produced annually since then.
In the 80s Friendly Street began publishing volumes by individual poets and in 1995 the series Friendly Street: New Poets was begun. This consists of first volumes by three poets. Publication is in conjunction with Wakefield Press
and Writers' Week
at the Adelaide Festival. The group has prospered despite the 1988 disappearance of $13,000 of funding. Among the more well known poets to have read at the venue are John Bray
, Jenny Boult
, Louise Crisp
, Steve Evans, Peter Goldsworthy
, Jeff Guess, Rory Harris, Jeri Kroll, Mike Ladd
, Kate Llewellyn, Jan Owen
and Graham Rowlands
.
Friendly Street Poets meet every first Tuesday of the month (except January) at the SAWC East Rundle St. It costs A$5 /A$4 to come as a member with free wine and juices inside. Poets have 4 minutes time at a free microphone with no censorship. A Board of Management headed by a Convenor is elected each year and oversees all activities of the organization. The current Convenor is Maggie Emmett; Secretary : Jacque Clarke and Treasurer: Andrew Ellery.
An annual Reader is produced by two editors from all the poems read at the meeting. The editors of the thirty fourth Reader are Janine Baker and Alice Sladden. A New Poets volume is also produced each year. Previously unpublished poets are asked to sumit a 26 page manuscript and three are selected anonymously by an outside appointed judge. In 2008, Judge Ken Bolton selected three poets for publication : Tom Sullivan, Rob Hardy & Thames Valley (aka M.L. Emmett).On 13 March 2009, Chloe Fox MP representing the premier & Arts Minister th Hon. Mike Rann, will launch Friendly Street Poets' 14th collection of New Poets. On alternate years a similar competition is run for the Single Poet volume where an 86 page manuscript is required. The current Single Poet Volume is Mapping the World by David Ades.
Friendly Street Poets was inaugurated as a fortnightly poetry reading on 11 November 1975, organised by Andrew Taylor
Andrew Taylor (poet)
Andrew McDonald Taylor is an Australian poet and academic. Although he lacks the public profile of several of his contemporaries, he has since come to be regarded as a major figure in Australian poetry, with a body of work notable for its intelligence and its formal, emotional and geographical...
, Richard Tipping and Ian Reid. It soon became a monthly event and after a couple of changes of venue is still running. In 1977 a selection of the best poets from that year's readings was published as the Friendly Street Reader, and a similar volume has been produced annually since then.
In the 80s Friendly Street began publishing volumes by individual poets and in 1995 the series Friendly Street: New Poets was begun. This consists of first volumes by three poets. Publication is in conjunction with Wakefield Press
Wakefield Press
Wakefield Press is an independent book publishing company in Australia, based in the Adelaide suburb of Kent Town, South Australia. They publish an eclectic list diverse in subject, tone and point, with strong suits in true stories, gastronomy, history, literature and gift books.-History:Wakefield...
and Writers' Week
Adelaide Writers' Week
Adelaide Writers' Week, held in the capital of South Australia and considered one of the world's pre-eminent literary events, is a traditional part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts fortnight where attendees meet and discuss literature with Australian and international writers in "Meet the Author"...
at the Adelaide Festival. The group has prospered despite the 1988 disappearance of $13,000 of funding. Among the more well known poets to have read at the venue are John Bray
John Jefferson Bray
The Honourable Dr John Jefferson Bray, AC was an Australian lawyer, academic and published poet, and from 1967-1978 served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia.-Family:...
, Jenny Boult
Jenny Boult
Jenny Boult , also known as MML Bliss, was an Australian poet, playwright, and editor.-Biography:Jenny Boult was born in Warwickshire, England in 1951 and migrated to Western Australia with her family in 1967...
, Louise Crisp
Louise Crisp
Louise Crisp is a contemporary Australian poet.Louise Crisp lives in East Gippsland with her partner and two daughters. Her first collection was The luminous ocean, a shared volume with Valery Wilde's In the Half-Light...
, Steve Evans, Peter Goldsworthy
Peter Goldsworthy
Peter Goldsworthy AM is an Australian writer and medical practitioner. He has won awards for his short stories, poetry, novels, and opera libretti....
, Jeff Guess, Rory Harris, Jeri Kroll, Mike Ladd
Mike Ladd (poet)
Mike Ladd is an Australian poet and radio presenter.Mike Ladd was born in Berkeley, California while his Australian parents were living and working in America, but he returned to Australia when he was one year old, and grew up in the Adelaide Hills...
, Kate Llewellyn, Jan Owen
Jan Owen
-Life:Jan Owen was born Janette Muriel Sincock in Adelaide, South Australia, attending school there and in Melbourne, leaving early to work as a laboratory assistant...
and Graham Rowlands
Graham Rowlands
Graham John Rowlands is an Adelaide-based poet who has published widely in magazines and newspapers since the late 1960s. He was awarded the Barbara Hanrahan Fellowship in 2002....
.
External links
- friendlystreetpoets.org.au Home page
Friendly Street Poets meet every first Tuesday of the month (except January) at the SAWC East Rundle St. It costs A$5 /A$4 to come as a member with free wine and juices inside. Poets have 4 minutes time at a free microphone with no censorship. A Board of Management headed by a Convenor is elected each year and oversees all activities of the organization. The current Convenor is Maggie Emmett; Secretary : Jacque Clarke and Treasurer: Andrew Ellery.
An annual Reader is produced by two editors from all the poems read at the meeting. The editors of the thirty fourth Reader are Janine Baker and Alice Sladden. A New Poets volume is also produced each year. Previously unpublished poets are asked to sumit a 26 page manuscript and three are selected anonymously by an outside appointed judge. In 2008, Judge Ken Bolton selected three poets for publication : Tom Sullivan, Rob Hardy & Thames Valley (aka M.L. Emmett).On 13 March 2009, Chloe Fox MP representing the premier & Arts Minister th Hon. Mike Rann, will launch Friendly Street Poets' 14th collection of New Poets. On alternate years a similar competition is run for the Single Poet volume where an 86 page manuscript is required. The current Single Poet Volume is Mapping the World by David Ades.