Poetry Month 2026 Program Announced with International Poets and New Initiatives
Red Room Poetry has revealed its exciting plans for the sixth annual Poetry Month in August 2026, showcasing a stellar group of poets from around the world, like Jericho Brown from the US and Tusiata Avia from Aotearoa New Zealand. The month will be packed with both in-person and virtual events, including workshops, writing prompts, and commissioned works, culminating in a national gala. Highlights include a Phone-a-Poem initiative at eight locations, the #30in30 Writing Competition, and pop-up performances with The Wheeler Centre. The National Poetry Month Gala, hosted by Jan Fran, is set for 27 August at the State Library of NSW, featuring poets like Evelyn Araluen. Also, a special screening of Dead Poets Society with Peter Weir will happen on 5 September.
Key facts
- Poetry Month 2026 runs throughout August, organized by Red Room Poetry.
- International guest poets: Jericho Brown (US), Tusiata Avia (NZ), Michael Pederson (Scotland), Pádraig Ó Tuama (Ireland).
- National Poetry Month Gala at State Library of NSW on 27 August, hosted by Jan Fran.
- Phone-a-Poem line installed across eight locations.
- #30in30 Writing Competition with daily book giveaways.
- Middle of the Air competition with ABC Radio National opens 1 August.
- Dead Poets Society screening with Peter Weir at Sydney Opera House on 5 September.
- Australia's first National Poet Laureate to be announced in October 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Jericho Brown
- Tusiata Avia
- Michael Pederson
- Pádraig Ó Tuama
- Evelyn Araluen
- Dakota Feirer
- Tenzin Choegyal
- Zoe Terakes
- Debra Dank
- Judith Beveridge
- Alan Fyfe
- Troy Wong
- Keri Glastonbury
- Panda Wong
- Liam Ferney
- Andrew Brooks
- Astrid Lorange
- Jacqui Malins
- Kristen Lang
- Maxine Beneba Clarke
- Ellen van Neerven
- Isabella Eichler-Onus
- Jihad Yassine
- Arantza Garcia
- Janiru Liyanage
- Missy Higgins
- Sez
- Rudi Bremer
- Bharat Sundaresan
- Ziggy Ramo
- Jan Fran
- Robin Eames
- Hannah Wu
- Hannah Jenkins
- Rory Green
- Peter Weir
Institutions
- Red Room Poetry
- The Wheeler Centre
- Varuna, The National Writers' House
- State Library of NSW
- ABC Radio National
- Sydney Opera House
- Black Pepper
- Five Islands
- Giramondo
- UWAP
- Fremantle Library
- Geelong Library
- Bendigo Library
- Byron Writers Festival
- Red Dirt
- City of Hobart
- ArtsHub
- ScreenHub
- Bankstown Poetry
- Hyades Magazine
- Snack Syndicate
- Lotus Threads
- Crawlspace
Locations
- Australia
- Sydney
- NSW
- Melbourne
- Darwin
- Cairns
- Adelaide
- Fremantle
- Geelong
- Bendigo
- Byron Bay
- Canberra
- Katoomba
- Hobart
- The Rocks
- United States
- Aotearoa New Zealand
- Scotland
- Ireland