Dear, dear friends,

We have had a little post-Fringe nap and are now deep in the planning stage of the next phase of Ellipsis Poetry. There are always so many great ideas but sadly, we can’t do everything. Well, not all at once, and not all by ourselves. So we have chosen the ones that we know we have capacity to deliver. And one or two that are just too much fun to pass up. There are few details available yet so I will just say that we are working on ways to help you write and improve your writing. Along the way there may be a workshop or two, a performance or two, and *fingers crossed* a new Fringe show written for 2027.

Every now and then, we have a difficult day and ask ourselves “Why do we run things?” And then, we have an event and we are reminded of the true reason. While it might look from the outside that we are doing it all for other people, what keeps us going is the unearthly high that comes from gathering our community together. It’s quite selfish really, and a little cannibalistic - we are feeding off you!

The last three sessions, we have filled our open mic list before 7:00 PM. In April, all 20 spots had been claimed by 6:40 PM. Can we extend the list somehow? Open up more spots? Create some kind of time bank with leftover minutes unused by the less long-winded poets to be doled out to those who have missed out? In short, no. Not really. Not that we’ve thought of yet.

We know it is disappointing to miss a spot on an open mic, but you can stay and listen at no cost. Come a little earlier if you can. Or join us at Poets Take Over! where the open mic is less structured.

Step One: Put Thursday, 14 May in your calendar now.

This is our showcase event where we invite five of Adelaide’s finest spoken word artists and poets to each perform an extended set across a full evening of poetry and fun. It is informal, relaxed, free to all, and in a bookshop!

The next Take Over! is scheduled for Friday, 22 May. Four fine poets are locked in and one is still to be confirmed. For now, I can tell you we have Nigel Ford, Courtney Mason, Conor Brown, and Carissa Fischer, with a fifth waiting in the wings. There is also word play and a casual open mic.

February’s Take Over! was a Fringe event. It brings out a lot of our Ellipsis regulars and some great talent from interstate. It was also a delightful surprise to be the very first event in the very new Page & Turner premises on their very first day! Check out the gallery:

The theme of our inaugural World Poetry Day competition, Today Adelaide, Tomorrow the World, was “metamorphosis”. Was it prophetic? Perhaps. The winner was Courtney Mason, who will be featuring at Poets Take Over! in May. The Myer Centre is not “the world”, but it’s a start. Will this be the emergence of a new star on the Adelaide scene?

All the results and photos are below:

Thank you to all of you who supported our Fringe show All Roads Lead to Bowie. We appreciate everyone who attended; who meant to attend and didn’t quite make it; and, who didn’t know it was on until it was over and said they would have come if they’d known.

We are planning to do another performance or two out of Fringe season. We hope to bring you details soon. In the meanwhile, here is what it all looked like, thanks to photographer Ian Gibbins:

For the love of poetry…