Poets Take Over! began in October, 2024, as a one-off event to promote the work of a visiting Australian-American poet.

Initially proposed by the visiting poet and scheduled by Page & Turner management, the event ran on the night with the assistance of Ellipsis Poetry’s Pam Makin and Jazz Fechner-Lante. That first event showcased a selection of local Adelaide poets while also offering an opportunity for guests to share their own poetry in a relaxed, open-stage format. It was deemed a success and worthy of repeating with an adjusted format.

Poets Take Over! is now a quarterly event under the Ellipsis Poetry banner in partnership with Page & Turner.

The following information is taken from a document prepared in 2025 titled Poets Take Over! – A Procedural Overview. The document will be reviewed and updated towards the end of 2026.

Poets Take Over! is, in essence, a promotional event. It is designed to bring people into Page & Turner, allows them to discover Ellipsis Poetry, provides poets an opportunity to have their work heard in an extended format, and elevates the profile of spoken word, poetry, and literary arts in Adelaide in an assessable public space. 

Poets Take Over! is advertised as commencing at 5:00 PM with poetry from 6:00 PM. The format has unfolded across the course of the first year with four events. As of September 2025, it consists of three main parts:

Five poets are showcased at each event. Each poet is allowed a set of approximately 15 minutes duration. The first set is scheduled for 6:00 PM with each subsequent set at 30-minute intervals. Times are allotted by consensus among the poets.

The showcase of poets is curated by Ellipsis Poetry. Poets are selected from the Ellipsis Poetry community and associated networks. Each showcase is carefully curated to present a diverse range of voices with consideration given to age, gender, style, voice, and career stage.

Poets are invited to participate. There is no expression of interest, application, or audition process, only participation in the Adelaide spoken word and poetry community.

All materials and full instructions are provided for two activities for participants from 5:00 PM. These are designed to produce short poems on the night for sharing at the open mic and for publication in Ellipsis Zines.

Between sets, the stage is opened for participants to share poetry at the mic. This can be their own work, either written on the night from the activities or written previously, or a favourite poem by a published poet. Opportunities for sharing are managed at the discretion of the host.

Poets Take Over! combines the Page & Turner relaxed, welcoming book shop vibe with the Ellipsis Poetry homegrown, grass roots, spoken word vibe.

Prior to the event, each featured poet is asked to provide three fun facts about themselves, instead of the more traditional bio. These are used on social media in the lead up to the event, as well as forming the main part of the poets’ introduction to the audience at the event.

Participants at the open mic are asked for their name and pronouns and are introduced with three fictional fun facts improvised by the host.

Ellipsis Zines are available, free of charge, at Ellipsis Poetry events, at Page & Turner, and at Arthur Art Bar. The 8-page, black and white zines are each crafted from a single A4 page.

One poetry zine is produced each month. Poems are sought from participants in the Poets Take Over! Word Play activities. A short print run is made and is only available until stocks are exhausted.

Seasonal guides list known events in the Adelaide area that may be of interest to the Ellipsis Poetry community. These guides are compiled in the week prior to a Poets Take Over! event and include events known at that time for subsequent three-month period. A short print run is made and is only available until stocks are exhausted.

From time to time, a special edition zine may be published.

Ambient music is provided by a live acoustic musician. With consent from the poet, the musician may also play a background accompaniment during readings.

Poets Take Over! will continue to evolve as an event in response to community feedback, identified need, and new ideas.

For the love of poetry…