The Poets of the Blake Poetry Prize

Presented by Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and WestWords in association with Sydney Writers Festival

Winners and finalists past and present of the Blake Poetry Prize meet at Casula Powerhouse for a night of poetry and conversation. Poets will read their award-winning poems and share what the Blake Poetry Prize means to them, how it has impacted their lives, and what their own meaning of spirituality is in today’s world.

Set in Casula Powerhouse amongst the exhibition of winners for the Blake Art Prize – a night of inspiration for poets and artists alike. Entry to the galleries is free. Q+A to follow the panel.

Speakers: Simone King, Mark Tredinnick, Jennifer Harrison, Michael Campbell (Chair)

MEET THE PANELLISTS

Simone King

Simone is a poet, writer and editor who lives on Wurundjeri Country in Naarm/Melbourne. Simone's poems and reviews can be found in publications including Rabbit, Cordite, Plumwood Mountain and Right Now. She won first prize in the 2021 Woorilla Poetry Prize and received prizes for her poems in the 2018 Australian Grieve Writing Competition, the 2019 June Shenfield Poetry Award (highly commended) and the 2020 Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize (commended). Simone co-edited What we Carry: Poetry on Childbearing, Recent Work Press, 2021.

Mark Tredinnick

Mark is a celebrated Australian poet. His honours include two Premier’s Prizes and the Montreal, Cardiff, Newcastle, Blake and ACU poetry prizes. His writing and teaching over twenty-five years have touched the lives and work of many; in 2020 Mark received an OAM for services to literature and education. His many books include Fire Diary, A Gathered Distance, The Blue Plateau, and The Little Red Writing Book, and Walking Underwater (2021). His fifth collection, A Beginner’s Guide came out at the beginning of the year.

Jennifer Harrison

Jennifer Harrison has published eight poetry collections, most recently Anywhy (Black Pepper 2018). She is currently Chair of the World Psychiatry Association's Section for Art and Psychiatry.

Michael Campbell

Michael is the Executive Director of WestWords, Western Sydney’s Literature Development Organisation. Prior to this role he has variously been a Festival Director (Brisbane Writers Festival), director of opera and theatre (working with many of Sydney’s major theatre companies and Opera Australia), producer, events manager, TV presenter, choreographer and principal dancer in both ballet and contemporary/tanztheater companies in Australia and Germany. He writes predominantly for performance, co-wrote multi-Helpmann Award-nominated opera, Madeline, produced by Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House (2004) and State Opera of South Australia (2019). He also wrote Keith Bain’s Principles of Movement (Currency House, 2010 and Bloomsbury, UK, 2015)