State Library of Queensland

Join us for a very special literary event overlooking the sparkling river and city skyline bringing together some of Queensland’s most exciting and respected poets, as part of Poetry Month. This exclusive salon features a diverse array of poetry including Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize winner Rae White, Poetry Month Youth Ambassador Sachém Parkin-Owens and 2021 National Poetry Slam Winner Huda the Goddess, with Ruckus Slam producer Angela Peita as emcee. Also featured is Lionel Fogarty whose latest book will take centre stage as we celebrate Fogarty’s fourteenth collection of poetry. This intimate event in the Red Box is a chance to get right up close to some electrifying talent—register now to secure your spot. Queensland Poetry Salon is presented by Red Room Poetry and State Library of Queensland. The Library Café Pop-up will offer wine, beer and other refreshments for purchase before the performance, and Queensland Writer’s Centre will offer the chance to win a QWC membership. About the participants Lionel Fogarty, a Yugambeh man born on Wakka Wakka land in South Western Queensland outside Cherbourg, is one of Australia’s foremost poets. Throughout the 1970s, he worked as an activist for Aboriginal Land Rights and protesting Aboriginal deaths in custody. His newest collection, Harvest Lingo (Giramondo) displays all of the urgency, energy and linguistic audacity for which Fogarty is known. Samuel Wagan Watson is a poet and raconteur based in Brisbane, descending from Munanjali and Germanic heritage. He was honoured with the Patrick White Award in 2018. A proud University of Queensland Press writer, Samuel has authored over a dozen collections of poetry, primarily inspired by the oral traditions of spiritual lore passed down from his elders.  Huda the Goddess: Spoken word poet, educator, mental health advocate, dancer, workshop facilitator and proud African-Muslim woman, Huda was the 2020 Queensland Poetry Slam winner. Describing poetry as one of her senses, Huda believes that art has the ability to heal nations by allowing our emotions and thoughts to be let out in the most beautiful way. Youth Poetry Ambassador Sachém Parkin-Owens: Rapper, singer, and spoken-word poet Sachém won the Brisbane City Council Best Original Song award in 2020 and the Oodgeroo Noonucal Poetry Prize at the Queensland Poetry Festival in 2017. Sachém laces rhymes with personal stories, while touching on poignant social & cultural issues impacting his life. His Indigenous ties come from Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island); he is also an African-American man from Tampa, Florida. Hannah Macklin: Incorporating electronic, visual, theatrical and dance elements into her live shows, Hannah has established a reputation for providing audiences with exciting and transcendent experiences. Hannah has evolved through multiple aliases, including MKO Sun, Laik and Ha Na, straddling the crossover between street and academia as a vocalist, musician, composer and performer. With a jazz degree from the Queensland Conservatorium, Hannah has appeared at the CMJ Music Marathon in NYC, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and Sydney International Mardi Gras.  (Emcee) Angela Peita is co-creative producer and co-founder of Ruckus Brisbane. She is passionate about creating spaces for artists to explore creatively and deliver work, and believes the arts are for everyone. More performers to be announced—watch our socials for more surprises, and for a taste of what's to come! Accessibility If you require wheelchair seating area allocation please call 3842 9318 or email ReadingWriting@slq.qld.gov.au Auslan interpretation has been planned for this event. Contact us Subscribe to be the first to know about our future events. Please consult our conditions of entry before making your booking. Disclaimer: The views expressed by the speaker are their own and the promotion of products/services is not endorsed by State Library.

As part of Brisbane Open House 2022, join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the award-winning State Library of Queensland building on Brisbane’s South Bank. We are opening the doors to our conservation lab and repository for a day, giving you the chance to mingle with our specialist teams and learn how collections are specially stored and accessed. Don white gloves to get hands-on with some of the rarely seen treasures of our remarkable collections.  As one of Australia’s major cultural collecting institutions, State Library is a place of experimentation, possibility and inclusion where knowledge empowers and diversity is celebrated. Come and marvel at the trademark ‘blades’, the Red Box and the river decks and see why the building won state and national Royal Australian Institute of Architects Awards. Drop-in tours occurring every 20 minutes from 10 am - 1pm. Spots are limited. Put your name on the list at the welcome desk when you arrive.

Join us via live stream as we reveal the winners of the 2022 Queensland Literary Awards! The Queensland Literary Awards celebrate outstanding writers from Queensland and around Australia, across published and unpublished categories. The awards also offer fellowships and development awards for Queensland writers, and emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writers, Australia-wide.   Register to join the live stream and be part of this year’s awards ceremony.    The 2022 finalists will be revealed in August.  Celebrate with us on Twitter using #QldLitAwards or the Queensland Literary Awards Facebook page.  The Queensland Literary Awards are supported by the Queensland Government, through Arts Queensland and State Library of Queensland. The Queensland Literary Awards also receive funding from the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund. The commitment of sponsors is critical: Griffith University, The University of Queensland, University of Southern Queensland and The Courier-Mail. Philanthropic support through the Queensland Library Foundation is gratefully received from Jenny Summerson and Susan Hocking and Ian Mackie, and their family, through the Hocking Mackie Trust at APS Foundation.