When it comes to getting the heads-up on the vibrant culture of poetry and poets writing in Melbourne, the city has a unique and world-renowned CBD stronghold.

Melbourne is headquarters of the country’s national poetry organisation, Australian Poetry. Its website offers an extensive listing of upcoming events across the poetry community, it regularly publishes the country’s national journal, Australian Poetry Journal and the annual Best of Australian Poems.

At a time when poetry is thriving in Australia – with outstanding works being written and published – Melbourne remains a focus for this art. There are multiple major literary journals which publish poetry based in the city, as well as poetry publishing houses which garner extensive readership, critical attention and prizes. These journals include: Australian Poetry Journal and the annual Australian Poetry Anthology, Australian Book Review, Cordite, Overland, Rabbit Poetry Journal, Meanjin and Going Down Swinging. A range of poetry prizes are offered by these journals including ABR’s annual prestigious Peter Porter Poetry Prize and Overland’s annual prizes for Indigenous, new and emerging poets. The annual Victorian Premier’s Literary Award also offers a valuable poetry prize administered through The Wheeler Centre, and the work of poets is also considered within the major literary prize, the Melbourne Prize for Literature.

We also have the Melbourne Poetry Map, a series of eight poetry walks through the Melbourne central business district. Melbourne also has a healthy dose of spoken word events, demonstrating that poetry doesn’t only belong on the page.