Scott-Patrick Mitchell

// THIS IS A CALL TO ACTION! Please share this post or the following link:

https://equalityaustralia.org.au/our-work/to-albany-council/

Why? The book bans are being made by Keep Children Safe. The calls to remove books from the award-winning City of Albany Library are being made on the basis that the “trans community have hijacked an organisation and gone along an agenda of sexualising children and recruiting children”

Now if that quote made your stomach churn with anger, this is why you need to share this petition

Want to help more? Head to the .pride page where their most recent post includes a link to letters you can write in support of

Let’s push back against this hate. Thank you and much love, SPM

// Sending much love, strength & courage to .pride & today & tomorrow & for the foreseeable future. The rhetoric taking place down south about book banning is gross & medieval. My heart goes out to all the members of Albany’s LGBTIQA+ community - you are not alone… so many of us are with you in spirit - & our fearless allies who are TRULY stepping up - we see you, we thank you

In particular… sending much resilience to the younger members of my community, such is the spirit of Wear It Purple Day.

Sign this petition created by Equality Australia if you wanna push back against / stop the book bans

https://equalityaustralia.org.au/our-work/to-albany-council/

Big love & thanks to OUTinPerth for their coverage of this situation

Much love. Conjuring strong protective magic for you all

This year’s theme for day is “Your Passion, Your Pride”, with artwork by Nicky Tsekouras.

Love, SPM

// we love you, we miss you, we think of you often. it would have been your 56th birthday today. big love Rebecca. bigger love from your little bro

// COMING UP THIS AUGUST AS PART OF PERTH POETRY FESTIVAL 2024

Join me at OUTspoken on Wednesday 21 August from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at Centre for Stories

This event is supported by Red Room Poetry as part of Poetry Month 2024.

OUTspoken is a highlight of the Perth Poetry Festival. Celebrating the vibrant voices of the LGBTIQA+ community, this event showcases the rich diversity of q***r verse. Hosted by yours truly!

OUTspoken 2024 will feature:

Neisha Phipps
Liam Blackford
Caitlin Ellis
Anna Quercia-Thomas
Gabrielle Everall

plus open mic

OUTspoken offers an evening of powerful and evocative poetry. The Centre for Stories provides an inclusive and welcoming environment, fostering a space where creativity and expression thrive. This event is a testament to the power of poetry in bringing communities together and highlighting diverse voices in the literary arts.

Visit here for tickets:

https://events.humanitix.com/ppf2024-outspoken

WA Poets and myself would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Red Room Poetry for them supporting this event

Be great to see some my and fans there. big love, spm

// this is really rather surreal, but i’ve been shortlisted for the Newcastle Poetry Prize

on there with some absolute legends including David Stavanger, Omar Skar, Mark Tredennick, Emilie Collyer, Jo Gardiner, Sarah Rice and so many more including Jennifer Kornberger.

i had thought the poem i’ve been shortlisted for had taken me 12 months to write, but after checking my notes, it appears it took closer to 18 months. good to see the labour paying off

full announcement here. fingers crossed & deepest gratitude to both the judges and Hunter Writers' Centre. love, spm

https://hunterwriterscentre.org/2024/08/02/2024-newcastle-poetry-prize-shortlist-announced/

// super thrilled to announce I am on the Liquid Amber Press long list with two poems. it’s an absolutely stacked long list with a swathe of local legends and some interstate luminaries. shortlist announced August 12. find out more below. Love, spm

https://liquidamberpress.com.au/2024/07/30/2024-poetry-prize-longlist/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR12DYyYkb-fL97l6zO7qoCHXrI-IyHP3MBSroLMFqm1sgH9RLT9-xWv3aY_aem_TjxfFialKstwUfrsEhGm-A

// HAPPENING THIS AUGUST AS PART OF PERTH POETRY FESTIVAL..OUTspoken

OUTspoken
Wednesday 21 August
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Centre For Stories

Tickets for this event are available here:

https://events.humanitix.com/ppf2024-outspoken

This event is supported by Red Room Poetry as part of Poetry Month 2024.

OUTspoken is a highlight of the Perth Poetry Festival. Celebrating the vibrant voices of the LGBTIQA+ community, this event showcases the rich diversity of q***r verse. Hosted by myself, Scott-Patrick Mitchel, OUTspoken 2024 will feature:

Neisha Phipps
Liam Blackford
Caitlin Ellis
Anna Quercia-Thomas
Gabrielle Everall

plus open mic

OUTspoken offers an evening of powerful and evocative poetry. The Centre for Stories provides an inclusive and welcoming environment, fostering a space where creativity and expression thrive. This event is a testament to the power of poetry in bringing communities together and highlighting diverse voices in the literary arts.

Visit perthpoetryfestival.com for more information about PPF2024

// nice

// G-D, SLEEP AND CHAOS is a collection of exquisite tension. Between the quotidian and sacred, the crass and the exhaulted, Alan Fyfe has written a collection that captures contemporary life and spirituality with unflinching honesty. This is a work of raw bravery, a book of playful language, a moment to behold.

It’s funny too. Not in a “ha ha” laugh out loud way, but rather it is wry in the way it beholds the unravelling. Death is approached with levity, as it should be - death is only a serious business for those already dead. Take this extract from “A Funeral in Pinjarra”:

Prepare the pink meat,
cubes of cheddar,
and varicoloured cocktail onions.

Arrange them, skewered on toothpicks
in sacred geometry on the scratched PVC platter
and eat them in remembrance of me.

Let the pipe band play F**k The Police.

Such revelry abounds in this stunning debut from WA’s own Alan Fyfe.

Yes, there’s addiction. Yes, those who live on the financial margins are given space to be, to sing, to shine. Yes, there is G-d, whether he s in the light of lament or bumming a smoke from you down at Yagan Square. But throughout there is tension, a push and pull of the flesh and the spirit, a call and response between the bright fire of life and the yearning of those lost. For me, this is captured perfectly in the final stanza of “The Magic Flux”:

There in the dim workshop
Som**hing explodes like a firework over water
the point Darwin missed.
Yes, we are monkeys,
but what fabulous monkeys we are.

Even if he did publish a novel first, this collection proves that Alan Fyfe will always be a poet first, and a poet at heart.

Come and be a fabulous monkey with us at The Alan Fyfe book launch - G-d, Sleep, and Chaos this Friday July 26. Tickets here:

http://lanewayartspace.com/shop/g-d-sleep-and-chaos/

Congrats Alan Fyfe - author!

Photo by Gazebo Books

// Look at these absolute legends I get to perform with this Friday. This is like a dream team of poetics.

From left to right:

Alan Fyfe - author
Lucy Dougan
Lisa Collyer Poet
Dr Madison Godfrey

Be there at The Laneway Art Space this Friday July 26 for The Alan Fyfe book launch - G-d, Sleep, and Chaos. Released by Gazebo Books, Alan’s debut poetry collection will be sold on the evening by Rabble Books & Games. Be there, because as contemporary poet laureate Charli XCX says, it’s gonna be “so Julia”. Tickets available here:

https://lanewayartspace.com/shop/g-d-sleep-and-chaos/

// stunning review of Alan Fyfe’s forthcoming poetry collection by the incredible Lisa Collyer Poet. come join us for the launch of this wonder this Friday:

https://lanewayartspace.com/shop/g-d-sleep-and-chaos/

Like Barbie, Alan Fyfe’s poetry collection, G-d, Sleep and Chaos is preoccupied with death. In fact, I love that it opens with death with one of my favourite poems, Eulogy for Hasan. Death can be found in everyday places, like the bottom of a coffee cup or a m**h pipe and consistently Fyfe questions with philosophical musings, that are stimulating and laugh out loud. Prayer is one answer, but Fyfe’s religion is not stifled by dogma or arrogantly beyond the everyday, or even in places of worship; Fyfe’s sacred can be found in the profane. One such place, G-d can be found is in my second favourite poem, Euthyphro Dilemma at Perth central, as a barefoot human. This honouring of the underclass is true to Fyfe’s moral authenticity, also found in his award-winning novel, T. This collection is entertaining but really it is fragile; at times it feels like the speaker has turned their skin inside out and invited us to hug them, and we do so willingly because the voice is one of honesty of the beauty and suffering of life.

This Friday, this beautiful book will be launched by Lucy Dougan, emceed by Madison Godfrey with performances by Scott-Patrick Mitchell and myself, and of course, the star of the evening, Alan Fyfe. Not to be missed.

Tickets here
https://lanewayartspace.com/shop/g-d-sleep-and-chaos/

// get yourself a friend who will romanticise the Apocalypse with you! that’s what i’ve done

& that’s why i’m super honoured to be reading at The Alan Fyfe book launch - G-d, Sleep, and Chaos this Friday at The Laneway Art Space. i might have even written Alan Fyfe - author a new poem… but don’t tell him that, ok?

myself, Madison Godfrey, Lisa Collyer Poet and Lucy Dougan will all be hand to make this a magical evening. Rabble Books & Games will be there too! grab tickets here:

https://lanewayartspace.com/shop/g-d-sleep-and-chaos/

// this Friday is Alan Fyfe book launch - G-d, Sleep, and Chaos.

Features Lucy Dougan, Lisa Collyer Poet, Madison Godfrey, myself and of course Alan Fyfe - author. It’s gonna be epic. Enjoy this little teaser from the book below & grab your tickets here:

https://lanewayartspace.com/shop/g-d-sleep-and-chaos/

// “G-d, Sleep, and Chaos is a prayer of thanks for a broken world.”

Come worship & celebrate the launch of one of 2024’s most highly anticipated debut poetry collections. Alan Fyfe has written a book of such immense beauty, courage & fragility & you’re invited to The Alan Fyfe book launch - G-d, Sleep, and Chaos!

With readings by myself & Lisa Collyer plus MC Dr Madison Godfrey as well as launch speech by THE icon Lucy Dougan, this event is not to be missed

Tickets via the link below. See you at The Laneway Art Space on Friday July 26!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

https://lanewayartspace.com/product-category/live-shows/

G-d, Sleep, and Chaos book launch and spoken word night (26th July, Friday) – The Laneway Artspace G-d, Sleep, and Chaos book launch and spoken word night (26th July, Friday). Doors open at 7pm, show starts ~7:30pm. Nibbles provided and bar available. Join some of the most highly awarded and respected poets in the state for a night of poetry like no other, as we launch Alan Fyfe’s new collectio...

// big love to Lane Bookshop for including my book in their Pride Month line-up alongside titles such as Heartstopper, An Unexpected Party edited by Seth Malacari, AVAST which features Madison Godfrey plus others and Holden Sheppard’s Invisible Boys.

look mum… i’m finally hanging out with Boy George & Elliot Page! love, spm

// FINAL CALL for dumplings & slam poetry at tomorow’s BAM BAM SLAM WORKSHOP.

Come learn the art of slam poetry while feasting on dumplings. Happens tomorrow, Wednesday June 19, 12.30pm @ 140 William. See you there, love spm!

https://events.humanitix.com/bam-bam-slam-dumplings-and-poetry

// these are from 2023. i love this image of Beowulf sleeping - it’s like he’s a painting of a medieval cat, dancing. anyway… i played with the image (play being one of the most important parts of my creative process) & created the following. enjoy, love spm.

// DUMPLINGS & SLAM POETRY! Join me this Wednesday June 19 for BAM BAM SLAM M, a super cute, high energy workshop exploring how to write slam poetry. Will share some of the techniques I use to conceptualise slam poems. Includes a free lunch thanks to Bam Bam Boo. thanks also to 140 William, who are hosting the event.

Blurb reads:

Join Perth Slam's 2023 Grand Slam Champion, Scott-Patrick Mitchell, for a fun slam poetry workshop over a dumplings lunch.

Forget everything you think you know about poetry, this is a high energy artform that combines awe, humour and honesty into a two minute poem.

This workshop will cover the basics of slam poetry, from rhythm to how to surprise your audience with clever word play. There will also be hints and tips for performing your work, perfect for anyone who struggles with public speaking. All while enjoying complimentary dumplings from Perth's favourite dumpling restaurant, Bam Bam Boo!

Wednesday June 19, 12.30 - 1.15pm, $10 a ticket. Book here:

https://events.humanitix.com/bam-bam-slam-dumplings-and-poetry?fbclid=IwAR0HLY-Fn3QUovPWp8Yx8P723IRbOIy7TRUmGcjVOQfvgczjGzDvG_LuEb0_aem_Mdf_Cg_pKZHnoIZLDnaa7Q

// I saw John at the WA Premier’s Book Awards on Friday night & congratulated him on CELLNIGHT being shortlisted - a truly remarkable book which i highly recommend reading. As we were talking, Tracy took some photos of us, stopped and came up to us.

“You’re both so animated when you talk - all I’m getting is blurry arm movements. Can you pose for a photo real quick?”

We did, Tracy took a pic and gave us a thumbs up. John & I looked at each & at the same time said “COOOOL!”

John first became aware of my work when I somehow managed to sneak my way on to the POETRY ETC email chain back in 1999 or 2000. Then again in 2006 when he judged a suite of my poems on the aesthetics of library science for an online residency. In his judges report, John commented on the architectural nature of my work, how they “seethed from within”. Jump forward to 2009ish and I invited John to submit to “COTTONMOUTH”, which I was the editor of at the time. To my utter amazement he submitted, and I published his GLOBE HOTEL AND INNER CITY POEMS sequence. These inspired my INNER PITY POEMS which you can read in CLEAN.

John has been a champion of my work, a constant surprise email of encouragement & praise popping up when I need it most. John’s work has been a major influence on my own, with SYZYGY, GENRE & the co-authored in particular holding a dear place in my heart, alongside CELLNIGHT

To see John inducted into the hall of fame of Friday night was an honour. Here’s to an absolute legend! Congrats John Kinsella and thank you. love spm

// so so much fan mail and gratitude this week from people who attended my Love to Read Local events. thank you everyone - i feel so seen & appreciated. love spm

📸 by Tyler Nix via Unsplash

// G-D, SLEEP & CHAOS is the debut poetry collection from my mate Alan Fyfe. it’s a luminous book, exploring spirituality, the financial margins & addiction with a fervour & keen use of language. joyous & confronting, it is the second book of Alan’s and shows his range, insight, capacity & tenacity. out later this month or available now from , this is definitely my recommendation this LOVE TO READ LOCAL WEEK.

proud of you Alan - chookas for tomorrow night. love, spm

// final call for my Now Listen: Performance Poetry Workshop with Scott-Patrick Mitchell as part of LTRL Week which is happening tomorrow, Wednesday June 5

happening as part of LOVE TO READ LOCAL WEEK & supported by Writing WA, this workshop is ideal for anyone looking to explore the form, gain skills to conquer public speaking or who just loves the drama of reading aloud

tickets are pay what you can. best purchasing yours today / tonight before the ticketing portal closes via the link below - would love to see you there. love spm

https://events.humanitix.com/now-listen-performance-poetry-with-scott-patrick-mitchell

// some of the books that will be used as source inspiration in this Wednesday’s Now Listen: Performance Poetry Workshop with Scott-Patrick Mitchell as part of LTRL Week.

titles include

- I WRITE by Zohab Khan
- SONG IN THE GRASS by Kate Fagan
- THE POETRY READING by Stephen Vincent & Ellen Zweig
- TALKING by David Antin
- THE EMILY XYZ SONGBOOK by Emily XYZ

promises to be a thought-provoking session

ideal for anyone looking to explore the form, gain skills to conquer public speaking or who just loves the drama of reading aloud

tickets are pay what you can - would love to see you there

https://events.humanitix.com/now-listen-performance-poetry-with-scott-patrick-mitchell

// my LOVE TO READ LOCAL event, Now Listen: Performance Poetry with Scott-Patrick Mitchell as part of LTRL Week is happening this week.

just a reminder that tickets are “pay what you can” and are available here:

https://events.humanitix.com/now-listen-performance-poetry-with-scott-patrick-mitchell

look forward to sharing space with you & lifting you up. love, spm

// today i made a donation to the Perth Poetry Festival fundraiser. below you can read my statement as to why i donated. i hope it inspires you to donate too! love, spm

____

Today we hear from WA Poets Committee member Scott-Patrick Mitchell about why they have donated to our Perth Poetry Festival ACF fundraiser. Mitchell was the 2022 recipient of the Red Room Poetry Fellowship and their first full-length poetry collection, Clean, was shortlisted for Book Of The Year in The 2023 Western Australian Premier's Book Awards, the 2023 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards and the 2023 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards.

“I spoke last year about how difficult it has been - as a person who is open about their addiction and recovery - to find stable work. How WA Poets have offered me opportunities to grow and build community. A year later, this all still rings true.

“But I want to talk to you about the joy working with WA Poets and Perth Poetry Festival brings me. As Social Media Coordinator, I get to amplify events, connect people and share the breadth of diversity taking place in our community. Through the Festival, I get the chance to give emerging poets a place to shine, speak their truth and write about what excites and matters to them.

“The Festival workshops are a place of great inspiration . I’ve actually lost count of how many attendees have gone on to be shortlisted or win prizes. Needless to say, I feel the Festival plays a vital role in honing their craft and plays a part in giving them permission to excel. Supporting Perth Poetry Festival is an act of collective love and community - it pays off in helping our community succeed.

“This is why I donated $25 to Perth Poetry Festival's fundraiser today. It's a way I can give back to a community organisation that has helped me grow, and a way to invest in the future of poetry in WA. I’m hoping others might also consider donating. It doesn’t have to be $25, but everything over $2 is tax deductible.

“My donation makes a small difference to the grand total, but if we all donated, we make a big difference. And that's the beauty of community - together, we are strong enough to lift everybody up."

Donate today - poetry will be richer for it.

https://artists.australianculturalfund.org.au/s/project/a2EMn0000062Tld/perth-poetry-festival-2024-ppf2024

Or head to our website and at the end of the first post you will see a "click here" to our ACF campaign:

https://wapoets.com

// wasn’t expecting this but here it is. thanks WestWords. love, spm

// came across this old Tumblr post on TikTok & thought i’d share it here. love, spm

// as part of LOVE TO READ LOCAL WEEK, i’m running a pay what you can performance poetry workshop at State Library of Western Australia thanks to Writing WA come along to Now Listen: Performance Poetry with Scott-Patrick Mitchell as part of LTRL Week and learn some skills plus read some cool performance poems. love, spm

Event Details:

Join award winning poet Scott-Patrick Mitchell for a workshop that explores the vitality and energy of performance poetry. You’ll explore works by leading Australian poets plus works by American spoken word legends such as Emily XYZ, Ellen Zweig and David Antin.

You’ll be given the chance to write your own pieces plus conceptualise performance poems that explore embodiment, sound and play. This friendly and encouraging workshop will also cover performance techniques, which is perfect for those who experience stage fright or are nervous about public speaking.

SPM will also discuss their career as a performance poet, which has seen them deliver such shows as SpokenNewWordMusic and THE 24 HOUR PERFORMANCE POEM.

Presenter Biography
Scott-Patrick Mitchell has been performing poetry for over 25 years. They were the recipient of the 2022 Red Room Poetry Fellowship, the 2023 XYZ Prize for Innovation in Spoken Word plus were crowned Perth Slam’s 2023 Grand Slam Champion. Their debut poetry collection Clean (Upswell Publishing, 2022) was shortlisted for The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, The WA Premier’s Book Awards and The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards.

This event has been enabled by Writing WA’s Love to Read Local Week with support from the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.

Tea and biscuits will be provided, and there will be book sales and signings after the event.

Ticket Sales: All proceeds from Writing WA workshops & events fund the organisation's ongoing mission as a non-profit registered charity to support West Australian writers and writing. Writing WA acknowledges the current economic challenges facing Australians. As such, to improve accessibility to professional development activities for the writing community, Writing WA has introduced a 'Pay What You Can' ticketing model.

Buy tickets here:

https://events.humanitix.com/now-listen-performance-poetry-with-scott-patrick-mitchell

This event takes place on Whadjuk Noongar Land. As such we would like to pay our respects to Elders past, present and future and acknowledge that this is, was and always will be Aboriginal Land.

Perth Slam KSP Writers' Centre Fellowship of Australian Writers Western Australia Perth Poetry Club

// such an epic display. thank you City of Vincent Library, love spm

We at Vincent Library 🌼

Love to Read Local week is coming up on June 2 - 8, and we are so excited to share the incredible Western Australian authors we have in our library! Let us know what local book you're reading using 📚

// BIG NEWS…. i’ve been Highly Commended in The Blake Poetry Prize! congrats to Coco X Huang for winning! & congrats to all the shortlisted poets

Humble thanks to the judges & the organisers - stunned beyond belief

the following is from Westwords:

WestWords and the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre are honoured to present the Winner of the 68th Blake Poetry Prize, Coco X. Huang.

Coco X. Huang is a Chinese-Australian writer, musician and scientist. She enjoys creating interdisciplinary works that challenge and extend conventional forms.

Here is what the judges had to say about her winning poem: Three Lessons. “This poem, dedicated to ‘voice and guzheng’, is a strong achievement of form, style and theme. The poem is tender in its telling of ceremony, learning and family. It stood out for its unique presentation and expansive exploration of sound.”

Congratulations to Coco X. Huang who has won $5,000.

Highly commended has been awarded to Scott-Patrick Mitchell for their poem: An Addict’s Benediction. Scott-Patrick Mitchell is a non-binary poet and the recipient of the 2022 Red Room Poetry Fellowship. Mitchell’s debut poetry collection, Clean, was released in 2022 and explores m**h addiction, recovery and power of embracing q***r identity and community as a way to heal.

Here is what the judges had to say about their highly commended poem: “This poem has stunning individual lines and overflows with depth and meaning. A thought-provoking and gritty take on the competition’s theme. Portrays addiction, class, mental health and cohesion without pretension and strikes a chord with the reader.”

To read Three Lessons and An Addict’s Benediction, to hear the poets read their work, and to read all the judges’ comments in full, please visit https://www.westwords.com.au/the-68th-blake-poetry-prize-shortlist/