QLD Poetry Festival - Distant Voices

The 21st Queensland Poetry Festival (QPF) turns up the volume on the finest local and international poetic voices from 24?27 August at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts and a host of other exciting satellite venues. Featuring 120 artists in 80 sessions over four dynamic days and nights, 75% of sessions are free. Building upon over 6000 attendees last year, QPF2017 is the festival&rsquos biggest and most ambitious venture yet. Redefining the poetic artform, the packed line-up includes slam poets, live music, panels, workshops, visual art installations, spoken word, film screenings, performance art, comedy and an inaugural poetry Publishers and Zine Fair.

This year QPF2017 has a particular focus on music as a form of poetry and will feature:

Living Artifact Single Tour (Luka Lesson & Kahl Wallis) - Australia&rsquos bestselling spoken-word/hip-hop artist, Luka Lesson, who is joining creative forces with multi-award-winning Indigenous artist Kahl Wallis (The Medics) for their &ldquoLiving Artefact&rdquo single and national tour, with QPF presenting the Brisbane leg. 

Literary Caberet Show (Featuring Omar Musa)  - QPF&rsquos night of nights: An all-star cast of multi-award-winning voices from across the globe, featuring QPF2017 Indigenous Poet in Residence & winner of the 2017 Windham-Campbell Prize Ali Cobby Eckermann acclaimed author (Here Come the Dogs), poet & rapper Omar Musa amongst other artists such as Maxine Beneba Clarke, Sarah Holland-Batt, Hera Lindsay Bird and Tenzin Choegyal. 

Traveling Light: Leonard Cohan Tribute - Acclaimed musicians Ben Salter, Ben Ely (Regurgitator), McKisko, Skye Staniford (We All Want To), and electronic trash trio Architects of Sound are joined by local poets Sam Wagan Watson and Pascalle Burton (The Stress of Leisure), as well as Canadian-born Australian poet Ian McBryde, to sift through the fire of some of Leonard Cohen&rsquos finest work. To close the night will be a feature set by Hexham, fronted by seasoned poet and lyricist Max Ryan, showcasing their new album Close and Leaving.