Word Travels' Story-Fest

Grand Slams and Poetry Jams

This 13-15 October, the nation's wittiest wordsmiths will take to the stage at Word Travels' Story-Fest, Australia's largest performing writer's program. Spoken-word fanatics will come together at The Rocks, Sydney Opera House, and Penrith's Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre for three action-packed days of poetry slams, forums, workshops and spectacular special events.

The jewel in the crown of Story-Fest is the Australian Poetry Slam National Final (Sunday 15 Oct, 7-9PM), which will be an electrifying end to the festival. The National Final will see the nation's finest poets showdown at the iconic Sydney Opera House and features renowned Canadian slam king Ian Keteku and Afro-Latina feminist poet Arielle Cottingham (winner of the 2016 Australian Poetry Slam).

The National Final will also feature the winner of the Word Travels' Online Poetry Video competition inspired by the Yes to Equality campaign. Poets passionate about equal love are invited to submit their thoughts in a two-minute video through facebook.com/AustralianPoetrySlam. The public will then vote Yes for their favourite entry, and one of three finalists will then be handpicked by Word Travels' Creative Director Miles Merrill, APS champion 2016 Arielle Cottingham and Rumble Youth Poetry Slam Champion 2016 Emily Crocker.

'This year's line-up will showcase the most exciting spoken-word artists both locally and internationally, as they stun audiences with their jaw-dropping performances," said Miles Merrill, Creative Director of Word Travels. 'From the heartbreaking to the uplifting, the thought-provoking and the downright hilarious, the stories they share will no doubt inspire budding slammers and seasoned pros alike."

'I'm also thrilled to welcome the renowned performing artist and poet Candy Royalle, as guest curator for this year's Story-Fest," he said.

Other highlights include:
• The Rumble (Friday 13 Oct, 9:30AM-2:30PM): Three super wordsmiths show the kids how it's done in this energetic writing and performance workshop for high school students.
• Spoken Four (Friday 13 Oct, 12PM and 7:30PM): Ian Keteku, Arielle Cottingham, Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa and Phil Wilcox twist electric verbs and wield noun bombs in back-to-back sets of powerful verse and breathtaking stories. Plus a live DJ and the beat-boxing ukulele player Brad Morden.
• Guffaw (Saturday 14 Oct, 1-2PM): Prepare to crack up as Sydney's brightest upcoming comedians, Annaliese Constable, Sabrina D'Angelo, Benny Eggmolesse and Fran Middleton, share their hilarious tales through poetry.
• Queerhyme (Saturday 14 Oct, 2-3PM): Featuring Arielle Cottingham, Emily Crocker and Gabrielle Journey Jones, watch as Australia's most-loved queer poets take turns sharing poems on the fly.
• Panel: Feminism in Poetry (Saturday 14 Oct, 3-4PM): What's it like being a female poet in a male-dominated industry? Gabrielle Journey Jones, Randa Abdel-Fattah and Sarah Anne Connor discuss their experiences as creators, from their greatest challenges to what we ought to change about gender in the slam scene.
• Spoken-Word Women (Saturday 14 Oct, 4-5PM): Hosted by Loren Reid, Story-Fest hands the mic to the festival's best female slammers, inviting them to rip up their notebooks, destroy stereotypes and burn princess myths live on stage.
• Performing Writer's Forum (Sunday 15 Oct, 11AM-1PM): Meet other purveyors of the spoken-word, and discuss visions, missions and action.
• The Science of Communication (Sunday 15 Oct, 1-3PM): Featuring Ian Keteku, this workshop hones in on what it takes to move people with stories, poems and conversations.

Word Travels' Story-Fest
Friday 13 – Sunday 15 October, 2017
Sydney Dance Lounge, State Library NSW, Sydney Opera House, Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre and Story-Fest Hub (Harry Jensen Activity Centre, Rocks)
Tickets are on sale now through www.wordtravels.info and www.sydneyoperahouse.com