Next month Australia’s largest performing writer’s program, Word Travels’ Story Week returns. Running from November 6th to 14th, this year’s program will be entirely virtual and feature a range of international and Australian guests and performers.
This year’s line-up explores themes of race, ancestry, identity and more. “The global pandemic has had a large impact on the lives of artists and people of colour in particular. This will be something that audiences see explored in the many works presented during Story Week,” says Miles Merrill, the Festival’s Creative Director.
The lineup for 2020 includes American hip-hop poet reg e gaines, beat boxer Darian Dauchan along with Inuit throat singers/hip-hop act Silla + Rise. These artists will be part of the festival’s My Latest Epiphany program – a daily lunchtime live show where musicians, poets and producers share their newest revelations.
Nisha Patel, the 2019 Canadian Poetry Slam champion, will feature alongside five of the best Australian and Canadian spoken word artists in a special Edmonton Poetry Festival collaboration in Word for Word.
Local Sydney poet Mel Ree will collaborate with hip hop artist Kween G and vogue troupe Kiki House of Silky in Answer Story, in what will be a wonderful unification of disciplines.
The 2020 festival also coincides with NAIDOC week, and will see First Nations performers from around the world share their stories. In First Person Voice, Indigenous artists from Australia and Canada will perform four micro shows highlighting abilities as wordsmiths. These will feature DOBBY, Barkaa, and Cobra Collins (CAN).
The Festival will conclude with the Australian Poetry Slam National Final on Saturday 14th November. Last year’s champion wāni La Frère will headline amongst fifteen other competitors; all of whom will be in the running to be crowned National Champion.
For more information and ticketing, head to the Word Travels website HERE.
Header Image is of wāni La Frère from Australian Poetry Slam National Final 2019.
