Enough Said Poetry Slam ft. David Stavanger

Enough Said Poetry Slam is a stage for spoken word, where poets new and experienced can get up on stage and share their words with a captive audience. Our monthly event brings together lovers of poetry to share, click, listen, and compete for prizes, as well as some of the biggest names in poetry in Australia and overseas to perform for our audience.

Come along for a fun, relaxed evening where you can get as involved as much as you're comfortable with – as a poet, judge or enthusiastic audience member – and support local wordsmiths on the mic.

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FEATURE POET: David Stavanger
SUPPORT FEATURE: Portia O'Connor

6:30pm - DOORS OPEN + SLAM SIGN-UP
7:00pm - POETRY BEGINS

ENTRY

$10 - standard
$5 - unwaged/student/concession

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POETRY SLAM RULES

Sign up at the door when you arrive if you'd like to perform. Everyone is welcome, from bedroom poets to experienced performers. 

Three-minute time limit, no props or costumes, jump up on stage with a mic and share your original poem with a live and engaged audience. Rapping counts as poetry and singing is allowed, but not for the majority or all of the poem.

Random people from the audience become the judges, and the highest-scoring poet wins! 1st, 2nd & 3rd place prizes to be awarded!

But remember: The points are not the point, the point is poetry!

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FEATURED POET

David Stavanger is a poet, producer, and lapsed psychologist living on Wodi Wodi Dharawal land. He is the co-editor of Solid Air: Australian & New Zealand Spoken Word (UQP, 2019), Admissions: Voices Within Mental Health (Upswell, 2022), and is the author of Case Notes which won the 2021 Victorian Premier's Prize for Poetry—his new collection is The Drop Off (Upswell, 2025). David works as an Artistic Director at Red Room Poetry. 

SUPPORT FEATURE

Portia O'Connor is a special education teacher that has rediscovered her love for poetry thanks to Enough Said slams. She uses poetry writing as a way to stay present, take in everything life has to offer & help process all the emotions that come with it. Portia was part of the Enough Said Emerging Poets Showcase in 2024 and is continuously learning and inspired by other poets.

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VENUE

Side Door Theatre is on Crown St in Wollongong. It has a small door that can be found directly across the road from the Atchison St entry to Spotlight. It's a four-minute walk from Wollongong Train Station and a two-minute walk from the nearest free bus stop. Free parking can be found on surrounding streets, starting with Atchison St, or there is paid parking nearby in the mall.

Side Door Theatre is a licensed venue, there will be drinks and snacks available for sale, please do not bring in outside alcohol. There are a number of toilets inside the venue. 

Entry to the venue is down four steps from the front door and is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible. Please reach out to us if you have access needs and you'd like to discuss entry into the venue.

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We acknowledge our events take place on the land of the Wodi Wodi people of the Dharawal nation and pay our respects.

Enough Said Poetry Slam is supported by the South Coast Writers Centre.