Writing Local: Experiments in Poetry & Place
Description
Join Nicole Smede and Luke Patterson from The Poetry Company at Giiyong Ganya on Saturday 28 November for a workshop examining how we write place, and how place writes itself into our work.
Places are layered with names, memories, histories and competing accounts, some more readily heard than others. Drawing on their multidisciplinary practices, Nicole and Luke will introduce ideas and techniques borrowed from music, visual art and other creative disciplines, considering what these approaches can offer the writing of place.
Through close observation, listening, and a series of practical poetry exercises, participants will experiment with description, perspective and the relationship between personal experience, local histories and the places that don't always appear on conventional maps. Participants are welcome to bring their own creative interests and experience.
No previous poetry experience is necessary.
When: 2.00PM Saturday 28 November 2026
Where: Jigamy, 4381 Princes Highway, Broadwater, Thaua Country (between Eden and Pambula NSW)
On Arrival: Please arrive 15 mins early to allow time to park and walk to the assigned venue on the Jigamy property. There will be directions available when you arrive.
Please bring your own drinks, snacks, hat and sunscreen.
No dogs are allowed on the property other than registered service dogs.
Accessibility: If you require assisted access, please let us know when purchasing your ticket.
Cost: $75 per person
Ages: 16+
Duration: 90 minutes
Find out more about Giiyong Ganya here.
Join us for the free evening concert at Jigamy 5.30-9.00pm.
Image by Kate Doust Howarth
Presenters
Nicole Smede
Nicole Smede is a Warrimay and cross-cultural multidisciplinary artist based on Wadi Wadi Dharawal Country. Working across sound, voice, poetry and installation, her practice explores the interrelationship between land, language and memory, guided by ancestral knowledge. She has received numerous fellowships, residencies and commissions, including the First Nations Residency Fellowship at Bundanon and the Ngarra-Burria First Peoples Composers Program. Her works include Nyiirun Yiiga (We Are Here), a large-scale choral work in Gathang language, and Bagandha yanggamba-ngga (Country Sings in Me), a video and sound installation. Her poetry appears in national anthologies, and her voice features on award-winning film soundtracks.
Luke Patterson
Luke Patterson is a Gamilaroi poet, musician and educator living on Gadigal Country. His debut poetry collection, A Savage Turn (Magabala Books, 2025), was shortlisted for the Mary Gilmore Award, ALS Gold Medal, Judith Wright Calanthe Award, UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing and Australian Book Industry Awards, and highly commended at the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. Luke is a Wheeler Centre Next Chapter Fellow and has served as a judge for numerous literary prizes. His research and creative practice are grounded in extensive work with First Nations and other community-based organisations across Australia, including schools and correctional centres.
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