Mother Tongue Poetry OCTOBER 2026: Noor Shehabi

Name: Mother Tongue Poetry OCTOBER 2026: Noor Shehabi
Start: 2026-10-09T19:30:00+1100
End: 2026-10-09T23:30:00+1100
Location: Fairfield Uniting Church

Fri, 9 Oct, 7:30pm - 11:30pm AEDT

Fairfield Uniting Church

Fairfield VIC, Australia

Mother Tongue Poetry

26 followers · Contact host

Description

A spoken word event for women with a fabulous feature poet and 8 open mic slots.

Mother Tongue Poetry - Amplifying and Equipping women's voices for 13 YEARS!

This event is hybrid, alcohol free, wheelchair accessible, and trans inclusive.

Mother Tongue is a place for Passionate, Powerful, Vulnerable and Honest performance; it stands aside from most Spoken Word events in its depth and authenticity.

For those who don't know; Mother Tongue is an intimate, warm and cozy night of Women's Spoken Word (poetry, stories, songs, etc). It is a space to sit back and listen, receive, as well as step up and share a piece yourself via the open mic.

It is a place to witness Woman in all of her/their incredible and nuanced facets.

All genders are welcome in the audience.

Our open mic stage is open to women and gender diverse individuals who align with womanhood.

Details:
Friday 9 October 2026 feature artist Noor Shehabi
8 open mic spots - sign up on the door
(more info on Open Mic below)

Hosted by Fleassy Malay & Katie Lohner

Venue:
ENTER VIA THE GARDEN GATE ON DUNCAN STREET
Fairfield Uniting Church
87 Gillies Street
Fairfield, Melbourne
VIC 3078

This venue is fully accessible.

Doors open 7:30pm
Performance 8pm -10:30pm

All genders welcome
ENTRY: $20 // CONC: $18//
DIGITAL ATTENDANCE: Recommended Donation $10 or pay as you can and feel (eg $1, $5, $20)

Pre-booking encouraged, tickets available on the door (EFTPOS available).

Please Note:
- Free Entry for Valid Companion Cards - turn up no need to pre book.
- Open mic performers sign up on the door and get in free.
- 5 minutes allowed for each open mic performer.
- Chai and vegan yummies available.
- We recommend that you bring your own CUP!!
- We also have a raffle
- This is an alcohol and drug-free event but due to the sensitive nature of content we ask that you be responsible about bringing minors and no one under 13 should attend.
- Mother Tongue is committed to supporting the safety of our community. If you feel sick please do not come in person, instead join us digitally. If wearing a mask makes you feel more comfortable in the space, we absolutely encourage that.

Mother Tongue is run and organised on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung People of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge that this is stolen land, sovereignty was never ceded. This is, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

Lineup

Noor Shehabi

Noor first stepped onto the Mother Tongue stage in 2015, where her plan to manage her nerves by focusing on the back wall was famously thwarted by floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Eleven years and many performances later, she's still arguing with her reflection onstage. Inspired by poets ranging from Maya Angelou to Andrea Gibson, Noor's ethos is simple: that by sharing our stories, we have the power to change them. And that in a world that still insists on silencing some stories over others, this too is a radical act. When not on stage, Noor can be found at her day job doing a very different kind of writing, or otherwise clunking keys on a piano called Donna and making everyone around her groan with her puns. Because when all else fails and the world is (gestures around), it is a dark and terrible humour that will ultimately prevail.

Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity

Hostinformation

Mother Tongue Poetry

26 followers

Contact host

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Mother Tongue is an organisation passionate about supporting the voices of women and gender diverse individuals who align with womanhood.

The organisation centres around our live events and has become Melbourne’s biggest Women’s Spoken Word event and one of the most established Spoken Word events in the city. It is hosted and run by Fleassy Malay and KAtoe Lohner. A place for Passionate, Powerful, Vulnerable and Honest performance; it stands aside from, most Spoken Word events in its depth and authenticity.

The organisation has been running since the end of 2012 and has evolved from a monthly event to the NFP organisation it is today. Mother Tongue supports these marginalised voices through its own live events, online events, and youtube channel as well as aligning with other events and organisations to get more women and gender diverse voices onto their platforms. In the past, we have worked with the Melbourne Writers Festival, Seven Sisters Festival, Rainbow Serpent Festival, Melbourne Spoken Word, Australian Poetry Slam, Banyule City Council and more.

We showcase all forms of the Spoken Word, including poetry, comedy, rap, song and storytelling. The key factor is that it is a platform for honest stories. Some of these stories are hard to hear, others are filled with joy and sensuality. All of these stories are welcome in our space. Mother Tongue is proud to have been a catalytic force in the emergence of many incredibly talented writers and performers.