That's right poet, Wordcraft is turning 3!

Here, we celebrate our stories raw and in process. Wordcraft is a spoken word collective that for the last three years has hosted slams, open mics, workshops, writing clubs, writing courses and more; all as a part of the incredible Melbourne Spoken Word Community.

Alongside our Mamma, Ren Alessandra, we have a crew of poets who support this event and this year we cannot wait to build, grow and continue to support you speaking your truth.

As our birthday tradition (cause after three years, its a tradition, right?) we are hosting our birthday poetry slam.

This slam (which is what we call our competition) is open to performers of ALL levels of experience! Show up! Do the thing! Do it for you, first and always x

12 spots, each poet will have 3 minutes to perform an original piece.

No props, no music, just you, your voice and the mic.

Judges will be decided on the night, so get ready, fate might strike!

Whoever wins, will take home a $100 cash prize and a paid feature spot at the next Wordcraft Open Mic.

So, if you are a storyteller, know a storyteller, love storytellers or just simply wanna see people THRIVE, then come along and wish our collective a Happy Birthday and click* click* click* our poets in celebration for their voices.

This month, we're featuring our Wordcraft regular: Shyaire Ganglani!

Shyaire (which aptly translates to poetry in Hindi) isn’t just a writer; she’s a poet, spoken word artist, and stand-up comic. Shy’s journey in slam poetry has taken her to the stages of Dubai, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid and Melbourne. Her poetry has been published in ‘Chaotic Musings’ and can be found on Amazon and in her critically-acclaimed piece ‘In Defiance of Darls’ calling out racist and sexist cliches in advertising can be found in Mavens Mag Vol 2.

She hosts poetry gigs like UNESCO’s Slam-O-Vision, Vibe Union’s Poets For Palestine, and The Hate Race at the Malthouse this month. Her poetry and performances feature a mix of personal heartbreak and social commentary.

She has also featured on a few panels to champion diversity and inclusion in workplaces, including a pre-panel performance for Women of Colour Melbourne Gathering 2023 and key panelist at Mavens Magazine Launch Event.

A keen activist in anti-racism, she has written for leading industry magazines and her work for climate change has been featured on the today show. Shy is working on publishing her first poetry anthology this year whilst putting aside time for her work in progress memoir “What Would Aunty Pooja Say?”.

Come for the community, stay for the poetry xx

Hosted by Australian Poetry Slam Champion and Wordcraft Mamma, Ren Alessandra

Housekeeping and Accessibility notes:

The bar will be open with a licence, so no BYO. Please NO hot food inside the venue.

We have a Soft Space which is further away from the crowd but still a great view of the stage. This space is to soften sensory stimulation as there is loud applause, performance and music. Please consider your needs and if this space is right for you on the night. We endeavour to make the space as accessible as possible, given the nature of the space, however there are only so many changes that can be made.

Please note, the venue is not wheelchair accessible at this time.

Wordcraft acknowledges our practice on stolen Wurundjeri Land, we thank the original custodians and stand in solidarity as sovereignty has never been ceded. Always was, always will be.

Follow @wordcraft.wren