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TASMANIAN POETRY FESTIVAL

[For more information, please visit the Tasmanian Poetry Festival's website .



Winner of the 2024 Launceston Poetry Cup | Valerie Tinmouth.



The 2024 Tasmanian Poetry Festival featured Ross Donlon, Bruce Penn, Moran Wiesel, Sarah Lock, Thomas Forest Bailey, Leanne Boschman, Robyn Rowland, Marilyn Arnold, Steve Brien, Rob Van Der Elst and Pam Schindler. The festival ran from Thursday 10th to Sunday 13th October, 2024, also featuring the launch of the collection 'Tim Thorne's Greatest Hits', edited by Lucie Thorne and published by Puncher & Wattmann.




The 2023 Tasmanian Poetry Festival featured Myron Lysenko, Brendan Ryan, Pamela Leach, Rebecca Rushbrook, Kimberley K. Wi9lliams, Tug Dumbly, David Hallett, Helga Jermy, Esther Ottaway and jazz musician Steve Brien, and featured a staged reading of Stella Kent's play about Tasmanian poet Gwen Harwood, directed by Peter Hammond. The festival ran from the 6th to 8th of October, 2023.


Melbourne-based poet Nancy Jean Corbett was once again the winner of the Launceston Poetry Cup.




The 2022 Tasmanian Poetry Festival ran from Friday 30th September to Sunday 2nd October, featuring guest poets David Mason, Fleassy Malay, Thomas Bailey, Ren Allessandro, Daniel J. Townsend, Anne Kellas and Therese Corfiatis.

Preceding the festival, on Friday 23rd September, a celebration was held in honour of Stephanie and Tim Thorne.

Paris


The Tasmanian Poetry Festival, an annual event held in Launceston was founded and for seventeen years directed by  Tim Thorne, from 1985.

From 2003 to 2018,  Cameron Hindrum directed the festival until, in turn, he passed the baton over to Evie Wood who took charge in 2019.

Because of Covid-19 restrictions, the 2020 festival was rescheduled to March 2021. Directed by Colin Berry, the 2021 festival featured comedy legend Rachel Berger, poets Geoffrey Miller, Rebecca Young, Joy Elizabeth, Jane Williams, David Mason, Kim Nolan, Tim Slade, Brielle Quigley and Susan Austin. Geoffrey Miller won the 2021 Launceston Poetry Cup.

2019 Guest Poets: Rees Campbell, Ross Donlon, Tug Dumbly, Carol Easton, Pola Fanous, Marie McMillan, Gina Mercer, Gregory North, Solli Raphael and Chrys Salt,

2018 Guest Poets: Michael Aiken, Marilyn Arnold, Amy Bodossian, Arielle Cottingham, Quinn Eades, Nicola Easthope, Helga Jermy, Gabrielle Journey Jones and Jesse oliver.

2017 Guest Poets: Pete Hay, Amelia Walker, Mala Anthony, Arjun von Caemmerer, David McCooey, Talya Rubin, Sam Wagan Watson, Izzy Roberts-Orr and Kristen Lang


References to a number of previous Tasmanian Poetry Festivals can be found below:

Guests in 2013 included Michael Sharkey, Aidan Coleman,  Anne Kellas, Darkwing Dubs, Lisa Jacobson, Sandy Holmes Andy White, Eleanor Jackson &  Doubting Thomas - and featured the 'Ted & Sylvia' multimedia performance. The festival ran from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th October, 2013.

The 2012 Tasmanian Poetry Festival ran from Friday 5th to Sunday 7th October, with guests Dael Allison, Omar Musa, Richard Tipping, Chris Mansell, Mandy Beaumont, Candy Royalle, Roberta Lowing, Matt Hetherington, Janet Jackson ['Jackson') and Alex Skovron. Tasmanian Poetry Festival 2012.

Tasmanian Poetry Festival 2010

Saturday evening:  2009 Tasmanian Poetry Festival (Launceston Poetry Cup)

Section of a March 2008 interview  with Tasmanian Poetry Festival director Cameron Hindrum, dealing with the running of the festival.

Notes -  2008 Tasmanian Poetry Festival

Notes -  2007 Tasmanian Poetry Festival

Notes - 2006 Tasmanian Poetry Festival

Notes - 2005 Tasmanian Poetry Festival

Notes - 1995 Tasmanian Poetry Festival

Tim Thorne: 1994 Tasmanian Poetry Festival