The Next Big Thing: Poetry Month Edition

Celebrate Poetry Month with six emerging poets sharing new and recently published work in the intimate surrounds of The Moat. The Next Big Thing: Poetry Month Edition brings together voices engaging with language and its possibilities, darkness and recovery, the alienation of modernity, identity and the complexities of contemporary life. Wiradjuri poet Alison J Barton reads work confronting the ongoing legacy of colonial dispossession while celebrating sacred land, survival and continued culture. Sholto Buck presents poems shaped by close observation and noticing. Visual artist and writer Linda Judge shares new work marked by vivid imagery and precise attention to language. Laurence Levy-Atkinson offers conversational poems shot through with humour, acceptance and hope. Connor Weightman moves through pop culture, internet rabbit holes and lyric experimentation, while Hong Kong–born poet Wing Yau considers migrant experience, identity, language and stories left unspoken. Host Pranati Narayan Visweswaran introduces the six writers. Presented by The Wheeler Centre in partnership with Red Room Poetry, the event is suited to adult and older-teen audiences interested in contemporary poetry, Australian writing and new literary voices. It may include references to sensitive content; authors will provide relevant content warnings before their readings. The event runs from 6:30pm to 7:30pm on Monday 3 August 2026 at The Moat, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. A $0 pay-what-you-wish ticket is available, alongside optional paid full, concession and under-30 tickets; advance booking through the official Wheeler Centre page is recommended. The venue lists accessible toilets, wheelchair access and registered assistance animals. Guests should add access requirements when booking or contact ticketing@wheelercentre.com for assistance.