Poetry@FedSquare, Saturday 17 August 2-4pm

Federation Square – Atrium

Entry: Free (located near the Flinders Street entrance of The Atrium) Join a free program of poetry, music and performance at Federation Square.

Each month a group of different poets present their new (or not) works in a public setting to an ever-changing audience. It is an opportunity to hear new words and voices.

August brings you the wonderful words of three women: Amanda Anastasi, Lee Kofman & Fional Hile.

There is also an open mic section for those wanted to share their lovely stuff for just 5 minutes each. Please do not hesitate to come forward asking to read by dropping a line at poetryfedsquare@gmail.com or troaditisdimitris@gmail.com

AMANDA ANASTASI
Amanda studied Professional Writing & Literature at Deakin University and is a two-time winner of the Ada Cambridge Poetry Prize, which she judged in 2012 and 2013. Her debut poetry collection ‘2012 and other poems’ was listed in Ali Alizadeh’s ‘Top Ten Poetic Works of 2012’ in Overland Literary Journal. Her work has appeared in magazines & anthologies in Australia, NZ, the US, UK and Ireland including Cordite, Four W and Poetrix. She has featured at countless spoken word events around Melbourne, including at the Williamstown Literary Festival and the Newport Folk Festival. Her style being described as philosophical, direct and “richly contemporaneous” by Judith Rodriguez. Visit http://www.ahpoetry.wordpress.com/

LEE KOFMAN
Lee Kofman is an Israeli-Australian author of three fiction books. Her poetry, alongside her essays and short stories, appeared in Australia, USA and UK in a variety of publications, such as Cordite, Poetrix, Blue Giraffe and Antipodes. She is the recipient of various awards, including an Australian Council grant, and several writing residencies, such as in Varuna and the Katherine Susanna Pritchard writers’ centre. Lee holds an MA in Creative Writing (University of Melbourne). Since 2003 Lee has been teaching creative writing classes and courses in a variety of settings, and mentoring writers. She performs poetry and spoken word in many Melbournian venues, including taking a part in Saloni M and Liner Notes, and has organised events for the Overload poetry festival.

FIONA HILE
Fiona Hile is the author of a chapbook of poems, The Family Idiot, and a full-length collection, Novelties. In 2012 she won the Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize and was awarded second place in the Overland 2012 Judith Wright Poetry Prize. Her poems have been published in The Age, Overland, The Sun-Herald, Cordite and elsewhere. She is the editor of Wandering Through The Universal Archive, an electronic chapbook of poetic collaborations for Cordite Poetry Review.

Also because of a mistake that has to be corrected Philton is another feature poet that will read at this Saturday.

PHILTON has been published in numerous anthologies and journals including Best Australian Poems 2005, Overland, Island, Quadrant and overseas in Envoi (UK) and the Chung Wai Literary Monthly in which his work was translated into Chinese. Four collections of Philton’s stories and poems have been released, including More than Words (commended in Australian Book Review), Capsules (Medal Poets Series) and Not Just On the Road (based on incidents from his solo bicycle ride around Australia).
Recognition of Philton’s work is highlighted with over 100 awards, including 21 first prizes. These wins include: Fellowship of Australian Writers’ (FAW) Macarthur Award; Woorilla Poetry Award; Centoria Poetry Prize; Henry Lawson Society Poetry Competition (Highly Commended). Philton has judged numerous prizes including the Jim Morrison Manuscript Novel Award (FAW National), the John Shaw Neilson Poetry Award (FAW National) and the Society of Women Writers Poetry Competition (Vic). In 2007 Philton was awarded the Alan Marshall Scholarship and he presented a Paper to the Legacy of T. S. Eliot Conference at Sydney University. He was Convenor of the FAW Readings at The Water Rat Hotel (South Melbourne 2001-02) and co-edited (with Jennifer Harrison) Said The Rat! (Black Pepper Press), the poetry and prose anthology selected from those performances. As the editor of Pulse Publications, Philton has experience with small press publishing and he is a Life Member of FAW (Vic), awarded for substantial honorary service in various portfolios including a ten year period in several executive office positions. Philton is Secretary of the Rhonda Jankovic Society for the Promotion of Social Justice Through Literature.