New FSP Committee and Convenor

Following the FSP AGM on 12th April, we are pleased to announce the new Management Committee:

  • Steve Evans (Convenor)
  • Kristy Willett (Treasurer)
  • Margaret Clark (Secretary and Membership)
  • Nigel Ford (Regional Activities Coordinator)
  • Sue O’Brien

Special thanks to the outgoing committee members, David Harris, Roger Higgins and Emelia Haskey.

Incoming Convenor, Steve Evans, thanked preceding Convenor, Nigel Ford, for all his hard work on behalf of FSP.

“Nigel Ford stepped down as Convenor of Friendly Street Poets at the AGM this month. He has contributed a great deal to the live poetry scene in South Australia and to Friendly Street as a key publisher of poetry there, including reviving the New Poets series of books that give emerging poets a chance to share space in a full-sized title.… Click for more

Submissions for New Poets 22 now open

Friendly Street Poets is pleased to announce that submissions for New Poets 22 are now open.

Each volume in the New Poets series publishes short collections of poems from three poets who have not yet published a collection of poetry.

Please read carefully the following information regarding eligibility, presentation format, and the selection process. Any entries which fail to comply with these submission guidelines will be disqualified.

When you are ready, submit your manuscript via the form below. Submissions will only be accepted via this form.

Submissions close at midnight, Monday, 14th June, 2021.
Late submissions will not be accepted.… Click for more

Book Launch: Marking Time. A Chronicle of Cancer by Valerie Volk

Thursday, 12 November, 2020
7:30pm to 8:30pm

Burnside Library
401 Greenhill Road, Tusmore 5065

Please join us at Burnside Library for Writing from the Shadows with FSP poet Valerie Volk. Valerie will talk about the ways writing can help in difficult times and discuss her tenth book, Marking Time, written during her partner’s cancer journey. Out of the time came a book described by one reviewer as “beautiful, brave and achingly personal” and endorsed by the Cancer Council as “a poignant collection of poems that will help an individual who is currently living with, or supporting someone through, a cancer diagnosis.” … Click for more

FSP City Readings and Open Mic to resume in August… confirmed!

After the long close down due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are now in a position to hold an Open Mic reading at the Box Factory on Monday 3rd August 2020.

Monday, 3rd August, 2020
from 6:00pm

The Box Factory
59 Regent St, Adelaide, SA 5000.

To hold the meeting, we will be required to follow a COVID-19 safety plan, which includes social distancing with a corresponding impact on the total number of people who can attend the meeting. This means that a maximum of 40 people can attend. Therefore…

• You need to fill in the following Expression of Interest Form before you attend.… Click for more

New Poets 21 winners announced

The Friendly Street New Poets series of books has been the launching pad for many well-recognised and successful poets in SA who have gone on to make wonderful contributions to poetry here in Australia and overseas. Nineteen submissions were received for the New Poets 21 competition this year, six more than last year, which is pleasing to see in this time of limited poetry opportunity.

The judge for this competition was Kaye Aldenhoven, an Adelaide born, Darwin based writer and poet with 3 books of poetry published. Kaye has been shortlisted for prose and poetry multiple times in the NT Literature Awards and won 2 Red Earth Poetry Awards.… Click for more

A Note from the Treasurer

Friendly Street Poets financially strong despite COVID-19

I hope all members are keeping well during our suspension of monthly meetings. Remember that not all activities are suspended and, in particular, you can submit via the website HERE to have poems considered by the editors for inclusion in the FSP Anthology #45.

The shutdown is having an effect on FSP’s financial situation, but we remain strong. With no monthly First-Monday meetings, we are, of course, not collecting door entries. These add up to 15-20% of annual revenue, so they are important. We are likely to miss out on these for most of this year.  … Click for more