Events

Getting out and about with Friendly Street Poets

A Love In! FSP 50th Anniversary Celebration – call out for readers

To celebrate us and those older poets who make up our rich history, the 7th November 2025 FSP City Meeting will follow a special format at the usual Box Factory venue.

30 volunteer poets are invited to read any poem by any poet from any FSP Reader or Anthology prior to number 30 along with a short biography of that poem’s author. The reader cannot read one of their own poems from these anthologies. However, they can read ONE poem of their own for consideration for 2025’s anthology. There will be no open mic.

Suggestions are now open and will be curated by David Cookson, on a first come, first served basis.… Click for more

A Chronicle of Friendly Street’s First Fifty Years – Call for Contributions.

As part of Friendly Street’s fiftieth anniversary year in 2025, we are inviting contributions from past and present members or attendees for a ‘Chronicle’ of recollections about what Friendly Street has meant and provided in ‘human’ terms for those involved over the last half century.

These memories should be in the form of short vignettes, no more than two paragraphs or 500 words long. They can be composed as prose, poetry, or a mixture of both.

The vignette must express each contributor’s sense of a significant memory, anecdote, or reflection on why Friendly Street mattered – whether for them personally or in broader social terms – during the period when they first became involved.… Click for more

FSP February City Meeting and Open Mic – now on Fridays!

Friday, 7th February, 2025
from 6:00pm

The Box Factory
59 Regent St, Adelaide, SA 5000

All welcome!

$5 to read. 3 minutes per poet.
Free to listen.

This is our first meeting for 2025. We are now meeting on the first Friday of each month.

You must be a member of FSP to submit your poems for consideration for publication in the annual anthology. Bring two printed copies of your poems with your name and contact details to submit for next year’s anthology, or submit them electronically via the form below after the session.

… Click for more

Poem of the Month – November 2025 – Rob Ferris

The Poem of the Month for November 2024, selected by 2024 Anthology editors Ivan Rehorek (Avalanche) and Martha Landman, is Rime of the Ancient Surfer by Rob Ferris. The commended poems are sail by Rory Harris,  Stop at red light by Martin Christmas and an own table by Geoffrey Atkin.

Rime of the Ancient Surfer
Rob Ferris

At 75, the long board could be
a stretcher
but here you are
improbable
paddling gamely with
rubber clad old sticks
for arms
seeming to hold your own
until Poseidon frowns
at your presumption
and breaks one on your head.… Click for more

Thank you, 2024! Changes for 2025…

Monday 3rd December was the last Friendly Street Poets meeting at the Box Factory for 2024.

42 poets plus audience turned up for a fantastic evening to end the year on. Another 1st time reader came and shared their words. More poets from the past returned after some time away. Some classic poetry by long time stalwarts of FSP had us laughing loudly.

Thank you to this year’s Editors, Martha and Avalanche. Editing the next anthology is such a joy when the standard of poetry being submitted is so high.

The broadest, eclectic variety of poems read at our monthly open mic in the city gig is something I love and value about this collective of creatives who I feel are more like family sharing a passion than acquaintances who sit together occasionally.… Click for more

Poem of the Month – October 2025 – Peter Mahoney

The Poem of the Month for October 2024, selected by 2024 Anthology editors Ivan Rehorek (Avalanche) and Martha Landman, is degustazione orgasmico by Peter Mahoney. The commended poems are Snake Dancer Day by Maria Koukouvas and Three, with Attitude by Jacqui Merckenschlager.

degustazione orgasmico
Peter Mahoney

one does not on a plate with a knife and a fork
eat a large byblos special from pizza pizzazz on goodwood road
on $15 Tuesdays
served by an Indian guy smiling the friendliest white teeth
or the second generation Greek owner flattering me with a glint and a smile in her
southern brown eyes

no, one makes mad, hasty, slurping, indecent love with it
barely out of the box
to the sound of broken glasses, spilled wine and gender specific expletives
barely time to pour the unlabelled shiraz cabernet or was it cabernet shiraz I don’t care because I love you!… Click for more

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