Events

Getting out and about with Friendly Street Poets

Poem of the Month – July 2025 – Roger Higgins

The Poem of the Month for July 2025, selected by 2025 Anthology editors Val Braendler and Ben Adams, is Vital Statistics by Roger Higgins. The commended poems are autumn’s last day by David Cookson, Is It Love by Maeve Archibald and For the One I Have Become by Doris Nickolas.

Vital Statistics
(or Working in Winter in Kazakhstan)
Roger Higgins


Expect minus twenty-seven, feels like minus thirty-three,
I am decked out in thermals and multiple layers,
cheekbones feeling like thin glass
that would shatter at a touch.

And we are already below forecast
without counting the chill of a wind
piling snow to the rooflines of the few buildings
the window glass displaying in strata
the past week’s weather.… Click for more

FSP August City Meeting, Open Mic and Announcement of Publication Winners.

Friday, 1st August, 2025
Doors open at 6:00pm for 6:15pm start

The Box Factory
59 Regent St, Adelaide, SA 5000

$5 to read; free to listen.
Strict 3-minute time limit, including any introductions, explanations and post-scripts.

During the meeting, the winners of the New Poets 26 and Single Poet 2025 competitions will be announced.

You can submit poems read at the Open Mic for consideration in the next Anthology via the form below.

… Click for more

Poem of the Month – June 2025 – phil saunders

The Poem of the Month for June 2025, selected by 2025 Anthology editors Val Braendler and Ben Adams, is Enter Rapture by phil saunders. The commended poems are i only dream when i’m asleep by Geoff Aitkin, Patterns of Being by Margaret Fensom and The Homeless Man’s Dog by Maria Koukouvas.

Enter Rapture
phil saunders

enter rapids steamboat stability
romance blossoms in face of competition
flowers chocolate wine sideways glances
coffee
sweet kisses deny pretence
softly softly into the night
lovers’ steps shimmer united
lovers’ steps sparkle in step
eyes
lovers’ steps gleam
early hours
disorientation of place
sunlight through window an omen

darkness descends
spot rain fog diminishes viewpoints
trucks sound moody horns
fires and slippers inside
mood overtakes into tears
seek comfort does the bell toll for thee
doors open to opportunity
walk the lane should you dare
walk the cobbles slide over the smooth
walk the cobbles should you care
future steps fix the date
rain drops intermittent will not disturb
tears unbidden rest below for their time
walk the cobbles when you dare
walk the cobbles when you care
the finish is your rapture if you care to dare
the finish is your rapture if you dare to care

open the curtain
your love talks through the panes
language I know not for Cupid’s barbs to accompany
sailing boats and steamships wait
tug boats guide delivery
wild seas will not hinder finding motion across the calm

carousel roundabouts Cupid rides the circus
elephants and clowns as his handmaidens for the task
no need for ringmasters
audiences will applaud Cupid’s finesse
in awe of his capture of language

strong slow the wind
variations dip weave curve the air
drive tears to the surface
join wind’s raindrops
carve a path into heart’s homeland
dispel shadows for all who inhabit
make steps without fear
make short long journey home
strong slow the wind for another lifetime

Enter Rapture prepared with notes taken during a performance of the Australian String Quartet: Beethoven String Quartet No.11 in F Minor, Op.95, Serioso; Perica String Quartet No.1, No Feeling is Final; Janacek String Quartet No.2, Intimate Letters; Golijov Tenebrae for string quartet.… Click for more

FSP July City Meeting and Open Mic

Friday, 4th July, 2025
Doors open at 6:00pm for 6:15pm start

The Box Factory
59 Regent St, Adelaide, SA 5000

$5 to read; free to listen.
Strict 3-minute time limit, including any introductions, explanations and post-scripts.

You can submit poems read at the Open Mic for consideration in the next Anthology via the form below.

… Click for more

Poem of the Month – May 2025 – Rory Kennett-Lister

The Poem of the Month for May 2025, selected by 2025 Anthology editors Val Braendler and Ben Adams, is Sestina for Ankylosing Spondylitis by Rory Kennett-Lister. The commended poems are Under obs by Louise Nicholas, Pre-dawn April night by David Bailles and Gazan cull by Murray Alfredson.

Sestina for Ankylosing Spondylitis
Rory Kennett-Lister

Descending the station stairs the light
Shifts from pure sun to fluorescent pulse.
A rush of panicked wind. I make my way
Deeper underground. The train wails from the dark
Along rusted, aging tracks that thread
Beneath the city like screaming nerves. 

Stepping through the yawning doors my nerves
Fire, shooting blind, a flailing light
From hips to back.… Click for more

Poem of the Month – April 2025 – Roz Schulz

The Poem of the Month for April 2025, selected by 2025 Anthology editors Val Braendler and Ben Adams, is The Art of Saving by Roz Schulz. The commended poems are limbo by Barbara Preston, Abandon Yourself to Mozart by Susan O’Brien and In the Vicinity of a Love Poem by Steve Evans.

The Art of Saving
Roz Schulz

They were the last on the butcher’s run, mid north,
dry hot summer, horse and cart, no refrigeration.
The bonus some leftover cuts, jokes with the butcher
and a flagon of wine into the sunset.
His wife cooked the week’s meat straight away –
His mind and soul were fashioned the way he beat
mugs out of tins, scrolled over the sharp top edge,
but you could still cut your lip on it.… Click for more

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