Assist your students in developing their poetry writing skills in preparation for entry into the Ipswich Poetry Feast Writing Competition.
A special school encouragement award is presented to the school whose participation in the competition most reflects a genuine commitment to, and engagement with, the spirit of the Ipswich Poetry Feast.
Each year free poetry writing workshops by professional poets are offered to primary and secondary schools within the Ipswich City Council region.
Participate in online creative poetry masterclasses with some of Australia’s leading poets. These workshops help students to develop valuable writing skills regardless of their geographical location within Queensland.
| Dates | May & June 2019 (dates to be advised) | |
| Audience | Primary & Secondary | |
| Venue | Schools in the Ipswich City Council region | |
| Dates | May & June 2019 (dates to be advised) | |
| Time | To be advised | |
| Audience | Primary | |
| Venue | Online – Available to schools throughout Queensland | |
| Students | Primary & Secondary | Class Size | 30 students |
Catherine Bateson is an award-winning poet and writer for children and young adults. She has had three collections of poetry published and three verse novels for young adults among her numerous publications. She teaches Professional Writing and Editing at TAFE and has run poetry workshops around Australia. Most recently she was a visiting poet at the Clifden Arts Festival, Ireland. She will be completing a Creative Time Fellowship with the May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust in May this year.
Workshop Poet
| Students | Primary & Secondary | Class Size | 30 students |
Josh Donellan is a writer, musician, slam poet, radio DJ and teacher. He was almost devoured by a tiger in the jungles of Malaysia, nearly died of a lung collapse in the Nepalese Himalayas and fended off a pack of rabid dogs with a guitar in the mountains of India.
As a poet, Josh has performed at Sydney Writers’ Festival, TEDxSouthBank, and the Sydney Opera House. His works include the novels A Beginner’s Guide to Dying in India and Killing Adonis, the plays We Are All Ghosts and The Theory of Everything and the poetry collection Stendhal Syndrome.
Workshop Poet
Kathryn Apel is a born-and-bred farm girl who’s scared of cows. She lives among the gum trees, cattle and kangaroos on a Queensland grazing property. Kat pumps poetry so she can flex her muscles across other genres, to bend (and break) writing rules.
Kat’s verse novel, ‘Bully on the Bus’ won the 2015 Australian Family Therapy’s Award for Children’s Literature – Young Readers/Picture Book, while ‘Too Many Friends’, also a verse novel, was a 2018 CBCA Younger Reader Notable Book. She is perhaps best known for her shape poem, ‘Big Blue Whale’.
Online Workshop Poet