Suspended high above the stunning Jamison Valley, the Skyway Cabaret offers audiences a new way to experience poetry and stories, accompanied by an improvised soundtrack by multi-instrumentalist Victoria Falconer.
In the first session of the evening, celebrated poets Andy Jackson and Maria van Neerven use language to shape and embody identity, history, vulnerability and resilience.
In Two Tongues, Maria celebrates the Indigenous women who guided and taught her, reclaiming the stories of her ancestors and regathering what has been stolen in order to reassemble a life of compassion.
In his acclaimed poetry collection, Askew, Andy engages in aslant conversation with musicians, composers, poets and artists, while reckoning with historical and contemporary thinkers. This is poetry that affirms the value of collaboration and interdependence, with all of its promise and difficulty.
Equally lyrical and inventive, meet these extraordinary poets in a truly spectacular location.
Andy Jackson is poet, essayist and critic. His poetry collection Human Looking won the ALS Gold Medal and the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Poetry, and his new collection is Askew. He is a co-editor of Raging Grace: Australian Writers Speak Out on Disability, an anthology of collaborative poems and essays.
Maria van Neerven is a Mununjali poet from the Yugambeh Nation living in Meanjin. Maria was the winner of the David Unaipon Award in 2023 and was a Next Chapter Fellow in 2024. Two Tongues is her first poetry collection.
Victoria Falconer is an award-winning theatremaker, multi-instrumentalist and cabaret artist of Filipino-English heritage. She is co-Artistic Director of Hayes Theatre with Richard Carroll, and the 2024 recipient of the Asian-Australian Arts & Culture Leadership Award.
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Opening Night tickets are included in Platinum & Gold Weekend Passes. Single tickets may be available from September 1, subject to availability.
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This venue is wheelchair accessible, but please visit our Accessibility page or email hello@bluemountainswritersfestival.com.au if you have any other accessibility requirements.