Australian Poetry Slam Maribyrnong Heat featuring John Englezos

Next date: Saturday, 29 August 2026 | 01:00 PM to 03:30 PM

Poets Run This!

Have you ever wanted to change the world with your words?

You are invited to rip those scrawled leaves of passion from your notebook and ignite them on stage.

Every year, since 2007, Word Travels runs Australian Poetry Slam (APS) heats and wordshops in over 60 locations across the Asia-Pacific.

APS is the cupped hand amplifying the shouts of over 2000 new and emerging writers annually.

Share your words for two minutes on the mic. By throwing your ideas into the slam-storm, you could be chosen as the 2026 Australian Poetry Slam-bassador and offered an international writers’ festival tour worth about $20K.

Use your poems to spark new dreams, clear out cobweb memes or offer listeners a sturdy eucalypt branch with a better view. This is your call.

Get up. Gather at your local slam. Share with your community.

Jump on the mic or listen, cheer and hold-up scorecards as part of the audience in this international celebration of spoken-wordsmiths. Electrify us. Show the world how POETS RUN THIS!

This APS Heat audience will send two writers to represent Maribyrnong in a performance at the Victoria Final. The top 16 in the country make it to the National Final at Sydney Opera House on 25 October.

Book your free spot to cheer on your local poets! If you wish to participate in the slam, please ensure you arrive before 1.30pm to register as a competitor.

Doors open/competitor registrations: 1-1.30pm

Slam starts at: 1.30pm

Book now

Hosted by John Englezos

John Englezos is a spoken word poet and Melbourne’s 2015 Poetry Slam Champion. His work has been described as “Pixar in poetry” with his book “If The World Were Upside Down" centering around notions of Hope, Identity, and Wonder. John was on the first team to represent Australia in 2017 at the National Poetry Slam Championships in Denver, Colorado USA.

John has been a presenter, speaker coach and host for Tedx, runs workshops and one-on-one sessions around poetry, performance, and self-reflection, is an uncle to six amazing kids and a brother to many.