Community
4 April, 2025
Sharing the magic of poetry
CAMPERDOWN Library was filled with poetry enthusiasts recently to mark World Poetry Day, reading poetry from local and national women poets.
Fifteen people gathered in the library for an hour of reading and listening to poetry, coinciding with the international day to celebrate one of the oldest forms of expression as an art form and oral tradition.
Organiser and local poet Gail Watson said all attendees read out a poem, either one from their own collection or one of the women poets selected for the day.
“I thought the attendance was amazing,” she said.
“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity because there are poets who are closet poets – they write at home but don’t share or have the opportunity to share what they’ve written.
“This gives them the opportunity to share in a non-threatening way.”
Mrs Watson was joined by local poets including Joan Mahony, Angela Preiss and Gillian Senior, who shared some of their own works as part of the celebration.
Those who did not bring a poem were provided with works from well-known women poets such as Judith Wright, Dorothy Porter and Barbara Giles, and were also invited to read poetry collections set out as a display on the day.
Mrs Watson said poetry was something she had “always loved” and chose the day’s theme of women’s poets to highlight the increase in poetry written by women in recent years.
“When I did a writing course about 30 years ago in Melbourne, it struck me that there’s a great silence about women’s issues,” she said.
“Where were the poems about birth? Where were the poems about adolescence? Where were the poems about ageing? – They weren’t there.
“Male poets really seemed to dominate the poetry reading scene.
“Women are finding their voice, being able to write about their experiences.”
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