Our daughter, Julia, found a passion in Spoken Word and, driven by her love for it, birthed the concept of ‘Sip n Share’. This event, set in our tasting room in Dromana, is a haven for creative minds and individuals longing to express their stories, emotions, and poetry. Since last August, we’ve successfully hosted five beautiful Sip and Share evenings and we are excited to see them evolve.
I’ll be the first to admit I had no idea what to expect at the first event but have been surprised and delighted at what a lovely and heartfelt event it is. When we commenced these evenings almost a year ago I never thought I would be taking to the microphone, but in our latest event in May I read for the first time, one poem written for our daughter Julia who inspired Sip n Share evenings, and one for Toby, who has taken me on a journey filled with wine for over 10 years now. It was very special.
Our Sip n Share evening, is full of the shared love for spoken word, art and poetry. Whether you are an avid poetry writer, reader, creative spirit, or just want to enjoy some heartfelt moments in your local community, this is the perfect evening for you.
Amy Campion, a renowned local journalist, writer, radio host, editor, and communications expert, has joined us in organising and facilitating these events. We’re genuinely excited and grateful for Amy and others from our community who are lending their support to these events.
Held bi-monthly, Sip & Share evenings combine a feature poet with open mic sessions for those who want to take the spotlight. If you are interested in coming along or staying informed sign up to our Sip n Share newsletter .
We are thrilled to have been graced with fantastic feature poets including:
January – Alan Pentland who ran Melbourne’s first Stand up comedy club, was a key-player in the award winning TV comedy show Fast Forward, has previously won Slam competition and other poetry awards, cumulating in the Melbourne Spoken Word Prize.
March – Sean M Whelan, a Melbourne poet, playwright, DJ, marriage celebrant and podcaster who grounds his work in the everyday. He describes his art as starting at “a point of solid rock reality”, from which he lets “the flowers of another world grow” in a reader’s imagination—it’s a device he likens to “leaving a trail of breadcrumbs in the poem”. Sean has published two books of poetry (Love Is the New Hate and Tattooing the Surface of the Moon).
May – Katie Lohner, an esteemed spoken word and performance artist hailing from Melbourne. Renowned for her quirky, vigorous style, Katie has left a mark on audiences at several esteemed events like Melbourne Fringe 2023, Mother Tongue, LaMama Cabaretica and Melbourne Spoken Word Poetry Festival. Her poetry is a breath of fresh air, marked by freedom and joy. Moreover, her artistic prowess extends to physical theatre and comedy, proven by her solo play ‘The Hungry Poet’, nominated for Best Words and Ideas at the 2023 Melbourne Fringe Festival. Katie is known to inspire childlike wonder and laughter, leaving audiences eager to hear more of her intelligent and joyful word craft. Her poetry is a wave of self-discovery, splashed with infectious joy. Discover more about Katie at katielohner.com.
July – Es Foong aka waffleirongirl a poet, flash-fictionista and spoken word artist. Es’s debut poetry collection from Recent Work Press is called “Clot and Marrow”. It explores the strange geographies of belonging: to family, gender, culture and oneself. It ponders boundaries; the predicament of needing to assert them even as they cause pain and separation. It explores influences on identity and the fault-lines of trauma, how these are woven into our bodies. It sees the power and the possibility of the pause – as breath, silence, a poem’s whitespace – and as an alternative way of being, survival and love.
We’ve captured some moments from recent Sip & Share nights to give you a sense of the creative talent on offer.
