As promised, perhaps as threatened, there will be an end of year get together and open mic this Friday. The auspicious day is the eve of the birth of Joseph Conrad (3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924).

Location will be adjacent to the wreck of The Otago, a ship which Conrad captained in 1888-9.

Theme for readings is anything Conrad, indeed anything to do with the sea. There will be a microphone and small amp/speaker available.

BYO everything - something to sit on, nibbles, drinks, bonhomie.

Friday 2 December, 6pm. Location is about 19 Otago Bay Rd if you are looking at an online map. There is room to park there and also a bus stop.

It's a beautiful bend in the river and the weather forecast is dry so I hope to see you there!

We are looking for readers to recite some Joseph Conrad at an event on the first Friday in December. You are free to choose what to read. Alternatively you may read your own original work about the sea.
This will be an outdoor event by the river Derwent, a beautiful location that will suit this theme. There will be amplification, unless you have the voice of a walrus, in which case we'll be impressed. And terrified.
It will be a free event and you'll be able to bring all your family and friends and standing army of porpoise-eyed sycophants, huzzah. 
If you would like to read, please get in touch. More details will be available as we get closer to the date.

Yaw, it's time for another spoken word event! Get your best penguin suit out, or even something less formal yanno, for poetry and music and everything in between. Our feature performers this time out are Anthony Francis and Tereska. There will be some open mic slots so please sign up on the night: all kinds of spoken word and soft musical balladeering welcome.
Fri 16 September, 7-9pm, Kickstart Arts, St John's Ave, New Town.
$10 entry, $5 concession or if you read in the open mic. Includes drinks, delectable vegan snacks by Otis Beanery and door prizes courtesy of the very kind Andrew Wilkie MHR and Rob Valentine MLC.
As usual if you need any more info please send a message through the Contact form. Otherwise see you there!

In conjunction with the Memories art exhibition by Dianne Casimaty, Furious Penguins is hosting a cosy 'fireside' night of spoken word on the same theme. Young star Freya Cox and old stager Vi Lipscombe are the feature peformers; there will be open mic slots as well for those who would like to read, improvise, sing, rap or otherwise share their own memories.
Both the exhibition and the performance night will raise funds for the Menzies School of Health Research for Alzheimers research.
Memories: A Night of Poems and Stories is on Friday 24 June at the Lady Franklin Gallery, 268 Lenah Valley Rd. Doors open 7pm, readings from 7.30pm. Entry is $10 (suggested donation) and includes drinks (beer, mulled cider, wine), snacks (vegan treats by Otis Beanery) and door prizes kindly donated by Elise Archer MHA,  Rob Valentine MLC and Andrew Wilkie MHR.
Any queries: furiouspenguins@mail.com

Join us for an entertaining night of spoken word performance, live music, projections and more. The Packing Shed is a new omnibus performing arts event organised by Furious Penguins and hosted at MGA-ARI. As well as our feature performers Heather Freedman and Peter MacPherson we will have plenty of open mic slots. So bring your work and read, sing, tell jokes, improvise, juggle; thrill us or chill us or crash and burn, it's all good. The focus of the night is on encouraging experimental and emerging performers so be brave and...be there!
There'll be a book swap...bring a book, take a book. Poetry and lit preferred but heck, just do it!
Food and bar available. Entry by donation. Doors open 7pm, performances from 7.30. Get there early and register for the open mic. Any enquiries about the evening, please contact Alan via furiouspenguins@mail.com. If you would like some mentoring or to rehearse in the space prior to the event, he's the penguin to ask.
Venue is MGA-ARI at 62 Gormanston Rd, Moonah. By bus: Hobart-Glenorchy buses, get off at Stop 19 and scoot down east down Fleet Street then through the skanky alley, turn left and you're there. By car: drive your miserable heap to Gormanston and park on the street where you belong.

Yup, we're having workshops. See the attached flyer and Instabooktwitpinchat it to death with every living soul in the universe, or at the least the ones who might pay eight bucks for a workshop. Should be fun...we have a quality draughty hall lined up and some talented people ready to roar. Probably some snacks too.
Just to make it clear, each workshop will have the following format:
- introduction and warm up
- presentations / readings
- work on one of theme topics
- rereadings
- feedback and closing thoughts
You should come with a piece you would like to perform. Best if you have it memorised, and it's not way long. Also great if you have some printed copies so we can pass them around.
Please get in touch if you have any queries. Bookings aren't essential but, like eating toast while it's still warm, are probably a mighty fine idea.
Yay, poetry!