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On the second Tuesday of April, the Poetry Night at Sappho plays host to AVANT GAGA #72, with guest poets Eileen Chong, Šime Knežević, Huang Fan, and Josh Stenberg, followed by the usual open mic section. Drinks and food are available to purchase at the bar, while entry is FREE. For the open mic section, 10 readers can read for up to 2 mins each. Sign-up is from 6:30pm sharp on the night at the venue. -------
EILEEN CHONG is a poet of Hakka, Hokkien and Peranakan descent. She is the author of 11 books. Her most recent collection is We Speak of Flowers (UQP, 2025). She lives and works on unceded Gadigal land.
ŠIME KNEŽEVIĆ is a poet and playwright from Sydney with Croatian heritage. His poems have been published widely in Australian and international literary journals. His poetry chapbook The Hostage (2019) was a co-winner of the Subbed In Chapbook Prize. As a playwright, he recently co-wrote the stage musical The Hen House (2023) with his sisters, and is a graduate of the NIDA Playwrights Studio. His first book-length poetry collection is In Your Dreams (Giramondo, 2025).
HUANG FAN is a poet and author of fiction. Born in 1963 in rural Hubei Province, he lives in Nanjing and is known for his unflinching confrontation of contemporary issues in China with dry humour and dark lyricism. He has won thirteen literary awards, including the Purple Mountain Literature Award.
JOSH STENBERG is Associate Professor of Chinese Studies at the University of Sydney as well as the author of three books on southern and diasporic Chinese theatre and of a collection of poetry, Nibs & Nubs. His translations of contemporary Chinese poetry have been shortlisted for the Australian Academy of Humanities' Medal for Excellence in Translation and the Sarah Maguire Prize for Poetry in Translation.
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IMAGE: Ma Shuqing, 'Untitled', oil on canvas.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Sappho Books Cafe & Wine Bar, 51 Glebe Point Road,Sydney,NSW,Australia, Pyrmont
