Solid Air: Australian and New Zealand Spoken Word

A ground-breaking and original collection that showcases Australia and New Zealand’s leading performance poets.

Over the past decade, Spoken Word has established itself as a central part of contemporary Australian & New Zealand poetry. For the first-time ever, these voices are transported from the stage to the page, captured in print so that the spoken-word experience can be shared with a new and broader audience.

Solid Air showcases the work of more than 100 spoken word artists from Australia and New Zealand - combining elements of slam, hip hop and performance poetry - to deliver an unforgettable reading experience that is both literary and loud. This groundbreaking collection welcomes a new generation of poets - often young, diverse and politically active - whose focus on performance has become increasingly popular over the past decade. Transporting the energy of their words from the stage to the page, Solid Air celebrates the most vibrant and talented voices from our region.

Contributors include- Evelyn Araluen, Courtney Barnett, Hera Lindsay Bird, Behrouz Boochani, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Candy Royalle, Ali Cobby Eckermann, Michelle Law, Omar Musa, Sara Saleh, Taika Waititi, Te Kahu Rolleston, Claire G. Coleman, Selina Tusitala Marsh, PiO, Tayi Tibble and many, many more.

‘A powerful body of work, illuminating, wide-reaching, and full of voices that remind us to be part of something bigger than ourselves.’ - Kate Tempest

‘Solid Air gives us all that spoken word might give, which is immensity itself- confronting, radical, disconcerting and often reassuring that so many poets have the guts to speak out, to bring us to their words, to change for the better.’ - John Kinsella