Events
Elizabeth Walton is a writer and musician who has been shortlisted in many literary prizes. Her debut short collection, How To Read A City, Your Place of Last Resort is now available through selected independent bookstores and directly from the publisher, 5 Islands Press.
This new work asks where to find hope while living through the challenges of climate change. It is a collaboration with Richard Lawson - a triple ARIA-nominated punk rock drummer who was the first drummer to appear on ABC’s Rage, performing with the Lime Spiders.
His song cycle for string quartet, How To Read A City, Your Place of Last Resort, performed by Acacia Quartet, with creative direction from Elizabeth was recorded by Acacia at Four Winds. It was included in the ABC Limelight Australian Art Music playlist in 2025.
Elizabeth’s poetry reading with Acacia at the world premiere is featured on the cover of her new book.
This short poetry collection explores the science of climate change through experimental writing that leads the way out of fire and into the Symbiocene. The poems move between concerns over the impacts of contemporary commercial cooking to iNaturalist field recordings during the extinction crisis, using restrained lyric intensity and concrete forms.
Join Elizabeth as she launches her new publication with 5 Islands Press, and other publications, including a recent anthology with Westwords. Signed copies will also be available at readings and events. For bookstore or library enquiries, please use the page contact.
Next Up:
Phoenix Central
With Acacia Quartet and Richard Lawson
Sunday 17th May 4pm.
Ticket link click here.
Thanks to ABC ClassiFM for the write up.
“How to Read A City, Your Place of Last Resort is a stirring meditation on climate change and the natural world composed by punk rock drummer, Richard Lawson and performed by Acacia Quartet. Film and artistic direction by Elizabeth Walton, who reads from her poetry cycle of the same name, which was published by 5 Islands Press in 2026. Described by artist, Imants Tillers, as “a beautifully nuanced and balanced combination of original musical composition and performance, imagery and spoken word," this project responds to the urgency of climate grief and the quiet beauty of still-wild places. Each piece in this song cycle reflects our contemporary interphase with city life and the natural world, exploring the Symbiocene as an urgent and critical response to the extinction crisis. This work invites listeners to slow down and listen deeply, in a performance which blends science with lush string textures, evocative contemporary harmonies and melodic lines which trace a journey through changing landscapes, and ecologies. “This cycle is my way of listening to the land,” says composer Richard Lawson. “It’s easy to feel lost sometimes, or hopeless, but I see so much hope for this beautiful world. In this performance, we invite you to meet us there.”
This is a snippet of the performance - captured on iPhone from the back of the room (not true sound quality).
SCWC/ River of Art Writing Prize
South East Centre for Contemporary Arts, Bega
Friday 19 June at 5:30pm
Join us for a special far south coast launch of the South Coast Writers Centre’s (SCWC) latest anthology, Shape Shifters.
Fri 19 June, 5.30 – 7.30pm
Featuring the selected ekphrasis poems from the 2025 Tideland: Art + Word project, a collaboration between SECCA, Bega Valley Shire Library and SCWC, by poets:
Ronald Arana Atilano, Erica Chester, Eileen Chong, Mark Friend, Pamela Goddard, Julie-Ann Henninger, Siân Lim, Brittany Riley, Paris Rosemont, Nathan mudyi Sentance and Roger Vickery
The evening will include readings from poets Pamela Goddard, Kai Jensen and Elizabeth Walton, as well as Sarah Nicholson (SCWC Director). With special guest MC, Peter Frankis, Chair of the SCWC board and guest judge of the Tideland: Art + Word ekphrasis poetry open call.
The Shape Shifters anthology will be available for purchase at the event. The event will also include a Poetry Open Mic. Join the experience and share your words! Open Mic registration available at the door.
FREE ENTRY, all welcome. Bookings essential.
Food and drink provided.
Leeds Trinity University Colloquium, UK
with Oz Hardwick
Monday 29th June, 2pm
To book your place, please use the email address in the poster.
Book Launch & Listening Experience The Poetry Cafe London
22 Betterton Street London WC2H 9BX
Tuesday 23rd June 6.30pm-8.30pm
Featuring Elizabeth Walton - How to Read A City, Your Place of Last Resort
Music by Richard Lawson
Visiting from Australia, writer Elizabeth Walton presents an evening of readings, conversation, and celebration. Joining Elizabeth is Richard Lawson, who will introduce a specially created pre-recorded listening experience. Bringing together literature and sound, this one-off London event showcases the work of two contemporary Australian artists.
Elizabeth will present a reading from her new poetry collection, How to Read A City, Your Place of Last Resort with Richard Lawson, followed by an Open Mic.
Book Launch & Listening Experience Bean Box Coffee Shop - Dublin
55 Aungier St Dublin 2
Thursday 2 July, 5pm
Featuring Elizabeth Walton - How to Read A City, Your Place of Last Resort
Special Guest: Suzanne Leal -
Music by Richard Lawson - Hippos and Epiphanies
Visiting from Australia, writers Elizabeth Walton and Suzanne Leal present an evening of readings, conversation, and celebration. Joining them is Richard Lawson, who will introduce a specially created pre-recorded listening experience. Bringing together literature and sound, this one-off Dublin event showcases the work of three contemporary Australian artists.
Elizabeth will present a reading from her new poetry collection, How to Read A City, Your Place of Last Resort with Richard Lawson, after an interview with everybody’s favourite literary interviewer, Suzanne Leal, followed by an Open Mic.
JACQUI MALINS/GERT
Spoken Word Theatre at Tathra Headlands Theatre
This is an unmissable, mesmerising, time-bending show that brings one woman’s story to life through the voice of a river. Voice, poetry, spoken word, song, visuals, history and the personal,grab tickets now.
With Jacqui Malins, Gabrielle Journey Jones and Sandra Renew
Saturday 11 July, 7pm
Tathra Headlands Theatre @ Tathra Hotel
Book Tickets Here or Follow the event on Facebook
Poetry from Agitation Hill, Castlemaine, VIC
with Ed Southorn
Friday 17th July, 6pm ONLINE
Contact me for link
South Coast Readers & Writers Festival
with Inga Simpson and Joshua Lobb
Saturday 25 July, 2:25pm
Thirroul District Community Centre
Early Bird Tickets on Sale Now.
Salon: Dance, Music, Poetry
Book Launch Four Winds, Bermagui
Join us for a poetry book launch with a special twist: the salon will feature music, dancing and special guests:
Jen Webb
Nigel Featherstone
Richard Lawson
Jen Webb is a Canberra-based poet, who arrived here via South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, and various parts of Australia. After having a bash at being an accountant and tax inspector, she retreated to the university sector where she taught creative writing, creative practice and creative research for years. She is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Creative Practice at University of Canberra, co-editor of the literary journal Meniscus and the scholarly journal Axon: Creative Explorations, and her most recent poetry collections are The Daily News (Recent Work Press 2024), and the Authorised Theft collection for 2025: Grief.
and a special announcement coming soon: watch this space!
Saturday 15th August, 1.30pm
Nigel Featherstone is a queer Australian writer for the page, stage, and music. His most recent major work is The Story of the Oars, a play with spoken songs, which had its world premiere at The Street Theatre, Canberra, in 2025. His play-in-development, On the Edge of the Deep Blue Sea, was recently longlisted for the 26th Patrick White Playwrights Award, Sydney Theatre Company. Nigel’s novels include Bodies of Men, which was longlisted for the ARA Historical Novel Prize, runner-up for the ACT Book of the Year, and shortlisted in the Queensland Literary Awards. He has been shortlisted for the ACU Prize for Poetry and the Newcastle Poetry Prize. Nigel’s short works – prose and poetry – have appeared in Guardian Australia, Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Poetry Anthology, Meanjin, Lantana, Griffith Review, Oystercatcher, Rabbit, Locative, Kill Your Darlings, The Millions, ANARKISS (UK), Horseshoe Literary Magazine (Canada), Chicago Quarterly Review, and AC | DC: Journal for the Bent (USA), among other outlets. A former ACT Artist of the Year, Nigel lives with Gandangara Country (regional NSW).
Author photo: Philip Le Masurier.
AAWP
Australasian Association of Writing Programs Conference: “Voicing Our Worlds”, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2–4 December 2026.
Details to follow
Recent events
Poetica Petite Woolahra Gallery
With Richard Lawson
Thursday 14th May, 6-8pm.
Elizabeth performed with Richard Lawson and Mick Elderfield in an evening that was part listening experience, part extravaganza, part poetry, part new music.
Read about the event in Artshub:
Described by artist, Imants Tillers, as “a beautifully nuanced and balanced combination of original musical composition and performance, imagery and spoken word,” this project responds to the urgency of climate grief and the quiet beauty of still-wild places. Each piece in this song cycle reflects our contemporary interphase with city life and the natural world, exploring the Symbiocene as an urgent and critical response to the extinction crisis - Artshub
Poetica Petit Thursday 14th May 2026, was attended by distinguished guest, Imants Tillers. Elizabeth performed her new work, Em Hammer Dash- a poem dedicated to Dr Michelle Hamadache which appeared in this month’s edition of Cordite. The work was set to music by Richard Lawson.
Richard Lawson - synth
Mick Elderfield - sax
Elizabeth Walton - electric piano and gassong
Photographs © Kathy Luu
Richard Lawson, Elizabeth Walton and Mick Elderfield
Westwords
This will be a special, intimate pre-book launch event where 5 Islands Press writers Hemat Malak and Kai Jensen will be Elizabeth’s special guests.
Elizabeth will present a short reading from her new poetry collection, How to Read A City, Your Place of Last Resort with Richard Lawson, after an interview with everybody’s favourite literary interviewer, Suzanne Leal, followed by an Open Mic with Westwords Academy alumni and other poets.
Friday 15th May, 6-7.30pm.
Booranga Writers Centre, Wagga Wagga
Two days of poetry events with Elizabeth Walton and Kai Jensen.
Friday 18th April, Poetry Reading
Saturday 19th April, Booranga Writers Centre Members Workshop
NEWS from 5 Islands Press: “Our authors Kai Jensen and Elizabeth Walton will read their poetry in Wagga Wagga as featured poets at the monthly Booranga Writers Centre poetry reading on Friday 17 April. The reading will take place at 7.00 pm at the Ambulance Station art space, 54 Johnston Street, Wagga Wagga. We’ve just published Elizabeth’s book of poetry How to Read a City, Your Place of Last Resort, while we published Kai’s book The Zebra Path of Tree Light last year.The Booranga Writers Centre Members Workshop will take place on Saturday, 19th April.”
Also happening at the Ambulance Station art space on the same night as the poetry reading is the launch of the 12th volume of the Australian Poetry Anthology, with Lachlan Brown.
Liquid Amber Press Zoom Poetry - Sarah Rice - Alight on all things precious
Thursday 19 MARCH 2026, 7.30-9.00pm AEDT
Alight on all things precious is the latest collection by poet-artist Sarah Rice, weaving together ekphrastic poetry and luminous colour reproductions of both her own and others’ artwork.
Join in this special Zoom poetry event to hear Sarah read, followed by Glen Hunting, Ed Kus, Elizabeth Walton and others.
Mad Poet, Newcastle
Thursday 26th March
How To Read A City, Your Place of Last Resort
Pre-launch listening experience with Richard Lawson
𝟻𝟹𝟽 𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚝 𝙽𝚎𝚠𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚆𝚎𝚜𝚝
Join us for a night of new poetry at the very first pre-launch reading of Elizabeth Walton’s debut short collection, How To Read A City, Your Place of Last Resort, which will be published by 5 Islands Press in 2026. Elizabeth will be appearing at Newcastle Writers Festival with the Macquarie/Westwords Nurejev’s Foot anthology.
Joining us at Mad Poet, Newcastle will be two very special guests, Susan Francis and Jodi Vial.
Susan Francis is a writer of short fiction, long fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Her most recent work is the novel, Revelation Beach, which at its centre tells the story of the Balibo Five, and will be featured at Newcastle Writers Festival. Susan lives and works on the land of the Awabakal people.
Dr Jodi Vial writes across the forms of poetry, short fiction and creative non-fiction, with a focus on the intersection of literature, landscape and history. She has been published by Spineless Wonders, Recent Work Press and Papatuanuku Press and her short story cycle, Lives of Girls and Women, resides in the University of Newcastle’s permanent art collection. Jodi lives and writes on the unceded lands of the Awabakal and Worimi people.
Newcastle Writers Festival
Launch event:
Nurejev’s Foot anthology with prize-winning writers Hsu-Ming Teo (Love and Vertigo Vogel Prize), Jessica Kirkness (The House with all the Lights On) and Kim Kelly (The Rat Catcher et al historical fiction) and Michelle Hamadache.
Saturday March 28th. Here’s the details:
Storylines YassFM
Join me in conversation with Karen Williams on YassFm 100.3 Wednesday 28 January 5.30pm. Listen
34-37 Degrees South Book Launch
Anthology launch
Sunday 8 February 2pm
Well Thumbed Books, Cobargo
Gold coin donation at the door
