Jodie Goldring

The Mollongghip Poetry Slam has become one of those iconic local events.

Mark Grant, a former local who lived next to the Mollongghip Hall, dreamt up the Poetry Slam 19 years ago. Like many similar events, it started small with participants reciting poetry for half an hour, singing songs or reciting short stories. While Mark has compered every year with aplomb, it took a few years of tweaking on the part of the Hall Committee to pull it into a shape that suited our rural community:

  • Poems have to be short. We have a two minute time limit. For years Noel Gregory, dressed as the Grim Reaper, has clicked a large pair of shears in an attempt to enforce the time limit.
  • Amateurs and locals are encouraged. One professional poet doing the rounds admonished a judge for showing bias by addressing a poet up on stage as “My dear friend.” This would seem to miss the point. Mollongghip’s Slam is not about excellence, but about drawing out sparks of creativity and heartfelt performances from people who never ordinarily step onto a stage. It’s the doing that counts. We are proud to say that many local farmers regularly grace the stage with poetic yarns about the bull that chased them or the kangaroo that joined the firefighters in the dam as the bushfire headed towards them.
  • Judges are picked for their potential to add spice and a touch of humour, but not at the poet’s expense! They have been a mix of Mollongghippians (Ghipsters) and local identities like story teller Anne E. Stewart, Daylesford GP Greg Malcher and former Mayor Kate Redwood.
  • Each Slam has theme words that have to be inserted into the poem from ‘Dangerous ideas’ to ‘Knife’s edge’ and this year’s beauty ‘Bugger all.’ It’s a lame attempt to avoid plagiarism, although in the case of some notable rollicking ballads delivered, we have had our suspicions.

Our largest number of poets was 35. Audiences usually fill the hall, numbering up to 100. We always split the delivery by poets up on stage into two halves, with time out for drinks at our bar. Non-poets are admonished to bring a plate for supper at the end of the night while the judges are adding up the scores for the winning poets – one they judge as the Grand Champion; the other as voted by the audience as the People’s Choice.

Jodie Goldring is the Secretary of the Mollongghip Hall.