The Red Room Company

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The Red Room Company is a non-profit organisation based in Sydney, Australia. It's aim is to "create, promote and distribute poetry by new and emerging Australian writers to the public in unusual ways."^[1] It was established Johanna Featherstone in 2002, emerging from the Red Room Radio Show, which broadcast on 89.7fm Eastside Radio from 2001.^[1]

The Company fulfills its aims by creating alternative forms of poetry publication, such as radio, video, and new media.

1 Past Projects
2 Current Projects
3 External links
4 References

[edit] Past Projects

Past Projects include:

Fingerprints, a collection of hand-written poems and poet portraits, ^[2]exhibited at the Sydney Writers' Festival in 2004. Participants included David Malouf, Jordie Albiston, John Clarke, Mia Dyson, Lucy Holt, and Annaliese Porter, with artworks by Tonnee Messiah.

Toilet Doors Poetry, a series of illustrated poem posters for display on the backs of public toilet doors. This public space project, featuring the work of emerging writers, aimed to put poetry back into public life and public places, and ran in 2004 and 2006. In 2004, poets included Bonny Cassidy, Gerard Elson, Elena Knox, Fiona Wright, Jonathan Jaques and Michael Brennan. In 2006, the posters featured Elizabeth Allen, Andrew Slattery, Keri Glastonbury, Lisa Gorton, Liam Ferney and Ed Wright. Through a partnership with The Letter Corporation, the 2006 poem posters were displayed in Greater Union cinemas and Qantas domestic terminals across Australia. This project also included the first mineslec, a poetic public address, delivered by Bronwyn Lea ^[3] Toilet Door Poetry has been partially funded by the Australia Council.^[4]

Poetry Crimes, new Australian poems on the theme of crime and justice. This project, launched at [http://www.hht.net.au/museums/jp/justice_and_police_The Justice and Police Museum, featured poems and interviews with poets Jennifer Maiden, Jaya Savige, Ian C Smith, Alan Wearne, Jennifer Compton, Justin Lowe, Brenda Saunders, Chris Edwards, Kate Middleton, Ian McBryde and A Frances Johnson.

The Wordshed, a series of six half-hour television programmes, about all kinds of writers, reading and creative processes. The Wordshed was broadcast on Television Sydney in collaboration with the University of Western Sydney’s Writing and Society Research Group. Featured writers included David Malouf, Delia Falconer, Sonya Hartnett, Catherine Rey, Brian Castro, Luke Davies, John Tranter, Christos Tsiolkas, Peter Goldsworthy, Anna Kerdijk Nicholson, Jane Gibian, Ivor Indyk, Ashley Hay and Samuel Wagan Watson.

The Cabinet of Lost and Found, an installation of poems, and the personal objects that inspired them at the 2006 Sydney Writers' Festival. The featured poets, Ella Holcombe, Emily Ballou, Alicia Sometimes, Luke Icarus Simon and Ben Michell.

The Poetry Picture Show, a series of poems on the theme of film and the moving picture. These were accompanied by filmic interpretations of the poem, directed by Johanna Featherstone, and a project blog, all of which are hosted on the Red Room website The poems were written by John Tranter, Nathan Shepherdson, JS Harry, David Prater, Emma Jones, Ivy Alvarez, Kate Lilley, Briohny Doyle, Felicity Plunkett and SJ Holland-Batt.

Occasional Poetry, an installation of poems, dressmakers dummies, and related costumes at the 2007 Sydney Writers' Festival. Writing about fashion, the slogan, and dressing for an occasion were Australian poets Claire Potter, Adam Aitken and Greg McLaren. Drawing on the disguises and wit of the Gwen Harwood, the project muse, poet and editor Pam Brown also delivered the mineslec at the project launch, and online.

Sustainable Sydney, a partnership with the City of Sydney council, and Art and About. Eight poets will ran workshops in schools in inner Sydney, collecting the words and visions of students about Sydney in 2030. They then used these to write five-line poems, illustrated with the students’ images, and displayed on public buildings in Sydney.

[edit] Current Projects

Red Room Radio’s in-studio series, where individual poets are commissioned to write a poem for community radio broadcast and online access, as integrated pod casts. Each session profiles new and established poets, or individuals who work with or have interesting views on poetry, such as readers, publishers, filmmakers, farmers and scholars, and is followed by an informal chat with the live audience.

The Sound and Text Files, and online archive of poems and interviews with poets, as well as related project material. This educational, and artistic resource is supported by ArtsNSW.

Papercuts, a pilot education project in NSW secondary schools. Working with Year 8 students, poets will run workshops to introduce students to new, Australian poetry. The classes will then create their own project, based on the Cabinet of Lost and Found, allowing them to work creatively, and write and perform poetry as they read and learn. This project is supported by the Ian Potter Foundation, the Keir Foundation and the Australia Council for the Arts.

Pigeon Poetry, which explores the links between poetry, gaming and sport. A preview film for this project, which will run in June 2008, is currently being developed. Pigeon Poetry will commission eight Australian poets from regional areas to write an original poem, to fly in a NSW pigeon race. The poems will be strapped to the ankle of professional racing pigeons, at a live race event. A virtual booking system will also document the project, poets and poems.