New News for Perc.U.lations in 2026

Welcome back, all Perc.U.lators! 

I hope you are well and that our raggedy and messy world is looking after you and yours.

This holiday season, I have found myself increasingly wishing people an abiding peace in their lives, as well as the usual mix of joy, adventure and contentment.

I very much wish all this for you as well.

Now. You may notice that I am breaking my promise: rather than only getting one email this January, leading up to our first event on February 14th, you are getting two emails. I hope that is okay.

The reason for this is the following:

1. I am moving Perc.U.lations back to the 3 pm time-slot. Based on member feedback, 3 pm did seem to suit us better, allowing people to organise either lunch, dinner or both before popping in for poetic profundity. It also means that I can run a proper poetry workshop in the lead-up, with excursions to interesting sites around our venue
2. I’m planning to apply for a local, entry-level grant from the council, aided and abetted by The West Alchemy Collective and Vespertine Gardens. This will guarantee us some kind of regular, indoor and accessible space (with toilets) and payment for our features until the end of this financial year.
3. For the next financial year, I would need to apply for a non-entry-level grant. That would entail making Perc.U.lations an official ‘not-for-profit organisation’ with its own ABN, bank account and so on. That would guarantee us a venue, money for our features, marketing, etc., etc.
4. All of this means that this time next year, we will be joyfully celebrating our fifth year as a regular poetry open mic + feature event!

What this means in the short term is this:

1. February’s open mic, on the 14th at 3pm will be held at the Vespertine Gardens. Beforehand will be a proper poetry workshop. This will take place in the Walker Street Gallery, across the road from Vespertine. You could pop in any time from 1 o’clock onwards. I’ll be there, and we will be using the current exhibition, which is awesome and 'creeps up on you' in the best way.
2. Should it be particularly hot, windy, or wet, I have also hired Walker Street Gallery’s Black Box theatre for January, which I/we will want to look at on the day. That will give me/us a sense of what that space might be like. In either case, we will have access to their accessible facilities (toilets) after hours.
3. The open mic in March, also on the 14th, I’m aiming to hold in the Greater Dandenong Library. Just like February, there will be a poetry workshop. This time, the workshop will be held, weather permitting, in the Vespertine Community Gardens. There are some other notable spaces in the area that we could use for a workshop.
4. April, currently, has no specific venue. This is because I want to see which of the two venues (the library or the theatre) YOU prefer, dear Perc.U.lators. I also want to trial how much effort it is to organise and lock in either of them. I do, and will continue to do, all the behind-the-scenes work for free and in my ‘spare’ time, so it needs to be as simple as possible.

From now on, I may sometimes update you on upcoming features, ideas I’m percolating, or opportunities to give feedback before I make decisions - but I promise it won't be all that often. (Generally, just expect the one email in the lead-up to the next weekend.)

As we move towards becoming an incorporated body, I may also be asking for some information from you - none of it onerous, I promise.

For example, I might ask your last name, an email address and your postcode for a membership list. This will be completely voluntary, and not mandatory at all. The information would be used purely to prove the value our event provides to the powers that be who make funding decisions.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or queries.

Another email just outlining February should drop next weekend. Meanwhile, I hope to see as many of you as can make it to any of our events, or events elsewhere in Naarm.

'Be there, or be prose...' 

In any case, take care in the heat until then, and stay hydrated! It's getting hot out there...

- anke 

PS: The image below is a 'placeholder' until I create one of my own, or source a local artist to create one. I can promise, however, that it is not 'AI'!