This week, we're bringing you stories from stellar wordsmiths at the Sydney Final of the Australian Poetry Slam Competition 2023 - hosted by Word Travels.

Through months of heats – Mt Druitt to Double Bay, Northern Beaches to Newtown – these lyricists gathered at Customs House to compete for the crown of Sydney Slam Champion.

We’ve selected some of the highlight performances from the evening for your enjoyment.

You'll hear performances by Andrew Cox, Maddy Godfrey, Lily, JMO and E3. And music by John Maddox.

Content warning: The stories include references to struggling with mental health, self harm and suicidal ideation.

Credits

Produced by Phoebe Adler-Ryan.

Compiled and mixed by Darcy Allen.

The recordist was Stewart Geddes.

A special thanks to the Word Travels team for making this episode possible.

You can find out more about Story Week and the Australian Poetry Slam Championship at: www.wordtravels.info

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