Checkpoint 303 releases 13 new tracks in May, in collaboration with Palestinian singers Jawaher Shofani and Wardeh Sbeit and poet Jihad Sbeit.

The first time I saw Joel McKerrow perform live he was onstage alone belting out the poem Ugly Words, which features as the coda of this new long-play album, Welcome Home, with an urgency that surged and waned multiple times, from a tongue-in-cheek slyly self-knowing beginning to climactic shouting torrents of words that made it seem he might leap from the stage headlong into the audience, gather them all up and lead them on a poetic revolution through the streets. 

Here’s a snapshot of now, in Melbourne’s vibrant live spoken word scene.

Accra-based poet, musician and filmmaker GhaliLeo released this video a few days ago, influenced by African-American jazz, hip hop, metaphysics and neocolonialism

This beautiful poet, beautiful voice, critically important story, captured with a very light touch by Luka Lesson on Kabalko Island …

Aja Monet’s new EP is a courageous collection coming from deep within the living art of storytelling.

Say Sumthin - released in June - is a beautiful mix of spoken word deeply rooted in soul.

Drawn from linguistics studies of the 1960s, the title creole continuum refers to the degrees of language shift between speakers from the dominant language to Creole. Kaie explores from this point, the social and racial distinctions brought about through colonialism of person and language. Reaching far back to his African origins, he draws out the drums of voice.

The art of the storyteller is to stop the chatter, focus the listener, bypass the propaganda and the politics and reveal the story of the heart.

L’amore non è bianco e nero … o è?

The final instalment of Candy Royalle’s cinepoems series arrived this month, bringing the project to completion and maybe, full circle.

Video from Aja Monet for the captivating spoken word track You Make Holy War. Shot and edited by Cam Be, it’s haunting, as is the poem. A perfect collaboration between poetry, music and visuals.

If you love conscious spoken word, if you love conscious spoken word you can dance to, hell, if you love conscious spoken word you can dance to on a hot evening with the windows open and the volume dial up high, go get this!

Denice Frohman is an award-winning poet, lyricist, and educator, whose multicultural upbringing inspires her to explore the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and the “in-betweeness” that exists in us all. 2013 was a big year for Denice, with major wins, collaborations, and a new album. 

Sydney based Candy Royalle has this month released the ninth instalment of her video series, TWELVE.