Poetry has nestled into the nooks of the Marrickville High School library. A cabinet of Haiku Stones sits on the wall, Poet Army Dudes hide amongst the resting books and Notice Poems point out small, quirky characteristics of the space.

A cardboard city sprawls across the wall near the entrance, each one decorated with a line that details what ‘Home Is…’ to the students.

Collage poems and Erasure poems are amongst the copies of Anthology 2.0, their self-funded publication of the students’ poems launched in a special event at the school. After perusing the various poems and wandering through the library, spotting remnants of workshops past, the launch was opened with speeches from Angela Rega, the dedicated Teacher/Librarian who has made Marrickville's relationship with our program so rich and inspiring. Words from Dr Tamryn Bennett, Red Room’s Education Manager, were followed by students’ performances of their work.  The support from their teachers and fellow classmates was a truly incredible element of the experience, with applause and supportive catcalls spurring them on.Candy Royalle, Marrickville's poet in residence, also shared her experiences of working with the students and ended with an astounding performance. Candy also composed a poem for the school, ‘Home.’, available on the Red Room website (or view above in playlist).

A special thank you goes to  The Hon. Carmel Tebbutt, BEc MP for her support of Marrickville High School and our education program. 

The launch event was an incredible testament to the rewards of the program and we thank Angie for her continued support and relationship with Red Room Education.