Stellar Atmospheres book launch at Readings, Carlton. More info to come! Wednesday 17 April at 6pm.

From the first moment I listened to stories about the night sky, I fell in love with astronomy and physics. Not just the stars or galaxies but also the why and how of it all.

What happened before the Big Bang? What are we made of? How will the universe end? I am not a scientist, just eternally curious and have made scientific research the basis for a great deal of my poetry. The cosmos is endlessly fascinating. And writeable.

I have been fortunate enough to work alongside inspiring scientists and have read and listened to many more. Scientists regularly and successfully use vivid storytelling and poetics, using metaphor to weave into their factual narrative. It can be an indispensable tool, helping us understand something like Newton’s second law of thermodynamics or dark matter.

Sometimes, adding abstraction (poetry) on top of abstraction (difficult to understand scientific concepts) can feel like you’re going on a side quest. In those splinters of time, I hope you stay with me.

Physicist Niels Bohr said, ‘What is it that we humans depend on? We depend on our words. We are suspended in language. Our task is to communicate experience and ideas to others.’

With this, I am humbly grateful and thankful to be suspended in language with you.

– Alicia Sometimes

I’m excited to be reading at the launch of Sight Unseen: Visualising the Unseeable through Art and Science 

Perimeter and CoVA are excited to announce the Melbourne book launch of Sight Unseen: Visualising the Unseeable through Art and Science (Perimeter Editions 073). Taking place at Science Gallery Melbourne, (700 Swanston St, Parkville) from 6pm, Tuesday March 12, the book will be launched with an introduction by Prof. Su Baker, and will also include presentations by esteemed contributors Prof. Elisabetta Barberio, Alicia Sometimes and Prof. Sean Cubitt.

We hope to see you there!

MELBOURNE LAUNCH
Science Gallery Melbourne
700 Swanston St, Parkville VIC 3053
Enter via Grattan St
Tuesday March 12, 2024
From 6pm

This is a free event.

ABOUT THE BOOK
In 2019, the previously unseeable became seen when the first image of a supermassive black hole was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project. Taking its initial inspiration from this pivotal event, Sight Unseen considers phenomena in our universe once hidden from human sight, now made visible through the combined efforts and outputs of artists and scientists. Collaborative, multidisciplinary and non-hierarchical in its scope, this collection of essays and images draws on Western and First Nations knowledge systems to ask readers to see together. To see via cross-disciplinary collaboration; to see with help from non-human forces and beings; to see the togetherness often hidden from our gaze; and to strive to see an ecological and cosmological entirety while acknowledging, through practiced humility, that we can only ever see a small portion of what exists. At its most fundamental, the act of seeing is the sensory experience of detecting light. A confluence of science, art, cultural knowledge, imaging and imagining, Sight Unseen – which is edited by Edward Colless, Suzie Fraser, and Ryan Jefferies, and designed by Daly & Lyon – positions the notion of sight to be so much more.

CoVA x Perimeter is collaborative publishing initiative curated by the Centre of Visual Art at the University of Melbourne and independent publishing house Perimeter Editions. Foregrounding experimental and otherwise innovative discursive outputs from three key streams of enquiry – Postnational Art Histories, Feminism and Intersectionality, and Art + Science – the program spans research-in-progress, academic dialogues, artist responses, and essays, working to reframe scholarly research via a multiplicity of new perspectives and lenses. The Art + Science series, supported by Science Gallery Melbourne, creates a space for shared and collaborative conversations and research between scholars and practitioners across the arts and sciences internationally. The series broaches some of the critical challenges facing humanity – from climate change to artificial intelligence and gene editing – through a dialogic exchange across scientific and artistic disciplines and modes.

With contributions by: Thomas Apperley, Elisabetta Barberio, Monica Bello, Drew Berry, Justin Clemens, Madeleine Collie, Sean Cubitt, Peter Galison, Adrian Heathcote, Chris Henschke, Tessa Laird, Beverley Meldrum, Karlie Noon, Patricia Piccinini, Alicia Sometimes, Will Steffen, Paul Thomas, Marcus Volz, Lisa Waup, and Liam Young.

FIND THE BOOK HERE

A night of poetry, science and performance.

Black Box Theatre, Science Gallery Melbourne, 700 Swanston St , (Grattan St Entrance), Carlton

BOOKINGS HERE

Thursday March 17 at 6pm

POEMENTAL will see poets, performers and scientists come together to celebrate and investigate these themes and provide an entertaining evening of words, images and movement.

The night will also feature an Open Mic section. Spontaneous or prepared poems are welcome. So come read us your best 2-minute poems. Spaces are limited and there are prizes to be won! Accepting video submissions for the open mic – watch this space for details.

Performers: Slam champion Ren Alessandra, Melbourne Spoken Word Prize winner Thabani Tshuma, drag king extraordinaire, Randy Roy and dancer, author and poet Sharon Zhang, performer Kristen Adriaan and Scientist, PhD student at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Kate Huckstep.

The gallery will also be open from 5-6 pm for visitors.

Fancy having your socks knocked right off? Then this is your lucky week! Our Cherry Poets feature for May Day is a legend of Australian arts and letters, a true poetry rock star. Alicia Sometimes is a poet, writer, performer, broadcaster, director, bass player, and massive science nerd. She is definitely and definitively delightful.

As always our open mic is... open. 5 minute limit, sign up on the day. MC is the almost infamous Steve Smart.

Stranger Than Fiction
Comedy Republic
231 Bourke Street, Melbourne, 3000
Hey there… we want to tell you a story.

A special night indeed tix HERE.

Comedy Republic is pleased to present the first in a new series of live shows - Stranger Than Fiction. Familiar faces from the worlds of comedy, literature and media join us for an intimate night of storytelling - with this show's theme being 'freedom'. Sharing the human experience in what promises to be a wonderful night.

Cal Wilson (host)
Stand-up comedian, Kiwi and packing a wealth of story-telling experience with numerous appearances on The Moth.

Alicia Sometimes
Writer, poet, broadcaster, podcaster, TED Talk giver, heard on ABC Radio Melbourne & RN.

David Quirk
Stand-up comedian, keen skateboarder and familiar face from telly shows like Rosehaven and Please Like Me.

Osman Faruqi
Journalist for the Saturday Paper and the Guardian, editor of the 7am daily news podcast and regular on ABC’s The Mix.

Sean Dooley
Writer of books and telly shows, known as ABC Radio Melbourne’s ‘Birdman’ and national birdwatching champion – Sean holds the record for seeing the most birds in a year.

Particle/Wave is on every Friday night in February as part of Planetarium Nights at Scienceworks, Melbourne Planetarium. Scienceworks, 2 Booker Street, Spotswood.

Tickets here:

Particle/Wave is back in Melbourne during National Science Week for two shows on Saturday August 17th, 7pm and 9pm!

Scienceworks, 2 Booker Street, Spotswood

'The event is dazzling, with beautiful visual graphics interspersed with poetry, sound art and scientific theory ... it effortlessly demonstrates the beauty in science.' — Dotti Mazga, The Plus Ones

Particle/Wave sees poets, musicians, sound and video artists joining forces with renowned scientists to interpret the theories of gravitational waves, which Stephen Hawking has called ‘a completely new way of looking at the universe.’

Recently screened during the Melbourne International Arts Festival to critical acclaim and sold out audiences, Particle/Wave returns for National Science Week, alongside a snapshot and Q&A on Gravitational Waves via a special guest speaker to be announced.

The 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded for the breakthroughs that led to the decisive detection of the gravitational waves that surround us all of the time.

Directed by Alicia Sometimes, Particle/Wave combines art and science into a compelling show that explores these elusive forces we cannot see.

The event also features entry to the Scienceworks exhibition Beyond Perception: Seeing the Unseen, aimed at young adults. Exploring the imperceptible worlds of science and technology, this ground-breaking exhibition looks deeper, and sees further than ever before. Beyond Perception was developed in collaboration with both an advisory board of young people engaged with STEM subjects, and a selection of researchers and engineers from Victoria's top research and institutions.

Particle/Wave will be at Science Space Wollongong for National Science Week on Thursday August 15 at 6pm.

Science Space, 60 Squires Way, North Wollongong, NSW

Particle/Wave is an immersive multimedia celebration of the discovery of gravitational waves that combines poetry, video art, live music and science.

First observed in 2015, gravitational waves are ripples in space-time, traveling away from exploding stars, merging black holes and other cosmological phenomena. Physicist Stephen Hawking called them ‘a completely new way of looking at the universe.’

A mind-expanding collaboration of artists and internationally renowned scientists, Particle/Wave offers a unique lens into this incredible discovery. Following a sell-out season at the Melbourne Festival 2018, Particle/Wave will look deep into the universe under the spectacular dome of the Science Space plantarium.

"It’s a show that’s at once spectacular and intimate, bringing home the confounding mysteries of the universe"
Alison Croggon - Witness Performance

Doors open 5.30pm for 6.00pm show start.

LOCK OUT

Please note, due to the format of this event, latecomers will not be admitted. Refunds/exchanges not available.

Particle/Wave is on at The Adelaide Planetarium on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 August as part of National Science Week!

Times both days: 1pm, 3pm, 6pm and 8pm

Adelaide Planetarium - UniSA, Level 2, Building P, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095

Particle/Wave is an immersive multimedia exploration of gravitational waves where poetry, video art, music and science intersect.

First observed in 2015, gravitational waves are ripples in space-time, traveling away from exploding stars, merging black holes and other cosmological phenomena. Physicist Stephen Hawking called them ‘a completely new way of looking at the universe.’

A mind-expanding collaboration of artists and internationally renowned scientists, Particle/Wave offers a unique lens into this incredible discovery. Following a sell-out season at the Melbourne Festival 2018 and this years' World Science Festival Brisbane, Particle/Wave will look deep into the universe under the spectacular dome of The Adelaide Planetarium.

Recommended for ages 16+
Doors will open 15mins before each session.

Please note, due to the format of this event, latecomers will not be admitted. Refunds/exchanges not available.

View the Trailer

For all enquires, please contact the Adelaide Planetarium via adelaide.planetarium@unisa.edu.au

SUNDAY 19 MAY

12.00pm – 1.00pm

Sport Rules!

QUEENSCLIFF FOOTBALL NETBALL CLUB

$20 /

George Megalogenis (The Football Solution) and Titus O’Reily (A Sporting Chance) discuss how the solutions to some big issues may lie in our beloved pastime.

George Megalogenis and Titus O’Reily
Facilitator: Alicia Sometimes

Clunes Booktown Festival is on again! So many events, so many great people. For a full list go here.

Nicole Hayes, Kasey Simons and I will be talking AFLW on the Sunday. Nathan Curnow, Nick Lanyon and I will be talking poetry that day too.

On the Saturday...

To mark Writers Victoria's 30 Year Anniversary, a diverse panel will consider where the state's literary scene is at. Michelle Scott-Tucker, the CEO of The Stella Prize will chair the discussion with Tony Birch, Kirstyn McDermott, Alicia Sometimes and Josh Pomare.

Earthrise

Royal Society of Victoria, 8 LaTrobe Street, Melbourne

Presentations & Interdisciplinary Panel Discussion

What’s in a picture?

Almost 50 years ago on Christmas Eve, 1968, US astronaut William Anders took a photo aboard the Apollo 8 mission that became known as ‘Earthrise.’ This ground-breaking image transformed our view of our unique planet, and the place of our home in the cosmos.

Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to leave the Earth’s orbit and circle the Moon. When the craft piloted by William Anders and his fellow crewmen Frank Borman and Jim Lovell emerged from behind the Moon’s far side, they saw in front of them an astounding sight – an exquisite blue sphere hanging in the blackness of space.

Taking this photograph was one of the most profound events in the history of human culture, for at this moment we truly saw ourselves from a distance for the first time; and the Earth in its surrounding, dark emptiness not only seemed infinitely beautiful, but also extraordinarily fragile. This wonderful image crystallised and cemented the sense of our planet’s isolation and vulnerability. It is linked to the start of the environmental movement and to many significant concepts developed and popularised over the last 50 years such as Spaceship Earth, Limits to Growth, Small is Beautiful, Sustainability and Gaia. It is a significant signpost for our ongoing struggle to safeguard the vitality and viability of our living planet.

With Dr Colleen Boyle, Artist and Art Historian with RMIT's School of Design, Dr Jenny Gray, CEO of Zoos Victoria and the President of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Professor Rachel Webster, Head of Astrophysics at the University of Melbourne's School of Physics and Dr Lynette Bettio, Senior Climatologist with the Bureau of Meteorology.

Particle/Wave

Melbourne Festival

An immersive multimedia experience in the planetarium dome

6, 10 and 13 October 7pm and 9pm shows

TICKETS HERE.

"The Universe has spoken and we have understood."
David Blair, astrophysicist at the UWA and LIGO collaboration member.

Particle/Wave is an exploration of art and science showcased under the spectacular dome of the planetarium. Poets, musicians, sound and video artists – alongside renowned scientists – have collaborated to present a creative glimpse of the incredible story of gravitational waves.

Over one hundred years ago Albert Einstein suggested gravitational waves could be a natural outcome of his general theory of relativity, which states that very massive objects distort the fabric of space and time—an effect we perceive as gravity.

Gravitational waves are the ripples in that spacetime, traveling away from their original source: exploding stars, collisions between neutron stars, merging black holes or a single star rotating briskly and irregularly. These waves are washing over Earth all the time, but our instruments have not been sensitive enough to detect them until recently. This breakthrough has been recognised with the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics.

Theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking said, ‘Gravitational waves provide a completely new way of looking at the universe.’ How do we observe this discovery through the lens of humanity? What stories do gravitational waves tell?

With writers ALICIA SOMETIMES, KRISSY KNEEN, MAXINE BENEBA CLARKE, LISA GORTON, OMAR MUSA, JORDIE ALBISTON and sound artists ANDREW WATSON, CAMILLA HANNAN and NAT BATES and video by ANDREW WATSON, ISOBEL KNOWLES, BENJAMIN PORTAS, MARK MYERS, TOBIAS EDWARDS, AI YAMAMOTO, CARL KNOX, DEE MASON and SAR RUDDENKLAU. Scientists: KATIE MACK, KENDALL ACKLEY, ALAN DUFFY and LING SUN.

Director and producer: Alicia Sometimes

Co-producer & Musical Director: Andrew Watson

With support from OzGrav, Museums Victoria, Creative Victoria, Australia Council and Hobsons Bay City Council.

Melbourne Writers Festival

The Future of Space Travel

Will we ever live on Mars, or maybe another planet we haven't discovered yet? Are these planets even ours to claim? Explore the mechanics and ethics of space travel with biologist and researcher Upulie Divisekera and science-lover Alicia Sometimes. With Charles T Gray.

What started out as a writing competition among friends in 1816 gave birth to one of the most well-known horror stories to date. This year, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein turns 200.

To celebrate, Science Gallery Melbourne is hosting an evening of Frankenstein-themed spoken word poetry. Established and budding poets will perform works exploring ideas such as gothic sci-fi, transhumanism, artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and genetic engineering in the collision of arts and science.

Featured speakers include Alicia Sometimes, Leah Kaminsky, Emilie Zoey Baker, Christopher James White and Jess Vovers, plus an artificial intelligence that writes its own poetry created by Deakin University and Move 37.

This event is part of the Melbourne Spoken Word & Poetry Festival. The full program for the festival is available here.

Register for the event on this link.

Hear from an AFL star as Collingwood player Emma King joins Nicole Hayes and Alicia Sometimes (authors of A Footy Girl’s Guide) to discuss the rise of women’s football. Find out what it means to play footy ‘like a girl’!

Sublime Science Slam Caberet features Charlie Marshall & the Curious Minds, Rod Quantock, Alcia Sometimes, Caresse Cranwell and Sean Whelan in a mix of music, video, poetry and stand up comedy that boldly goes where few shows have gone before to extol the wonders of the universe and our planet.

When: Sunday, August 20 2017. 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Where: Toff in Town
2nd Floor, Curtin House, 252 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000

Topic: Environment and nature, Space and astronomy

Cost: Tickets $20 plus booking fee.

Bookings: 03 9639 8770
info@toffintown.com
https://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/sublime-science-cabaret-with-charlie-marshall-the-curious-minds-rod-quantock/95981

Other: Wheelchair access

WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL BRISBANE

All my events are listed HERE.

Rise and shine – it is time to feed your brain and your belly! Before the working day begins, join us at Festival Lab for a series of entertaining and enlightening science stories while enjoying a delicious breakfast.

The Brain Food Breakfast series provides a casual setting for our guest scientists to share their knowledge and experiences of science, and gives you a glimpse into what makes their scientific hearts sing.

Life, The Universe and Everything with Dr Harry Cliff and Associate Professor Alan Duffy

Nicole Hayes, Emma King and I will be launching A Footy Girls Guide to the Stars of 2017 on Saturday Feb 4 at 2pm.

The Younger Sun Bookshop
26 Murray Street, Yarraville.

To celebrate the first-ever elite women’s competition, A Footy Girl’s Guide to the Stars of 2017 showcases some of the key players to look out for, and reveals how they made it to the top of the women’s game.

Players profiled include: DAISY PEARCE, EMMA KING, KATIE BRENNAN, DARCY VESCIO, MADDY COLLIER, KARA DONNELLAN, SABRINA FREDERICK- TRAUB and ERIN PHILLIPS. What age did they start playing footy? What do they love about the game? Who are their role models? What are their greatest talents as players? Find out the answers to these questions and more.

From the intricacies of DNA to alien planetary systems, science offers writers unparalleled scope to explore the universe and what it is to be human. 

The NSW Writers’ Centre’s inaugural Quantum Words Festival, on 12 November 2016, will discuss the secrets and challenges of writing about science across any genre – be that journalism, children’s books, poetry or literary fiction. Directed by science writer and former science publisher Jane McCredie, the festival features leading science writers, editors and publishers talking about everything from controversies in science to new platforms for engaging with audiences.

The program features over 30 speakers, including writer Tony Birch, astronomer Fred Watson, novelist James Bradley, poet Alicia Sometimes, evolutionary biologist Rob Brooks, science communicator Upulie Diviskera and many more. You’ll find out what happens when you put a playwright in a neuroscience research facility, learn how to communicate complex science to kids, and discover how sci-fi could save us all.

I will be at two events. For more information: http://www.nswwc.org.au/whats-on/festivals-2/past-festivals/quantum-words-festival-2016/

Language is never perfect. Danish physicist Neils Bohr said, ‘We must be clear that when it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts as with creating images and establishing mental connections.’ We know that he is talking about the way we speak, the world of analogies, the universe of description. How can one narrate the atom? Musicians John-Paul Muir and The Man Who Wasn’t There alongside poet Alicia Sometimes will play with the art of analogy and impressions, exploring science, art and the language of improvisation.

Date: October 19, 2016 8:00 pm
Venue: William Goodenough House, Goodenough College

http://bloomsburyfestival.org.uk/events/event/universality/

Glasgow Science Centre is one of Scotland's must-see visitor attractions situated on the banks of the Clyde. We present concepts of science and technology in unique and inspiring ways - interactive exhibits, planetarium, live science shows & Imax 3D cinema. See Elemental at the Glasgow Science Centre. Performance by Andrew Watson.

50 Pacific Quay,Glasgow

AFL legends Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin are blood brothers and great mates. They told Anita Heiss about their school days, scrapes and all, for Kicking Goals with Goodesy and Magic. Heiss and O’Loughlin will take you inside this great footy friendship. I will be hosting and talking to Anita Heiss and Michael O'Loughlin. As part of The Melbourne Writers Festival.

I'll be hosting this as part of The Melbourne Writers Festival. What’s the real football? True blue AFL or the World Game? Specky Magee author Felice Arena and Diary of a Soccer Star’s Shamini Flint will fight it out, with teen teammates. Come barrack for your team – football scarves and hats optional.

ACMI Cinema 2

Some of life’s most interesting things happen when we’re on the brink of change. In this night of live storytelling, writers and performers from around the world – including Alan Brough, Toni Jordan, Alice Pung and Lawrence Lacambra Ypil – will share their stories of transformation. I will be doing a story and hosting the event. Part of The Melbourne Writers Festival.

The latest issue of Griffith Review closely examines the culture surrounding sport in Australia. Griffith Review editor Julianne Schultz will be joined by writers Gideon Haigh, Alicia Sometimes and John Harms for what is sure to be a highly entertaining and thought-provoking panel. Free event at Readings Carlton — 309 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053.

Authors Nicole Hayes, Angela Pippos and Michael Hyde are all mad for footy.  They write about it, and they talk about it.  It’s much more than a game!  In a session that is suitable for all ages, they chat to me about the role of footy in society, women in footy and their recent books.

12:30pm – The Radical Act of Writing Women

Are women’s stories for women only? Writing about women can be a radical act against the male-dominated literary canon. These four artists will each present a piece that demonstrates how this is true for them. This will be followed by a short panel discussion hosted by Alicia Sometimes.

With: Emily Bitto, Fiona Wood, Lili Wilkinson, Alice Pung and Alicia Sometimes

Curated by The Stella Prize