Tariro Mavondo

Poet & Actor

Tariro who also goes by Hope is a Zimbabwean born artist raised in Narrm/ Melbourne. Tariro is an award-winning performance poet and works as an actor on the Australian stage. Tariro’s body and breadth of work spans across the landscapes of multiple disciplines; acting, performance poetry, spoken word, writing, movement, directing, consultation and facilitation. Tariro invests deeply in the idea that storytelling is as vital to a healthy society or human ecological system as the functionality of our organs is to the body. Learn more

Melissa Pearson
Poet & Author

Melissa is a Melbourne born and based poet, although she’d be the first to tell you she’s Australian born but made by the world, signifying her belief of being an international citizen. She is the author of true crime non-fiction novel ‘Night Keeping’, ‘Rising Trilogy: Love, Fight, Learn’ and a poetry collection of over 1500 selected poems. Upcoming works for 2019 include ‘Spoken Squall’ (poetry) and the sequel to ‘Night Keeping’. She is currently working on ‘Night Keeping Playwright and Arabic and Islamic Poetry Collection’. Learn more

Sermsah Bin Saad
Poet, Dancer & Artist

Sermsah’s name in the Indigenous community is synonymous with theatre, television, film, festival circuits, opera, dance and choreography. Above all his artistic achievements, Sermsah values his Indigenous heritage. He is a member of the Melbourne Playback Theatre Company and a Radio Broadcaster for Joy 94.9 with his own show ‘Urban Dreaming’ about bridging the gap between two worlds. His workshops have been widely successful in festival, community and corporate settings, looking into ways that we can educate society and bridge the gap through culture and dance. Learn more

St Kilda Primary, Year 4 Poets
Poets & Students

As part of our Across Barriers partnership with St. Kilda Primary School, we have been working with the Year 4s to capture Space2b and 'making a new home' in poetry from a child’s perspective. Winners will be reciting their poems on stage at The Art of Belonging – Spoken Word Poetry. All entries will be permanently scribed in the Laneway behind Space2b as part of the new mural by street artists Befree and Suki.

Befree & Suki
street artists

Be Free and Suki are two talented street artists that utilise Melbourne's laneways and streets with a range of mediums and methods. The well loved artists are great supporters of Space2b and will be creating a special unique mural in the laneway behind Space2b.  Suki has kindly offered to work with the St Kilda Primary budding poets to incorporate their poems into the artwork.