A salute to poets from Crikey Weekender

Poets, at least, don't need the mainstream print presses. They're broadcasting and publishing their work themselves.

"It seems healthy," Melbourne poet Luke Beesley tells Ben Eltham. "There's a wide range of different types of poetry that are happening; in terms of the numbers of small presses publishing poets it certainly seems to be in a healthy state."

Sarah Gory, organiser of the Queensland Poetry Festival (perhaps the nation's best), agrees: "My general impression is that it is a really healthy scene, there is a huge amount going on in all states ... Even though mainstream publishers might not be publishing, there's a lot of zines and chapbooks which are really vibrant, and there are more and more slam poetry and open mic events springing up all the time."

So snaps to our poets, innovating their art form rather than bemoaning changes in the wind.