Red Room Poetry Becomes The Poetry Company

The Poetry Company News
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A new name. A new chapter. Poetry for what’s next.

After 23 years, we’re excited to share some news with you: Red Room Poetry is now The Poetry Company.

Hear from Jonty Claypole, CEO of The Poetry Company.

For more than two decades, we’ve been working alongside poets, artists, educators, young people and communities to commission, create, publish and share poetry across Australia. We’ve grown a lot since we began in 2003 — in scale, reach and ambition — and we feel it’s time for our name to grow with us.

The Poetry Company is not a new organisation. It’s the next chapter of an established one. Our name is changing, but our purpose remains the same: to make poetry visible, accessible and relevant for all.

Why The Poetry Company?

Poetry has always been at the heart of what we do. From commissioning new work and publishing poets to creating opportunities for young people, educators and communities, our work is all about bringing poetry into more people’s lives.

As we’ve grown, we wanted a name that makes that focus immediately clear. A name that reflects who we are today and where we’re going next.

The Poetry Company puts poetry front and centre. It also reflects something fundamental about our work: poetry is made in company. We work with poets, artists, educators, young people, communities and partners. We create spaces for people to come together around words, ideas and imagination.

As our CEO, Jonty Claypole, puts it:

“We are calling ourselves The Poetry Company so we spend less time explaining what we are and direct the public’s focus to the work we support. The new name also reflects who we are: a company of poets and poetry-lovers that keeps company with poets in the cause of poetry.”

What’s changing? And what’s staying the same?

The most important thing to know is that we have a new name but our core stays intact.

You’ll see the words The Poetry Company replacing Red Room Poetry across our logo and communications, but the visual identity you know remains familiar.

And our work continues.

Our programs, opportunities, publications and resources are still here. From Poetry Month and Poem Forest to The Poetry Fellowship (formerly Red Room Fellowship), Line Break, Middle of the Air and the many commissions, education and community projects we’ve created alongside so many incredible poets over the years, our commitment to poetry remains at the centre of everything we do.

Our extensive archive of poetry and learning resources also remains available. Twenty-three years of work doesn’t disappear with a name change — it comes with us.

A new chapter, built on 23 years

There’s a lot we’re proud of in the story of Red Room Poetry.

Over 23 years, we’ve worked with thousands of poets across different communities, created opportunities for people to discover and write poetry, and helped poetry find its way into classrooms, homes, stages, screens, airwaves and public spaces.

We’re carrying all of that with us.

The Poetry Company is about looking forward while staying connected to where we’ve come from. It’s about creating more opportunities for poetry, supporting more poets and reaching more people with the transformative, playful and powerful possibilities of poetry.

If you have any other questions, we invite you to check out our [FAQs].

We cannot wait to start this new chapter with you. Welcome to The Poetry Company!

FAQs

After 23 years, Red Room Poetry is becoming The Poetry Company.

The organisation has grown significantly in scale, reach and ambition since 2003. The new name reflects who we are today and where we’re going next. Our name is changing, but our purpose remains the same: to make poetry visible, accessible and relevant for all.

No. The Poetry Company is not a new organisation. It is the next chapter of the established organisation formerly known as Red Room Poetry. We have been commissioning, creating, publishing and promoting poetry for more than 23 years, and that work will continue under our new name.

We wanted a name that clearly communicates what we do and reflects the organisation we have become. Poetry has always been at the heart of our work. The Poetry Company puts that purpose front and centre while giving us a name that can carry our work into the future. In an increasingly overcrowded media landscape, this clarity is important to show what an organisation stands for.

In other words, our new name means exactly what it says: we are a company for poetry. “Company” also speaks to togetherness. Poetry is not something that belongs to one person, place or way of doing things. It is something we make and experience together.

Just our name.

Our purpose, values, structure, team, programs and commitment to poetry remain. The poets, artists, educators, young people, communities and partners we work with are still the heart of what we do.

Our existing visual identity will also stay the same. The main change you will notice is that the words Red Room Poetry will be replaced by The Poetry Company across our logo and communications.

The poetry you've come to us for is still here.

Nothing. Our existing programs and initiatives will continue.

Over time, you may see The Poetry Company name appear alongside or in place of Red Room Poetry in program materials and communications. This is part of the transition to our new name, not a change to the work itself.

You can still participate in and engage with the programs, opportunities, publications, events and resources you know from Red Room Poetry.

Our extensive collection of poetry, learning resources, publications and other materials are still available.

We have more than two decades of work to share, and we’re committed to preserving this archive and keeping it accessible as we move into our next chapter.

You may notice the new name appearing on older resources and pages over time as we update our website and materials.

No. If you currently receive communications from Red Room Poetry, you do not need to do anything. You will simply start seeing The Poetry Company name in our communications.

Yes. The Poetry Company is our trading name. Our charity, The Red Room Company Ltd, is registered with the ACNC, and has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. Donations of $2 or more to Red Room Company Ltd are tax-deductible for Australian tax-payers.

Will your email addresses or social media handles change?

Yes. We will progressively update our digital channels and contact details to reflect our new name. We’ll make sure the transition is as straightforward as possible and will communicate any changes you need to know about.

Our new social media handles are:

Yes. Our new website address is: www.thepoetryco.org