NOT many people can say they predominantly make a living through poetry, but Arielle Cottingham is one such person.
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Cottingham is a rising star on the spoken word scene, having won the Victorian and national finals of the 2016 Australian Poetry Slam.
“For the most part I’m paying my bills with poetry – I never thought I’d be able to say that,” Cottingham laughed.
“I’ve always been interested in creativity and performing – I wanted to be a singer but I realised I couldn’t sing. I always had an impulse to perform but I never found my place until this clicked.”
The Texan-raised poet was “getting her name out there slowly” when she won the slams and the wins are taking her to new audiences around the world.
But before she jets off to literary festivals overseas, Cottingham will be the special guest at the latest edition of Proudspoken, which will be held at Proudfoots Boathouse in Warrnambool on Friday night. The event features local spoken word performers plus live music by Andre Pangrazzio.