All Together Now: A Digital Bridge for Auckland and Sydney (Kia Kotahi Rā: He Arawhata Ipurangi mō Tamaki Makau Rau me Poihākena) is a fascinating project which brings together poets from Aotearoa and Australia via two conferences and an innovative digital platform hosted by the always-awesome New Zealand Electronic Poetry Centre.

The first part of the bridge was ‘built’ in May 2010, with a ‘Home and Away’ conference in Auckland (check out some audio from the speakers here) and an excellent collection of works by poets including Adam Aitken, Ken Bolton, Iain Britton, Pam Brown, Michelle Cahill, Janet Charman, Jen Crawford, Martin Edmond, David Howard, Hanna Huia, Jill Jones, Cath Kenneally, Michele Leggott, Kate Lilley, Bill Manhire, Cyril Wong and Mark Young.

The next part of the bridge will be ‘constructed’ in Sydney from 1-2 September 2010, at a second Home and Away conference hosted by the University of Technology, Sydney. The list of speakers at the conference includes many of the names mentioned above, plus some cool extras. Two readings (one at UTS and the other at the University of Sydney) will also be held. We look forward to seeing how the second half of the digital bridge comes together.