Of Stars and Streetlights

Of Stars and Streetlights is a one-man theatrical spoken-word poetry performance exploring nature, suburbia, and the mundane beauty that surrounds us. It is the story of one man's journey with poetry, and all the lessons he learned along the way. Albert Lin has written a poem a day since the 15th of February 2017 (That's over 2,000 poems). Some of them are even decent. Take a walk through his mind and see how sometimes making something your personality isn't a bad thing. Get ready for an hour of low-stakes, introspective poems and commentary that leaves you feeling good, a few funny bits thrown in for free, and a graph interlude.

Of Stars and Streetlights started out as a simple 15-minute set of poetry about nature and suburbia, and the contrast between and the mundane beauty throughout. It was developed as part of Shopfront’s Artslab emerging artist residency, and grew to encompass a series of reflective monologues and an interlude discussing data Albert has logged about his poems. He soon found that it was also the story of him finding his practice, which started out as a way to get better and is now a fundamental part of his daily life. He has only missed a single day in the 6 years since he started.
If you couldn’t tell from the graphs, or the fact that Albert usually performs with a laptop and wearing a suit, Of Stars and Streetlights is not your usual poetry performance. Nor is Albert your usual poet. He majored in taxation and psychology, works in data, and never properly studied poetry or anything writing related. He barely even went to poetry events. He just locked himself inside and practiced for years on end, and it shows. A unique voice in a unique show with a unique performer, Of Stars and Streetlights is not to be missed.

"It is hard to resist a poet who is, as he says, in love with the world." - South Sydney Herald
"Lin's commitment to honesty, vulnerability and his truth is inspiring." - ATYP
"It is unique to embrace the experiences of loneliness in a room full of people ... inspiring, relatable, and beautifully mundane." - Theatre Travels
“It’s like a massage for your brain” – audience member

Photo credit: Lucy Parakhina