August will be a powerful celebration of poetry as Red Room Poetry Month returns to the national stage, featuring award-winning First Nations artist DOBBY as a 2025 ambassador.
The initiative is an initiative driven by a clear goal: to increase access, awareness, value and visibility of poetry in all its forms and for all audiences. Inviting established and emerging talent from across Australia, RRP Month will platform diverse voices to share their love for the art form across August.
One of these voices is proud Murrawarri / Filipino hip-hop artist, DOBBY, who joins a stellar lineup of 2025 ambassadors.
Otherwise known as Rhyan Clapham, DOBBY is known for his signature 'drapping' (drumming and rapping simultaneously) and lyricism championing First Nations culture and political activism.
With releases such as 'Language is in the Land', 'Dirrpi Yuin Patjulinya' and 'I Can't Breathe (Feat. BARKAA)', he has a distinct artistic identity rooted in immersive storytelling, political lyricism and rhythmic delivery.
This unique style has been recognised on a national level, with DOBBY claiming 'Best World Music' at the 2024 ARIA awards for his debut studio album 'WARRANGU; River Story'.
DOBBY spoke with National Indigenous Times on what RRP month means to him.
"Poetry is such a powerful tool for expression," DOBBY said.
"It's not just for poets, but it's for the listeners too, the readers, the youth. It's a very powerful and expressive tool with which we can understand each other and also tell our stories."
DOBBY describes being a RRP Month 2025 ambassador it as "a special honour and a privilege that [he doesn't] want to take for granted".
"I think poetry is such a massive part of what hip hop artists do, and so for that reason, I'm very honoured to represent hip hop in the poetry space," he said.
Also returning this year is 30in30, a project where new original poetry, reflections and writing prompts are released for each day of August.
Commissioned, paid and published by Red Room, 30in30 is a glimpse into some of the best contemporary Australian poetry by the poetry ambassadors, Red Room Poetry Fellows and some of their leading poets.
Reflecting on his commissioned piece, DOBBY shared that the process was "very stressful".
"When they asked me to write a poem for 30in30, I was kind of in a stressful time. In the grind leading up to and then out of NAIDOC week, for a lot of black fellas, a lot of Indigenous people, it's a very beautiful time of celebration, but also often quite stressful," he said.
"It also felt that with everything going on in the world, like, what are we talking about here? How can we celebrate right now when we've come out of this no vote for this referendum, with everything happening in Gaza right now, like it just feels very disingenuous, and I couldn't reckon with that.
"So that's kind of where this poem came from…I'm stuck in the inauthenticity of it all. So it's very brutal, but it's also real."
The tone of his 30in30 poem is no surprise, with DOBBY known for the social, cultural, and environmental activism embedded in his lyrics.
"I think lyrics have the power to be able to move and make change, political change, ecological change. It's a very, very important thing that I don't think we should underestimate," DOBBY explained.
"Music and lyricism go hand in hand with activism. It is often the soundtrack to these types of revolutions. You know, when we get together and we mobilise and we strategise. A lot of the time, music is utilised as an amplifying power with which we can spread messages and move the people."
A post shared by Save The Murray-Darling (@save.themurraydarling)
Recognised for his talent in lyricism, DOBBY will join award-winning folk musician Leah Senior as a mentor for the Lyric Writing Workshop on 6 August.
Presented in partnership with ABC Radio National, the free online workshop is a part of Middle of the Air - a new Red Room initiative where anyone can enter a poem or lyric to be turned into a song
"I'm super excited to be working with Leah Senior on this," DOBBY said.
"I'm definitely bringing to the table a bit more sort of hip hop lyricism and technique building, which I'm really excited to bring to the workshop mentees. Rhythm is a big part of what I do as a drummer as well."
While DOBBY returns as a seasoned RRP Month participant, August will also welcome its inaugural Youth Ambassadors program. The four recipients will be announced on 12 August for International Youth Day.
Coinciding with this year's NAIDOC theme "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy", this newest addition to RRP Month continues to spotlight young excellence.
"I really loved this choice for this year's NAIDOC theme. I think the next generation is what it's all about," DOBBY said.
"Because these are the kids that are going to grow, and they're already so smart and switched on and tuned in and hungry for truth. Not only in hip hop space, but also across the board, especially our mob, we are witnessing young leaders at play, and it's so inspiring."
Speaking broadly on young Australians, DOBBY is optimistic.
"It gets people up in the morning to see how these kids are reacting to the corruption in the world and, as I'm getting older, that is becoming like a really important piece of hope for me to hold on to," he said.
RRP Month promises to not only celebrate poetry in all its forms but to amplify the diverse voices of Australian poets. Ambassadors such as DOBBY shows poetry can be more than words on a page; it can be rhythm, resistance, and power.
DOBBY will perform at the Poetry Month Gala in Sydney on Thursday, 28 August.
More information on Red Room Poetry Month is available online.