Nikita Kostaschuk

02/09/2026

Finally got my hands on the latest edition of Jacaranda Journal UQ 13.1 "Breaching Boundaries"

I had the distinct honour of being published twice, once for poetry & once for photography, in this important volume of work.

Check out the journal online, submit to their next volume or snag a copy in print from your local book store like Avid Reader Bookshop

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28/08/2026

Newest Workshop just announced ! "Sensory Performance" | Workshop with Katie Lohner (Naarm) | SpeakEasy Poetry | echo&bounce
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Workshop 13.09

"Sensory Performance" | Workshop with Katie Lohner (Naarm) | SpeakEasy Poetry | echo&bounce

Come delight the senses, finesse your performance & share in the magic of writing ekphrastic poetry with curious creator Katie Lohner, visiting us interstate from Naarm.

When: Sunday 13th September from 2pm-3:30pm
Where: Upstairs Studio at echo & bounce
Facilitator: Katie Lohner (Naarm) Katie Lohner
Format: Single 90min Workshop

Meeting in the early afternoon on Sunday the 13th of September, you are invited to join us on a deliciously sensory journey through two different performance characters crafted by the magnificent Katie Lohner, visiting us from Naarm for a special feature one-off workshop.

The echo&bounce cafe is open during the day, so you are welcome to come along early on Sunday to get your coffee and creative juices flowing. We will be beginning the workshop at 2pm sharp, with a 90 minute workshop that wraps at 3:30pm. The venue remains open during that time, but we encourage you to order & secure your sandwiches, warm food or cafe beverages in advance of the 2pm start. Light & themed catering will be provided as part of the workshop.

We are deeply thrilled to be hosting a fascinating multi-talented spoken word artist like Katie Lohner This workshop will be a tantalising exploration of food, hunger, creativity & character work.

Spaces are somewhat limited, so please book in advance & share your dietaries with us when you do. For more info on Katie & the itinerary, check the event out through Humanitix

Otherwise, our next SpeakEasy Poetry open mic is the 17th of September, with feature poet El of Burnt Trash & ORPHAN GEARS in the basement space of echo&bounce !

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12/07/2026

The magnificent Amber will be hosting the in-person facilitation of our upcoming writing workshops, and it has been a distinct honour co-creating this offering.

I have been blown away by seeing this little SpeakEasy Poetry thing I started back in 2022 begin to blossom into a fully living community & space of collaboration.

Hosting workshops through SpeakEasy has been a little dream, and I am excited to be able to hand over hosting the first run of workshops over to the immensely talented Amber. I may even get to enjoy writing alongside everyone & basking a little in the experience of this shared achievement. I cannot wait! 😍

For more details, check out the event here
"Rhyming & Ramen" | Workshops with Ambacious | SpeakEasy Poetry | echo&bounce

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Introducing our July Workshop Facilitators - Nikita aka .kostaschuk

Nikita is the original founder of this little thing we call SpeakEasy Poetry, way back in 2022 at a deeply mourned venue called Cinnamon&Co Vegan Cafe. After a few years hiatus, they are in the second year of hosting SpeakEasy Poetry at alongside a fabulous team of .elliot.white & or Joel. We are so excited to finally dip our toes into the co-creating space this July, with in-person facilitation lead by Amber.

Running over the course of three weeks, our hosts will take you on a journey of creativity & community, while you learn the basics of writing poetry. So let's meet our key SpeakEasy facilitator & digital communications whiz - Nikita Kostaschuk

Nikita Kostaschuk, she/they, writes in Meanjin/Magdanjin, on unceded Yuggera & Turrbal country. A facilitator of spoken spaces, Nikita is the founder of SpeakEasy Poetry, a community open mic. They are published in Blue Bottle, Enbylife & Jacaranda Journal, and Strange Daze Lit Mag.

It’s going to be cosy vibes in the basement each Tuesday night. Ramen will be available at echo & bounce. Tickets are limited so get in quick. It will be unlike any workshop you’ve been to! Our co-host, Amber, will be combining all their worlds of emotional tending, connection to ecological identity and creativity to lead us through the dead of winter.

We are less than two weeks out of our first gathering & we cannot wait to share this experience with you.

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12/07/2026

"Rhyming & Ramen" | Workshops with Ambacious | SpeakEasy Poetry | echo&bounce start on Tuesday the 14th 😍

If you've ever wanted to explore a connected & curated space to write poetry, maybe even for the first time, please check these workshops out & consider coming along. We have just a few places left for what is bound to be a magical journey.

Tickets can be found here -
https://events.humanitix.com/speakeasy-poetry-or-rhyming-and-ramen-or-workshops-with-ambacious

Hopefully see you there!

With love,
Nikita Kostaschuk
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"Rhyming & Ramen" | Workshops with Ambacious | SpeakEasy Poetry | echo&bounce

Rhyming and Ramen: Feed your Heart & Soul this July

When: 14th, 21st & 28th of July ; 6pm for 6:30 start

Where: Basement downstairs

Facilitator: Amber

Meeting each week through July, starting on the second Tuesday of the month, join us on a journey of writing and connection in the basement at Echo & Bounce. Facilitated by Spoken Word Artist Amber and writer Nikita Kostaschuk of SpeakEasy Poetry.

Come primarily to connect with other beautiful humans, learn a bit about poetry and leave with friends who’ll you see again without having to do any of the heavy lifting of logistics or making plans. All you need to do is show up whether you’re new to writing or been writing for years, come bask in the warmth of collective creativity. At the end of the three week journey you will leave with a little self-made souvenir to carry with you, to remind you that you are always connected.

Echo & Bounce will have their kitchen open selling delicious, hot ramen. Arrive early to fill your belly before heading down below to feed your heart & soul.

We're very excited for this new evolution, so come share in the cosy winter magic with us. More info on Humanitix! ❤️🕯📚

https://events.humanitix.com/speakeasy-poetry-or-rhyming-and-ramen-or-workshops-with-ambacious

27/05/2026

Thank you all for your beautiful positive feedback so far on 'Button Ups', published by

It has been really touching to hear the ways the poem spoke to an experience many of us can relate to. On how small tokens become heirlooms in the broader context of our family & identity. Big shoutout to for your kind words

Some of you may know, but one of my other creative passions is film photography. I like to dabble in lumography and 35mm film. The photo included with 'Buttons Ups' is crop in of this picture of my father and family in motion, captured in the Adelaide Markets in 2025. It was in this same market I purchased the camera it's taken on, an expired Illford brand film camera, the Illfocolour IS0400 split image 54 photo disposable. It was unfortunately run through the scanner at the airport on my flight home, which destroyed 50% of the photos, but gave a rich depth of grain to the remaining pieces that I find softly nostalgic.

This poem has a softly nostalgic feeling for me too. A meditiative poem about the roles we play as people in our family, our broader society, about childhood and womanhood and inbetweenhood. These themes have been calling to me lately, weaving themselves through a bigger body of work I will be sharing more on soon.

For now, head on over to Enbylife.net to read my newest published poem, 'Button Ups'

https://enbylife.net/2026/05/26/button-ups-by-nikita-kostaschuk/

25/05/2026

The last SpeakEasy Poetry was so reassuring, sacred & safe. Thank you to each poet who came to share that space.

The next SpeakEasy Poetry Open Mics are on June 18th & July 23rd. If you haven't made it along to a SpeakEasy before, it is a gorgeous evening of community & creativity. Maybe we'll see you soon? 💜

20/05/2026

What's that? Only my most affirming acceptance yet!!

1/ Head on over to and enbylife.net to read some fascinating works by gender q***r & non-binary writers.
2/ Wow! I am so proud to be included in the Lineage publications round with Enbylife. It is not only affirming of my own non-binary nature but also of my acceptance within a broader community of beautiful beans who live outside the box. I wrote this poem about my father, about the interlinked relationship between clothing & gender, and what is passed down between the generations. How love can still be love even with confusion. How we yearn to be both curios & understood.
3/ My sincerest praise to .elliot.white for your loving creation of EnbyLife journal. You have curated a space where truths can be spoken through poetic tongue that free us all from binary thinking. Thank you.

What an exciting summer season, with even more to come! This year is seriously just getting started so stay tuned 🌈💖

18/05/2026

Wow has time become a bird & flown! ❤️

Sirens by launched beautifully at the end of April. I have had the absolute pleasure of getting to know Nicole through our local poetry scene, and her collection through Calanthe Press is incredibly special. Her launch was a moment of proper community, of food shared & stories spoken. Strangers became friends in the face of Nicole's warmth. We learned about the loving history that brought her debut book Sirens into being. It was poignant.

If you would like to hear from Nicole's Sirens, she is our Feature for .easy_poetry this Thursday night & we have a few tickets left, so move fast!

In further exciting news, you'll find a recording of this 5 minute set on my Soundcloud! So if you'd like to hear me read you some sweet spoken word, go searching there or at my linktree. Thanks go to Joel for recording & mastering my voice, and for being the most supportive & talented partner one could ask for.

Thanks also go to & for some of these photos, and to Nicole's broader community for the rest. It was a delight to meet so many of you. I know the Siren call of Nicole's spoken word will continue to ring out in us all ❤️

06/04/2026

SpeakEasy Poetry Open Mic | Vol.2 09.04.26 | echo&bounce 💎💙