Ambassador Program

Meet the 2026 Inaugural
Poetry in Action Ambassadors

POETRY IN ACTION AmbassadorS

Leaders in poetry, education, and youth advocacy work with us to amplify our work, and the voices of the young people we serve. 

In 2026, Poetry in Action celebrates 20 years of inspiring a lifelong love of learning and literature in school-age students across the nation and beyond, and we will perform for our 1 millionth student. To mark this milestone we launched the Poetry in Action Ambassador Programme.    

Thuy On: 

Thuy On is an arts journalist, editor, critic and poet. She’s written arts reviews for many publications including: The Age/SMH, The Saturday Paper, The Guardian, The Sydney Review of Book, Books and Publishing, Australian Book Review, Limelight and The Australian. She’s the former Reviews and Literary Editor of ArtsHub and Books Editor of The Big Issue. Thuy also has three collections of poetry published by UWAP: Turbulence (2020), Decadence (2022) and Essence (2025). A fourth, Insolence, will be released in early 2027. She is one of three inaugural ambassadors of Poetry in Action in 2026.

Eartha Davis

Eartha Davis is a woman of Ngāpuhi and Celtic heritage living on Wurundjeri land. She is ecstatic to be an Inaugural 2026 Poetry in Action Ambassador. She is the winner of the AAWP/Express Media Sudden Writing Prize and the recipient of a 2025 Varuna Residential Fellowship. In 2024, Davis was an intern at Red Room Poetry, working closely on their POEM FOREST project to publish over 5,400 nature poems written by students and teachers across the continent; a tree was planted for every poem published. Her writing has appeared in the Australian Poetry Anthology, Poetry Northwest, Wildness, Express Media, Cordite, Rabbit, takahē, Awa Wahine, and Plumwood Mountain Journal, among others. màthair beinn, her debut collection of poetry, is out now with Vagabond Press. 

Alex Wharton

Alex Wharton is an award-winning, dedicated literary educator who believes fiercely in the living, breathing pulse of poetry and its power to shape and transform futures. With extensive experience across P-12 school contexts—including roles as an English and Drama Teacher, Head of English, Head of Middle/Senior School, and Principal—Alex’s career has centred on empowering young people to find, refine, and confidently use their own voices. Currently a teacher in rural NSW and a PhD candidate at Western Sydney University, Alex’s research investigates how young people engage with media and develop critical thinking skills to navigate an increasingly complex world. 

A highly active advocate for the literary arts, Alex serves as the Co-Convenor for the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Awards, and has served as a judge for Red Room Poetry, the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and other national and international awards, including the Queen’s Commonwealth Writing Competition. He has held Director roles for the Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society, NSW English Teachers Association, Australian Curriculum Studies Association, and is recognised as a Fellow of the Teachers Guild of NSW. He authors poetic, curriculum, literature and other educational teaching materials that support equitable access to quality Australian creators and content. He works with pre-service teachers, lecturing on English and the Arts pedagogy and practice.

As a Poetry in Action Ambassador, Alex continues to champion the transformative impact of language and the arts, working to ensure that the vital pulse of poetry reaches, resonates with, and inspires the next generation of thinkers and creators.

MEDIA RELEASE

About Poetry in Action

Founded in 2006, Poetry in Action is dedicated to inspiring young people through poetry and performance, grounded in the belief that creative expression strengthens literacy, communication, and confidence.

The organisation is on track to reach its one millionth audience member this year, with approximately one in 28 Australians having experienced the program during their schooling.

Media contact for Poetry in Action CEO, ambassador interviews and media quotes:

Dee Rennie, Head of Impact and Engagement Mobile: 0433 449 963