Luka Lesson

Luka Lesson is a poet, rapper and educator of Greek heritage born in Brisbane, Australia. His work crosses between the history of his family homeland, the fiercely political and the vulnerably self-reflective. A former Australian Poetry Slam Champion (2011), Luka has featured at the mecca for slam poetry: the Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe (NYC), performed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and toured with respected UK rappers Akala & Lowkey. Luka has released two collections of poetry independently: The Future Ancients (2013) & Antidote (2015) and two poetic rap albums: Please Resist Me (2012) & EXIT (2014).

Luka’s work has also been featured in publications such as: Southern Sun: Aegean Light (2011, ASP), Poems From A Green And Blue Planet (2019, Hachette UK), and Solid Air (2019, UQP). Luka has been a poet-in-residence at the Scottish Poetry Library, appeared at the Edinburgh Literature Festival, Sydney Writers’ Festival, Hong Kong Literature Festival, Ubud Writers’ Festival and many more. Luka has also taken the stage with his band at music festivals such as Splendour in the Grass (Byron Bay), 4E Hiphop Festival (Sydney) & OneBlood Festival (South Africa).

Luka has always used poetry and rap writing workshops as a form of activism, helping young people to articulate and perform their work for the past 19 years in education centres worldwide, amplifying countless marginalised voices in the process. Luka’s poems and rap verses are being studied on official school curriculums throughout Australia, and unofficially by rebellious educators worldwide.

In 2017, Luka established his own poetry retreat in his Grandfather’s village on an island in Greece: Rhodes Poetry Retreat. And has since established a second retreat entitled Poetic Pilgrimage: Meteora.

Luka’s latest major project, Agapi & Other Kinds of Love, discusses the Ancient Greek words for love, and premiered at the National Museum of Australia during their exhibition Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors & Heroes, 2022.