Nick Grivas fell head first into love with the spoken word as a student at Balmoral State High School.

“Poetry really came to me through hip-hop, but then we did poetry in English as a subject, and that’s when I realised I had a talent,” the Maroochy River local said.

“I got the highest mark for poetry, and they used that mark for 10 years as an example for what a Grade 10 student can write.”

Grivas is the host of Liquid Lyrics, which sees the Sunshine Coast’s best word slingers come together to share their poetic prowess and compete for prize money. The event’s grand final is on Saturday night at The Space Between at Coolum Beach.

When Grivas became a father at the tender age of 22 he realised he was able to use his word-craft to heal.

“I was in a pretty dysfunctional relationship, and I didn’t really know how to speak or use my voice and express boundaries. That’s where poetry came in.

“Some of the most challenging moments of my life have changed almost overnight because of the art.

“Then to speak it and have it heard, and have that energy back from the audience, is a whole aspect of what I love about poetry.

“It’s definitely changed my life. I was transmuting pain into art.”

Since his life-changing revelation, Grivas wanted to create a safe space for others who needed their own voice nurtured.

“I’ve got stories of people who were absolutely terrified about talking in front of an audience.

“I hold a safe space for people to express themselves, and some people just need a bit of a push.”

Grivas has helped many overcome their fear of public speaking including Cait Rovacsek (pictured), who credits Liquid Lyrics as “a big part of her healing”, as she battled thyroid cancer of the throat.

He’s been a staunch supporter of the clean-living herbalist who he calls a “sparkling angel”, raising almost $6000 via GoFundMe to help Rovacsek implement a natural cancer treatment program.

“She was never going to perform, but she got up. She did it once and Cait is now probably one of the top poets on the Coast. She’s a prolific writer now.

“She’s pretty healthy. Last time she checked there was no cancer was present.”

Grivas landed head-first into the spoken-word world in 2010, after entering the Australian Poetry Slam on a whim.

“I didn’t even know that spoken word poetry even existed. I made it all the way to Sydney for the grand final.”

Fast forward 10 years and Grivas was in a stage production which gave him the confidence to start his own poetry slam.

“When I lived in Brisbane I didn’t like the scene there. It was a bit too political. I wanted to create something more warmer.

“It’s a community-based event, which I grew from building a solid foundation of networking.”

He started Liquid Lyrics at Foxy on Coolum, and while it’s had a few homes since then, it never stopped growing a steady fan base.

Nick recently started another event in Nambour called, Spoken Mic, an open-mic style event that offers long-form poetry of up to 10 minutes, and there’s even backup musicians for those wanting some “sonic landscaping”.

“This year’s final is going to be off the planet, some of the poets that have come through have been jaw-dropping.”

There’s even a winning prize of $500 up for grabs, with a second prize of $250.

Tickets are $35 and there will be nourishing curry, chai, and bliss balls to purchase, plus market stalls from local artisans. BYO cushions, food and drinks.

Guest performer is DJ Water South, featuring Hip Hop Haven.

Catch these amazing local lyrical geniuses at the Liquid Lyrics 2023 Grand Final: Pottsy, Cait, Ven, Ellen, Chontelle, Alexander, Mark Ula, Eliza, Micky, Daniel, Dani, Celia, Tamsin, Trent, Shiloh, Matt and Antonia.

Tickets and more information: Liquid Lyrics tickets. The Space Between is at 4/50 Lysaght St, Coolum Beach.