‘Searching for gold in the grime, wisdom in the wider world … it feels rebellious. I am Johnny Lock now and I am a street poet.’
— Jaidyn Luke Attard, ‘The Street Poet’
Jaidyn learned the craft at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. In 2018 he graduated from the Associate Degree of Professional Writing & Editing. In 2020 he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. In 2021, he began a Master of Writing and Publishing, but deferred to spend more time on his creative goals outside of academia. He is the author of three novels - There’s A Tale To This City (2021), The Street Poet (May 2023) and [REDACTED] (forthcoming 2023)
He currently works in a bookshop.
Sometimes Jaidyn leaves notes and poems around Melbourne to inspire hope and share his writing with the inhabitants and visitors of the city. He does this as a way of conquering his battle with paranoia and mental illness. By giving to the streets, he is less afraid of them.
He also collects books that have been considered ‘censored’, ‘banned’ or ‘challenged’ and is researching and collating materials for future displays and discussions regarding banned literature.