Have you ever wanted to meet a real Oxford professor of poetry? Your chance is upon you. Simon Armitage, the incumbent, is in Canberra this month to present several free events at the University of Canberra's Poetry on the Move festival.

Getting world-famous poet Armitage on the festival program – as one of the two international poets-in-residence – is something of a coup for the organisers. During his stay he will give two readings (one followed by a reception), a workshop, and a keynote address, as well as launching a new chapbook, and screening and discussing his own poetry film.

Armitage is not the only attraction. From September 6-16, Canberrans can experience "poetry adventures – on and off the page" at 28 events (most of them free) involving more than 50 poets. The Poetry on the Move festival centres on the University of Canberra (UC) campus in Bruce, with other events held at venues across Canberra.

The other international poet-in-residence is Samoan-New Zealand performer and teacher Tusiata Avia. Also coming from offshore are Pooja Nansi, Alvin Pang, Tania De Rozario and Kirpal Singh (Singapore), and Pamela Beasant (Scotland). Joining them will be top interstate and local poets, poetry publishers and artists from other disciplines.

The festival organiser, poet Paul Munden, says "risk" is a major theme for the festival in this, its second year. Armitage will conduct a workshop on "chancing your arm" at new ways of writing, encouraging "taking risks and learning new tricks in making poems", while distinguished ACT poets Alan Gould and John Foulcher will run a session on The Risks of Revision. Avia is known for her boundary-pushing performances, and will give three at the festival, including an excerpt from her acclaimed one-woman show Wild Dogs Under My Skirt. She will also hold a dedicated performance workshop to help poets take their own risks on stage.

The festival itself is also taking a risk in giving greater prominence this year to performance and slam poetry – often poor cousins in the poetry world. Inviting Avia is one part of this strategy, as is including the ACT State Final of the National Poetry Slam, and a UC-specific heat, in the program.

The festival will also see this year's winner announced for the $15,000 UC Vice-Chancellor's International Poetry Prize, one of the most valuable poetry prizes in the world. Armitage is the principal judge. Two other prize results will also be revealed at the announcement event, A Celebration of Poetry on September 16: the Young Poets Awards (first prize $500), for ACT and NSW year 11 and 12 students, and the new Health Poetry Prize (first prize $1500), for poems on the theme of "living life well".

Poetry will be physically on the move during the festival as well, on a special Poets' Train to Sydney to read at the Friend in Hand Hotel in Glebe. Also on offer are a guided haiku walk on the shores of Lake Ginninderra, and a chance to write poetry in James Turrell's Skyspace at the National Gallery.

The program includes many other "off the page" adventures, with poetry crossing over into visual art, music, and film. The National Portrait Gallery will host a reading of poems inspired by gallery portraits, to cello accompaniment by David Pereira. ANCA Gallery in Dickson will hold a Material Poetics art exhibition and poetry reading. Festival-goers can also get hands-on at a Poetry through the Page book-making (and un-making) workshop with artist Caren Florance, or take in a lunchtime screening of short poetry-films.

Other program highlights include multilingual poetry event Mother Tongue, a round table of six poetry publishers, panels on poetic biography and prose poetry, and a workshop on poetry and landscape. Fans of poetry read aloud can enjoy cafe readings from the work of famous poets like Dickinson, Joyce, John Berryman, Fleur Adcock and Hone Tuwhare, while all the poets on the program will read from their own work, at several events both on and off-campus. A number of new poetry books will also be launched.

Poetry on the Move is hosted by the International Poetry Studies Institute in UC's Centre for Creative and Cultural Research, in the Faculty of Arts and Design. Accordingly the festival has an academic component too: a day-long symposium on September 15, with Armitage's keynote and papers on current poetry research – and of course, post-symposium drinks. After 11 days of non-stop poetry, they will be well-earned indeed.

Melinda Smith is the poetry editor of The Canberra Times.