MUSING THE WINTER AWAY

Here I am having a good time at the Music & Musings
event in front of Kate O'Connor's poems in paint

Where did winter go ... oh I know ... the Yazzbar in Yass that's where. A solo exhibition in June titled Putting A Face To It followed by a group exhibition of framed poems called Poems On Walls July-August, plus events. Let's start at the end and work backwards.

Anthorr Thomas (left), Bronwyn Todd, Thomas Weaver,
Daniel Kelly closing Music & Musings with a session at the Yazzbar

On Saturday the 29th we had Music & Musings the closing event of Poems On Walls – folk, modern, traditional, Irish music alternating with free verse, sonnets, haiku, tanka and bush poetry. Over thirty people came from surrounding areas, Canberra and even Canada! We are all especially grateful to the musicians for collaborating in the event. Daniel Kelly, Yass folk musician, singer/songwriter opened the show and performed some extra sets, while Thomas Weaver of Canberra showed their versatility playing cello and octo mandola and singing songs from around the world. Bronwyn Todd, singer and fiddle player arrived with Anthorr Thomas and his bodhrán and joined in with Thomas. All four musicians rounded off the afternoon playing together in a Session. Poets and musicians contributed to an outstanding afternoon.

Jane Baker has published several collections of poetry
and supports the region's writers through Yass Valley Writers

The Poems On Walls opening event on August 9 was more intimate with poets and a few friends sharing poetry including some hung in the exhibition. It was a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Huge thanks to the fifteen poets who rallied to the short notice callout, framed their poems, helped hang the exhibition and rolled up for the events. They are: Jane Baker (ask about her hands-on research on church bells!), Marianne Boruch, Colin Campbell, Glenys Ferguson, Hazel Hall, Therese van Leeuwen, Craig McArthur, Jenni Kemarre Martiniello, Lizz Murphy (moi), Kate O'Connor, Greg Piko, Jay Sargeant, Sarah St Vincent Welch, Robyn Sykes, Ali Whitelock. Some are members of Postcards from the Sky, some are members of Yass Valley Writers, some aren't – we just like them too. They're from Binalong, Yass, Canberra and Wallendbeen. What a delight they all are – please seek out their poetry.

Many thanks to Melanie Leahy, Yazzbar co-owner with Matt Leahy, for suggesting Poems On Walls. Thanks also to the Yazzbar team for their support and hospitality. Check out the Yazzbar entertainment program and full winebar and food menu here: yazzbar.com.au

Putting A Face To It was another beautiful opportunity which took care of June. An enquiry about hanging a handful of oil pastel and text drawings some time, quickly turned into a full show. Lucky I had a pile at hand just waiting to be framed. The always eloquent Jenni Kemarre Martiniello opened the exhibition on June 13 to a merry band of about twenty supporters. That was another grand afternoon. 

Great appreciation again to Yazzbar and thank you for the support you give to local artists and local and visiting musicians.

Until the next mad idea ...

POETRY FESTIVITIES

Poets in the Newcastle Writers Festival —
here I am with Bronwyn Rodden (right).

Countdown 

And action!

Had a fantastic weekend at the Newcastle Writers Festival earlier this month. Another group launch/reading from Flying Islands new releases and an opportunity to see long-term poet friends and colleagues in person instead of mainly on Facebook. Pictured on standby above: Maggie Ball (MC), Nathanael O'Reilly (left), David Adès, Tug Dumbly, Brian Purcell, the empty chair (me), Bronwyn Rodden — and Maggie in action. All the poets were sensational — the audience seemed to agree.

My next readings include: 

•National Folk Festival over Easter with Postcards from the Sky 

•Manning Clark House April 24 — (just an informal gathering of Flying Islands poets at 5 pm and dinner) then Christopher/Kit Kelen Flying Islands Series Editor and MCH featured poet of the month 

•Yass Book Store (watch for changes there) April 26 — with Jane Baker, Victoria McGrath, Robyn Sykes, Ali Whitelock.

POETRY RAGE

Poet and co-MC Maggie Ball
launches 100 Poets

 

Poet Sarah St Vincent Welch launches
Bitumen Psalms (Kolkata/Calcutta style).
Photo: Dylan Jones

Poet and singer/songwriter Clark Gormley (left)
has a moment with co-MC Richard James Allen

So it was a raging success! A ton of Flying Islands poets, friends and supporters at The Shop Gallery in Glebe, January 26, all celebrating this year’s seven new Pocket Poetry titles, alongside Flying Islands’ first anthology 100 Poets! 

The pocket books are: Filmworks by Brian Purcell, Flower Ash by Huang Fan — translated by Josh Stenberg, The Heart’s Lush Gardens by David Adès, Separation Blues: Poems 1994-2024 by Nathanael O’Reilly, Stranded by Bronwyn Rodden, Tadpoems by Tug Dumbly and my own Bitumen Psalms. 100 Poets is edited by Brian Purcell and Flying Islands Series Editor Kit Kelen. 

Richard James Allen, poet, filmmaker, choreographer and performer was an entertaining emcee for the 2025 Pocket Poets section. The engaging Maggie Ball, poet, novelist and podcaster, launched 100 Poets and kept the lively mood going during readings by quite a number of contributing poets. 

All the launch speeches were thought provoking. A special mention to dear friend and collaborator Sarah St Vincent Welch, writer, image-maker, editor, and writing teacher. Sarah gave me a Calcutta style launch where basically every time the new book (tied with red ribbon) is held high, the whole audience applauds resoundingly. And they did. It added to the joy of this celebratory occasion. I especially enjoyed Sarah’s personal story of having to write out Psalms at school, a writing exercise she enjoyed. Very special thanks also to Dylan Jones for the book design and Kate O’Connor for the author photo. 

The readings were inspiring, amusing, enlightening. Across these new poetry titles, you will find poems on the history of great films, poems of wonder and sadness, poems of cultural or political absurdity, poems that get to the heart of the matter, travel through times and homelands, and poems that explore the strange worlds of everyday life and other complexities. 

Phyllis Perlstone reads her poem
published in 100 Poets

Visit https://flyingislandspocketpoets.com.au/product-category/2025/ to see these books and their striking covers. Click on each cover image for full information (and from where I borrowed descriptions in the above paragraph). Subscribe to receive all of this year’s new releases and a bonus two Flying Islands books. Alternatively, you can just order individual titles. 

A bonus for us all was sharing the space with poet, musician and artist Brian Purcell’s solo exhibition Floodlands. Whether tantalising waterscape or delectable still life, Brian’s paintings move with colour and vitality. You can see more here: https://brianpurcell.art Of course we all owe enormous thanks to The Shop Gallery owners, poet and artist Anna Couani and sculptor Hilik Mirankar.

At The Shop Gallery:
Floodplains exhibition by Brian Purcell;
Pocket Poetry sales on the pavement

Poet and exhibiting artist Brian Purcell
— also co-editor of 100 Poets

BRUSH WITH POETRY TODAY!

 C'mon — it's warm in the car and warm in the venue ... there's wine ... there's coffee ...

Another open mike and it's on today. A Brush with Poetry this afternoon 1.30 for 2.00 pm (or arrive when you can). It's warm as toast and so is the welcome and Café hosting. Bring a poem (or a song) or just come to listen. It's serious, it's fun, it's moving. Something for everyone. Bring a friend. New and experienced very welcome to share the open mike. Binalong poets, Yass poets, Canberra poets and other neighbouring regions. It's in The Hive at the back of Café on Queen, Queen Street, Binalong. Enquiries to Brush Coordinator Robyn Sykes robynsykespoet[at]gmail[dot]com Emcees are Robyn with Greg Piko.

Above: Robyn introducing the popular Janne Graham from Canberra. Below: 1. art & text with Kate O'Connor (Binalong), 2. Sandra Renew winner of the ACT Writers Notable Awards for Poetry 2021 for her collection It’s the sugar, Sugar (Recent Work Press), 3. Jenny McCallister and John Ward — haiku, song and music.

BIG OPEN MIKE: A POETRY THING

That Poetry Thing That Is On At Smith’s Every Monday Night is holding its Big Open Mike this coming Monday, May 29. Starts at 7 pm. That Poetry Thing is one of my favourite gigs and I get over to it as often as I can. Hats off to the team of poets who keep this event running week after week with featured poets, open mikes and special theme nights. 

I was sorry to miss Mother Tongue last week but made it to the recent Tree Week special organized by Sarah St Vincent Welch, coordinator of the Kindred Trees Project (also a Thing committee member). It featured poets who have written the latest tree poems on the Kindred Trees website and a tree themed open mike. If you love trees, love poems, love tree poems, visit https://kindredtrees.com.au/ There is also beautiful tree photography — occasionally by the poets but mostly by Dylan Jones.

Photos

Above: Smith's Alternative — atmosphere plus; Sarah St Vincent Welch welcoming poets and audience. Below: 1. Asefe Abedini 2. Robyn Sykes 3. oh that's me 4. Fiona McIlroy 5. Sarah thanking everyone.

ROVING POETRY PERFORMANCE

 

This Saturday March 11 I'll be part of the Indelible Stencil Roving Poetry Performance at Boorowa with local poet Margaret Berry and Yass poet Jane Baker. 

Join us at the Rotary/Dr Kelf Park, Brial Street, Boorowa at 11.30. We will take you on a short river walk to see the three poems installed as public art along there, read poetry to you, then ply you with light refreshments before reading more poetry and inviting others to perform during the open mike session.

This is a Southern Tablelands Arts (STA) and Hilltops Off the Beaten Track (HOBTRACK) art trail event. HOBTRACK is cracking out a whole range of art and cultural events from March 8-22. Full program here.

Margaret, Jane and myself are three of ten poets commissioned to write micro poems for Poetry: The Indelible Stencil a poetry as public art project I instigated a number years ago. It is a partnership between myself, STA and eight Local Governments. Over twenty poems cut into large steel plates have been installed across the STA region — from Queanbeyan right up to Picton. It is still unfolding. You can see the map, poems and authors on the STA website: https://www.southerntablelandsarts.com.au/the-indelible-stencil/

You can meet Margaret briefly online in the latest STA Stories from the Studio here: https://www.southerntablelandsarts.com.au/margaret-berry/ Jane talks about the Yass Valley Writers, a group she has been coordinating for many years: https://www.southerntablelandsarts.com.au/stories-from-the-studio-jane-baker-and-yass-writers-group/ I read from my latest book The Wear of my Face: https://www.southerntablelandsarts.com.au/lizz-murphy/ But come along on Saturday and meet us in person, hopefully along with many others.

A HEARTBEAT OF POETRY

 

I just discovered Racquel McKee in the Video Showcase of Writers in Northern Ireland on the EastSide Arts website. It's a very interesting representation of writers and worth a look at them all but make sure you stay tuned in until the end where Racquel talks about her storytelling traditions and recites The Sound of our Own Heartbeat. This piece was commissioned for the Links and Legacy 400 project organized by the African Carribbean Support Northern Ireland to commemorate 400 years since the start of the Transatlantic slave trade. It references Clifton House a landmark building opened in 1774 and known as The Poor House which gave voice to the enslaved.

Photo: Detail of the ancient Belvoir oak tree in Belfast

BRUSH UP YOUR POETRY

Brush up your poems everyone. A Brush with Poetry's shared mic is on this Sunday in Binalong, That Poetry Thing that is on Every Monday Night is on this Monday in Canberra - includes an open mic most times, Flying Islands launches its 2023 list in Glebe on February 4. 

More details:

A Brush with Poetry - Café on Queen, Queen Street, Binalong NSW - Sunday January 29 at 1.30 for 2.00 pm. Contact Coordinator Robyn Sykes at robynsykespoet [at] gmail [dot com All styles of poetry welcome and also song and music.

That Poetry Thing ... - Smith's Alternative, 76 Alinga Street, Canberra at 7.00 pm. Watch their Facebook page for features and open mics.

Flying Islands Poetry Community Inc - launch of new poetry titles by Richard James Allen, Angie Contini, Jill McKeowen, D. G. Lloyd, Vaughan Rapatahana, Yannis Rentzos, Kevin Smith, Sophia Wilson, at The Shop Gallery, 112 Glebe Point Road, Glebe NSW at 5. 00 pm. Also see Estuary there, an exhibition of paintings by Brian Purcell. 

    Followed by a reading at The Shop on Sunday at 3.00 pm: Richard James Allen, Angie Contini, Anna Couani, Christopher (Kit) Kelen, Brian Purcell, Sarah St Vincent Welch.

Hope to see you Sunday for a start.

SIGNATURE POETRY

The new year is up and running with Poetry at Manning Clark House in Canberra tonight (Thursday, January 19 at 7 pm) and A Brush with Poetry in Binalong Sunday week. 

Manning Clark House (MCH)

Great round-up this evening at MCH with almost thirty poets reading one of their ‘signature’ poems. They’re all so fabulous I can’t pick a sampling, so here’s the whole list: Michelle Brock, Rohan Beuttel, Penelope Cottier, Judith Crispin, Christopher Dorman, Suzanne Edgar, Paul Hetherington, Kathy Kituai, Jacqui Malins, Kerrie Nelson, Penelope Layland, Lizz Murphy, Gemma Nethercote Way, Mark O'Connor, Rosa O'Kane, Moya Pacey, Geoff Page, Sandra Renew, Sarah Rice, Barbie Robinson, Shane Strange, Jen Webb, Sarah St Vincent Welch, Luke Whitington, Tony Williams, Kimberly Williams. Hosted by Hazel Hall and Kimberly Williams — a dynamic duo. See you at Manning Clark House, 11 Tasmania Circuit, Forrest. 

A Brush with Poetry

Then it’s a country drive for A Brush with Poetry on Sunday, January 29 at 1.30 for 2 pm. It’s a shared mike afternoon with all styles of poetry and performance — from ballad to sonnet to free range; from bush narratives to contemporary topics — read or recite, sing or make music. A Binalong Arts Group (BAG) signature event. BAG President and Brush Coordinator, Robyn Sykes is available by text on 0401 289 178 for any queries or bookings. Free but donations welcome. Join us at Café on Queen, Queen Street, Binalong — light meals, snacks, cake, coffee, wine etc available. Supported by Southern Tablelands Arts (STA).

Please note: no Zoom available on this occasion.

PS Happy New Year everyone.

LOW-FLYING DUCKS & POETRY

There are always amusing or special moments from changing skies to kangaroos and foxes giving you a nod or low-flying ducks or hawks swiftly passing your windscreen.

So grateful to have an interview in The Monthly arts journal published online by Community Arts Partnership (CAP) in Belfast, Ireland. They’ve also provided links to five of my eight readings filmed at the James Joyce Library at University College Dublin (UCD). Worth visiting for the range of poetry interviews from Scottish-Australian poet Ali Whitelock, to Scottish poet Magi Gibson and Canadian poet Catherine Graham. There are videos of Seamus Heaney reading Digging and Sinéad Morrissey talking about her poem inspired by the painting Titian, and spoken word music, podcasts and links to International Page and Stage online events, just to mention some.

Great thanks to Ali Whitelock for connecting me with The Monthly and to Gordon Hewitt, editor, for the opportunity.

Photo: Oh aye — wandered past this plaque in Dublin 

for the UCD readings but we were too late for Seamus

IPS RITES OF WOMEN ZOOM

What a blast it was reading with Marion Clarke (Northern Ireland), Amy Louise Wyatt (Northern Ireland), Kiri Piahana-Wong (New Zealand) and Makyla Curtis (New Zealand) in the International Page and Stage (IPS) Rites of Women Zoom event on Sunday night (my time). Great thanks to Gordon Hewitt for the invitation and Susan Millar DuMars for hosting the event.

The poetry was varied and evocative, rhythmic and striking and as someone else said — just sumptuous. These events Zoom and FB livestream, then remain on the  International Page and Stage Facebook page to be accessed at any time afterwards. Now that I have discovered it I am working my way through previous events and enjoying poets from all over Ireland and from all over the world.

Thank you friends/colleagues Deborah Faeyrglenn (Canberra), Curt Linderman (US) from The Cool People, The Night People FB group (Billy Collins followers) and Victoria McGrath (Yass NSW) for being there on Sunday. Thank you also to Jenni Kemarre Martiniello whose capturing glasswork was the inspiration for my poem A Women's Work which was of interest.

I've provided links wherever possible to everyone's online presence or examples of their work, and here is the link for Sunday night's Rites of Women recording: https://www.facebook.com/Internationalpageandstage/videos/305292555050900  Watch the IPS Facebook page for new events.

THAT POETRY THING MONDAY NIGHT

 

The charismatic Moni McInerney of the Belconnen Arts Centre (BAC will do me the honour of launching The Wear of my Face (Spinifex Press) at the sensational Smith's Alternative on Monday April 11 at 7 pm. The equally vibrant Sarah St Vincent Welch is MC representing the also sensational That Poetry Thing that's on at Smith's Every Monday. (See leaflet below.)

That's neither of them in the photo by the way. Thinking about BAC's lake setting reminds me of my days during the first Covid lockdown. My isolation/social distancing was not as active this person's — you did notice the pic is taken from within the car, right? Laptops, books, flasks of tea, chocolate biscuits ...

I'm one of two launches on the night. The inimitable Kit Kelen is the other with his Book of Mother collection. Short open mike. Free admission. Pass the word on, eh.

SUNDAY'S INTERNATIONAL PAGE AND STAGE

I’m a guest poet this Sunday April 10 in the first of two International Page and Stage Zooms on the theme The Rites of Women from Opposite Ends of the Earth (Northern Hemisphere) — a very exciting invitation. I join Marion Clarke (Northern Ireland), Amy Louise Wyatt (Northern Ireland), Kiri Piahana-Wong (New Zealand) and Makyla Curtis (New Zealand). Times are: Ireland and UK — 10.30 am; Binalong and Canberra — 7.30 pm, New Zealand — 9.30 pm. Visit the International Page and Stage Facebook page for information on Zoom links and the FB live streaming of this plus more events happening very soon. 

International Page and Stage is part of a New Belfast Community Arts Initiative trading as Community Arts Partnership (CAP). It’s a wide-ranging arts program with everything from poetry in schools and drama to public art and — not surprisingly — spray art festivals (Belfast is renowned for its gable-end street murals). There is also a lot of great content in their online journal The Monthly.

Many thanks indeed to Gordon Hewitt who among other things is the Editor of The Monthly. Visit the March Poetry and Spoken Word edition for poets from Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Jamaica, US.

POETS & FROGLETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lockdown getting to you? Go out and listen to the frogs!

I’m back to recording frogs with the FrogID app, wandering down to our small dam to get clearer calls and maybe even sight a froglet or two. No sightings so far but it’s a nice activity on a beautiful day like today. Then poking around Rattle I find the poem Go out and Listen to the Frogs (#71 Spring 2021). Such a touching poem even if you don’t love frogs. It’s by J R Solonche.

 

Oh yes — if you're interested — there have been choruses from the Common Eastern Froglet, Eastern Sign-bearing Froglet and Spotted Marsh Frog with the occasional bop or dunk this afternoon from an Eastern Banjo :)

POETRY PERSISTS IN BINALONG

 

 

A superb Brush with Poetry on Zoom last Sunday with nature poems, sonnets, prose poetry, original and traditional bush poetry performances, deep poems and humorous poems. Our usual mix. There were lively connections from poet to poet throughout the afternoon that couldn’t have been planned better.

 

Fifteen participants Zoomed from Binalong, Yass, Gunning, Wallendbeen, East Sydney’s lockdown and Canberra. Above are just some of the poets/audience (from left): top row: Chris Dorman, moi, Lindsay Thompson and canine friend; middle row: Mike Lavis, Robyn Sykes (host), Hazel Hall; bottom row: Harry Melkonian, Janne Graham, Jennifer Rivers and Colin Campbell. The screen shot is posted with permission (sorry I couldn’t crop the Chat column for some reason … nothing personal there so I don't think anyone will mind ).

 

There was time to reminisce on Lindsay’s first Brush and first public performance. From the publicity shot Lindsay thought he would be reciting his work to about eight people and when he got there, found an audience of almost fifty! He still fronted the mic and of course everyone loved him. Meanwhile Harry is surviving lockdown. New to Brush he intended to only listen in but lucky for us he shared two very thoughtful poems at the end of the afternoon. Janne read beautiful poems — one rich with birdlife and the other about elephants. In the spirit of the afternoon Janne acknowledged Hazel and also Yass poet Jane Baker (in her absence) for inspiration. Hazel writes sonnets, haiku and tanka and is the indefatigable coordinator of the Manning Clark House monthly poetry readings.

 

Big thanks again to Robyn, host and MC, and the driving force keeping A Brush with Poetry alive. She kept us Zooming all through the worst of 2020, moved it to Room and Zoom in 2021, Room only in May and back to Zoom this month as a precaution. Thank you also to Southern Tablelands Arts(STA) who support this event and the Zooming, performer Peter Rose who assists when its Room and Zoom and Café on Queen who provide the Room (an atmospheric studio space) when it is Covid safe enough. A Brush with Poetry is a Binalong Arts Group open mic event (Robyn is the President).

Writers tip: Zoom or Room, try out your work and practise reading at open mic opportunities.

FROGS AND POEMS

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve had a bit of a froggy week. Got back to recording frogs with the FrogID app, even wandering right down to our small dam to get clearer calls and maybe even sight a frog or two (I didn't). Then I decide to drop into Rattle (#71 Spring 2021) and there is the poem Go Out and Listen to the Frogs. Such a lovely poem even if you don’t love frogs. It’s by J R Solonche.

 

PS VORTEX: THE CRISIS OF PATRIARCHY

Speaking of Vortex: The Crisis of Patriarchy (Spinifex Press 2020) you may like to listen to the author Susan Hawthorne on this FiLiA podcast at https://filia.org.uk/latest-news/2020/12/28/susan-hawthorne-vortex-the-crisis-of-patriarchy Covers a range of issues including the impact of climate change on Australia. She speaks with clarity.

Another PS to the same post below: I will not Bear you Sons is by Usha Akella. Usha is Poetry Editor of Lucy Writers' Platform.