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.