BEST LITERARY FESTIVAL – BOOROWA

Books having a moment —

Boorowa's Justin Fleming (left), guest author Kimberley Allsop 

and Festival Director Jeremy Clarke ready to roll.

One of the best literary festivals I’ve been to! The 4th Boorowa Literary Festival just held on the weekend was a raging success. Fascinating writers’ conversations lead by community facilitators who were already fans or who had read the books especially, and now were fans. They were as interested in hearing more about the books, the writers’ lives, routines and processes as the audience was. 

(Yes, I have sat through dry interview style sessions and some that were more about the facilitator/interviewer than the author.) And not only that but all the writers were fabulous speakers – informative, intriguing, entertaining. And there was a bit of inside goss. Fun. 

In order of appearance: Kimberley Allsop, Sulari Gentill, Sam Guthrie, Caroline Overington, Alli Parker, Chris Hammer. Buy their books. 

Kimberley Allsop, author of Love and Other Puzzles and Rise and Shine works at Harper Collins and is also published by them. ‘There is the butcher and the sausage,’ she said, and she is both. Rise and Shine is a love story that happens ten years into a marriage. There’s a dog and a lemon tree. And the lemon tree she bought for research. 

‘A lot [of books] end with a kiss and it’s all wonderful, but that’s not life. I’m interested in life.’ 

She is open and witty and makes me want to read romance. I may or may not be able to report back ... 

Latest book: Rise and Shine (Harper Collins) 

Gabriela Corcoran (left) in conversation with Sulari Gentill 

 

Sulari Gentill is a fascinating speaker who can’t avoid thinking and talking about murder. She studied astrophysics and became a corporate lawyer before turning to mystery and fantasy. She describes herself as a mid-list author until the USA success of Woman in the Library (Hardie Grant). 

As of writing she said, ‘It felt like I was breathing right for the first time in my life.’ 

Sulari believes you need to give your reader a resolution but leave a bit of doubt, so you give them something to think about. She likes to make it possible for readers to dance with her. 

She says she’s an extreme pantser. [i.e. Pantsers dive in and write by the seat of their pants as opposed to plotters who like to plan it all out before starting. Plantsers are a combination.] 

I enjoyed Woman in the Library and after this talk I’m thinking I may read more mystery and fantasy – more Sulari Gentill. 

Latest book: Five Found Dead (Hardie Grant) 

Jeremy Clarke (left) in conversation with guest Sam Guthrie

 

Sam Guthrie writes international political thrillers informed by a 25-year career in international relations and is still celebrating his debut novel The Peak. It begins with a shocking act inside Parliament House and unravels 30-year-old secrets from the 1997 Hong Kong handover. Facilitator and Festival Director Jeremy Clarke described The Peak as a Letter to Hong Kong. 

A love-triangle is part of the story. Sam talked about the characters being to some extent based on friendship experiences from school. Friendships were pivotal to this conversation, and it was touching to listen to Sam’s reminisces along with how his novel developed. 

Latest book: The Peak (Harper Collins) 

Guest Caroline Overington (left)
speaks with Boorowa's Janette Fryer

Caroline Overington, Literary Editor of the Book pages in The Weekend Review spoke passionately about books, writing, reading and reviewing. Do you know she receives 300 books a week from publishers and writers hopeful of a review? Do you know that 50% of books in Australia sell less than 200 copies and 90% less than 1000? Support an Australian author – buy a book today! 

[I used to work in publishing and I loved loved loved having access to this kind of info.] 

Do you know that Rupert Murdoch likes to read a book review every day and that The Weekend Review pages are his gift to Australia to celebrate the arts? 

‘Books are having a moment,’ says Caroline. ‘If you have a book in your back pocket you’re the sexiest person in the world!’ That’s from an award winning journalist and author of sixteen fiction and non-fiction books. 

Latest book: Looking for Eden (Harper Collins) 

Mary Johnson (left) does the honours for guest Alli Parker

Alli Parker says that in the Australian landscape we tend to tell a lot of crime stories … she isn’t sure why. With a background in screen writing and editing which includes episodes of Jack Irish and Miss Fisher I’m sure she’ll ponder on this some more. 

Her first book however is historical fiction. At the Foot of the Cherry Tree is based on the true story of the first Japanese war bride and Alli’s grandmother. Alli talked about Japanese residents not only being put in camps during the war but being deported after the war, even though they had lived here for fifty or sixty years. 

Alli likes having conversations about race and wants to have them. She says it’s easier for her as she has light skin. She hopes this will in turn make conversations less awkward for her grandmother who looks more Japanese. 

The book title comes from her grandmother’s name Nobuko which means ‘cherry tree root,’ or ‘at the foot of the cherry tree.’ This was a moving and eye-opening session. 

Latest book: Until the Red Leaves Fall 

And her next book? ‘A small carrot ... I will say it’s historic fiction … set in the 70s.’ Wait. What? The historic 1970s?! 

Jeremy Clarke (right) introducing the next
conversation – Chris Hammer with Sue Corcoran

Chris Hammer under every armpit!

‘We do half the creative process and the reader does the other half,’ said mystery writer Chris Hammer on the topic of what characters look like. Readers can have firm impressions about the look of a main character, and they can have strong feelings about it. There were stories around that that had the audience laughing and nodding. 

Chris Hammer loves writing. ‘I’m addicted to writing. It sounds disciplinary but it’s addiction … There are times when it is absolutely magical.’ 

Landscape is a feature of Chris Hammer’s books and it was very interesting to hear him talk about different traits including his description of floodplains and ‘tin roof country.’ Likewise, the towns the stories are set in. Sue Corcoran, a local fan and pharmacist, prides herself on being able to pick which town this author based his fictional town on in each book. She put it to the test and got big ticks. Just one good reason why she was selected as the facilitator for this ‘In Conversation.’ 

Latest book: Legacy (Allen & Unwin) 

And there were ukele players!
Thank you Grenfell Ukestra including Sue Aylen in the green

Great thanks to Boorowa Literary Festival Director Dr Jeremy Clarke and his team of facilitators (in order of appearance): Justin Fleming, Gariela Corcoran, Jeremy Clarke, Janette Fryer, Mary Johnson and the above mentioned, Sue Corcoran. Thank you also to behind-the-scenes team members. 

Up to 95 people per session

Also it was great to be back in the Old Boorowa Courthouse – many a poetry reading there back in the day. 

Watch for occasional author talks at Jeremy’s Absolutely Superb Bibliotheque and Occasional Wine Bar near the clock roundabout on the main street. 

PS In case you missed it – it was a bit of a kangaroo court :)

And of course there was a Binalong contingent.
UN-officials Emma (left), Robyn, moi, making ourselves at home.
Thank you to the Courthouse tearooms.
And there was dinner and wine too.

POEMS ABOUT UNBELONGING

In Bitumen Psalms you follow the Hume Highway from the inland Yass region (NSW) where Lizz Murphy lives, all the way to Wollongong on the South Coast where she used to live. Lizz often writes about place and belonging. In the long title sequence of micro and haiku-ish poems, she is all too aware of her unbelonging — always just passing through. 

In these pinch-size poems she attempts to engage more closely:

grasses breezy 

land alive with skitter and crawl 

wedge-tails circling the rising air 

There are also glimpses of her own patch in the village of Binalong, through Tai Chi, her other passion.

Raising arms (six times) 

Mt Bobbara becomes golden 

blue shadowstreak  each rock 

inscribed on the horizon 

 — from Opening the Heart

There's a photo of Mt Bobbara at dusk in another recent post — here.

So that's a bit of the blurb. There's more on the Flying Islands Pocket Poets website here: https://flyingislandspocketpoets.com.au/?s=murphy My thanks to Dylan Jones who designed Bitumen Psalms and was a wonderful collaborator.

You can also read about the other seven new titles. Order Bitumen Psalms (RRP $12.50, pb; $6.25, e-book) from the website or better still subscribe to receive all eight plus a couple of extra collections.

LAUNCHING THE YEAR WITH POETRY

Nothing like the launch of a new collection at the start of the year to get you back into it. Bitumen Psalms will be launched with six other Flying Islands Pocket Poets collections and their special anthology 100 Poets on Sunday January 26 (yes Australia/Survival Day) at 2 pm in The Shop Gallery, 112 Glebe Point Road, Glebe. All welcome. 

I am thrilled that long-time friend and stunning writer Sarah St Vincent Welch has agreed to do the honours. Her words as always will be eloquent and thoughtful. Sarah was one of my readers at manuscript stage offering fabulous support and advice. Dylan Jones, designer and photographer did an excellent job of typesetting and designing Bitumen Psalms and was also a dream to work with. Looking forward to the road trip to Sydney with this talented team. Forever grateful. 

Please see the invitation above for all the new books. The other 2025 Flying Islands Pocket Poets are David Adès, Tug Dumbly, Huang Fan translated by John Stenberg, Nathanael O’Reilly, Brian Purcell, Bronwyn Rodden. The 100 Poets anthology is edited by Brian Purcell and Kit Kelen. RRP $12.50 pb; $6.25 e-book. Buy the books on the day or order online. Support Flying Islands Pocket Poets by subscribing. 

These new releases will also be launched as a group at the Newcastle Writers Festival in April. Watch for various individual launches and events in between.

READING AT SCRIBES BELFAST

SCRIBES AT THE DUNCAIRN 2023

I’ll be reading tomorrow night at Scribes at the Duncairn with Tony Macauley, Michael Magee and Michelle Gallen, 7 pm, Duncairn Arts Centre, Duncairn Avenue, Belfast. I’m excited. These authors sound awesome. I’ve started reading them with Michelle’s novel, Factory Girls — hilarious, dark, hilarious from page one. I’m excited. My first poetry reading in Belfast. Thank you to Marnie Kennedy (Chair). More information at www.theduncairn.com

Later in the month I’ll be talking in the Ennistymon Book Town Festival in Co Clare.

Photo: in the upstairs theatre of Duncairn Centre for Culture and Arts, North Belfast (for a performance by John Spillane)

IT'S ALL CONNECTED YOUTUBE LAUNCH

 

Here's a wonderful opportunity to hear a dozen or so prominent feminist writers from the forty contributors in It's All Connected: Feminist Fiction and Poetry (ed. Pauline Hopkins, Spinifex Press) — go to this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIkFtfkNdbg to view a recording of Wednesday evening's Zoom launch. 

Among others you will hear Diane Bell talk about the importance of feminist writings at this time and give the backstory to her short fiction. Gina Mercer introduces us to 'Elevensies' a new form of poem developed by Kerry Shying. Sandy Jeffs reads excerpts from her epic poem Christmas Hills Rhapsody, Robyn Bishop tells how she moved from theatre to writing fiction and the shifts she worked through and Patricia Sykes has us thinking about the communities that anthologies of writing help form before reading her poem Elaine for her sister. Spinifex publishers Susan Hawthorne and Renate Klein and editor Pauline Hopkins are also included — on this occasion they have all written short fiction. The writers are also anthropologists, aerialists, actors, comedians, teachers, environmental activists, hockey players, health experts and more.

I was pleased to have the chance to read my poem The Poet inspired by a painting by Lily Prigioniero of the same title.

Thank you to Sarah St Vincent Welch for her eloquent launch speech in which she managed to reference every contributor. By the way Sarah is a featured poet in Geoff Page's poetry program along with Matt Hetherington, Monday March 6 at Smith's Alternative, Canberra at 7 pm.

ZOOM IN TO A NEW ANTHOLOGY

Wednesday night (March 1) at 6 pm is the Zoom launch of Spinifex Press' new anthology It's All Connected: Feminist Fiction and Poetry edited by Pauline Hopkins. Hear Pauline and several of the contributors read their work and talk about their writing. In order of appearance: Diane Bell, Sandy Jeffs, Patricia Sykes, Gina Mercer, Lucy Sussex, Robyn Bishop, Marion May Campbell and beri m jannsen. I'm in there somewhere too. Sarah St Vincent Welch will launch the book — Sarah is always worth tuning in for. Congratulations Pauline and all the contributors.

The event is free but you must register to gain entrance: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=1015007

More about my own poem in this blog at the time of the book's 'soft launch:' https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1787066378025259933/6666152318660149279

RABBIT POETRY REVIEW

I am so delighted with the reviews of The Wear of my Face. The latest is in Issue 35 — Architecture of that fabulous publication Rabbit: A Journal of Nonfiction Poetry. Why the Architecture issue? Well for one thing the first poem is called The Architecture of Pear. Reviewer Dominique Hecq suggests this poem announces the texture, structural design and method of the collection. Is true. Dominique also says the writing is earthy, seductive and sophisticated … So generous. Very grateful to Dominique Hecq and Rabbit.

POETRY — IT'S ALL CONNECTED

It’s All Connected: Feminist Fiction and Poetry has just arrived from Spinifex Press. It looks luscious! 

Edited by Pauline Hopkins it features new work by almost forty writers including Dianne Bell, Merlinda Bobis, Susan Hawthorne, berni m janssen, Renate Klein, Primila Venkateswaran, Patricia Sykes and the late Jordie Albiston. 

My poem The Poet is inspired by a painting of the same title by artist and poet Lily Prigionero. It was a challenge posted by The Ekphrastic Review in July 2021. While my poem didn’t get selected for that journal — you can read the twenty or so wonderful selections here — I am thrilled that this more developed version was accepted by Pauline for her anthology. 

Lily’s painting took me on a journey through time and place, covid and caring. The Canberra café I write about as opposed to the café in the painting, is Café 2615 in Belconnen, where I would frequently spend a few hours while my late husband Bill was on dialysis (three times a week). Under the veil of the pandemic this normally hectically busy café was surreally quiet, emphasising our changing world. 

Anyway, this is my reading for tonight and I’m so looking forward to it. Pauline Hopkins’ own piece Paige will stay with me ... forever ... you will find it on page 195. 

You can order It’s All Connected from all good bookshops and from the Spinifex Press online shop. 

PS There is a little more about that day in the café and a seed of the poem in this post from 2020.

 

CANBERRA LAUNCH MONDAY 7 PM

 

POETRY LAUNCH ON YOUTUBE

Spinifex Press turned on a great Zoom, loads of people turned up and Merlinda Bobis was fantastic. If you'd like to hear Merlinda’s launch talk and poems from The Wear of My Face you can catch it all on YouTube here.

THE WEAR OF MY FACE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know how it happened but suddenly I have a new book! The Wear of My Face Zoom launch is on Thursday September 16 at 6 pm. YES! That's today! All welcome but you need to register (tickets free) with Eventbrite by 4 pm. Here's the link: thewearofmyface.eventbrite.com.au Award winning author and playwright Merlinda Bobis is doing me the honour.

For more information and to order the book visit here. Thank you Spinifex Press. Thank you Camilla Duffy for author photos. Thank you ACT Government for support.

BOOK OF THE WEEK!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you jump on to the Spinifex Press website now you might be just in time for a 25 per cent discount on Two Lips Went Shopping — it’s Book of the Week! 

 

There are poems from both sides of the shop counter. Some a bit of a laugh while others are eye-rollers. Still others document important change — equal pay for example — yes I was working when that all happened. The book doesn’t stay on the shop floor though. It covers a range of social issues … Published a while ago I think it still holds its own.

 

(The title poem is another story. Small, visual and on the fun side it was inspired by Dada poetry.)

 

Two Lips Went Shopping was supported by the ACT Government through a 1998 ACT Creative Arts Fellowship (Literature) and I continue to be grateful for the chunk of writing time that provided. (I’m also sorry the ACT Creative Fellowships were discontinued at some point.)

A BRUSH WITH NEW POETRY

A gorgeous Brush with Poetry in Binalong last Sunday, delightfully emceed by Greg Piko (regular co-MC) and Alex Webb standing in for Robyn Sykes (coordinator and regular co-emcee). Was so pleased to be present for a mini second launch of The Moorings a joint collection by Janne Grahame, Amelia Fielding, Julia Irwin, Neva Kastelic. Also picked up Greg's latest collection Breaking my Journey.

A Brush with Poetry is a Binalong Arts Group (BAG) event. Robyn will be back for the next one on the last Sunday of July which is ... the 25th. It's back in the room at Cafe on Queen at 2 pm. Many thanks to Robyn for maintaining and sustaining the event through Zoom last year and more.

RADICAL & RAVISHING READS

 

Recently delivered books from Spinifex Press. Can't wait to get into them. Start here https://www.spinifexpress.com.au/ for Book of the Week then on to news and the full irresistible catalogue.

 

FOXLINE - POETRY LAUNCHING TODAY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to ‘sing and weep’ read Foxline by Chris Mansell (Flying Island 2021). My precious few moments for myself lately have been spent in the sun with this riveting collection where ‘the moon arched like a fox eye;’ where ‘the farmer cuts back in despair’ and the fox ‘sniffs the long dead line of them.’ This book is never still. Delightful foxlines; wrenching foxlines.

 

It is launched today by Jean Kent at The Shop Gallery, 112 Glebe Point Road, Glebe (2.00-4.00 pm) alongside another seven Flying Fox titles by KA Rees, Steve Armstrong, Robert Edmonds, Myron Lysenko, Irina Frolovo, Ross Donlon, Harold Legaspi. Congratulations to all the poets and poet/publisher Kit Kelen. More info on this event here: 

https://whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/events/flying-islands-pocket-poets-book-launch

Sorry this is just a quick note — flyin! Cheers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I STILL DREAM OF HORSES

 

 

 

 

I Still Dream of Horses: A girl, her horse and the stories of their lives (RRP $18.95. hb. 200pp. 2020) by Binalong’s Leanne Heffernan is a memoir you will gallop through.

 

Consuela, an 18 year-old appaloosa mare, takes us from the day she was purchased for fourteen year-old Leanne through all the twists and turns of her long life. Her memories include the joys of her young owner and her horse loving friends, horsie friendships and the bitie politics of public agistment, and new animal friends including a moppity clydie and a crazy Billygoat. There is a myriad of challenges and changes for both Consuela and Leanne as time goes on but their love for each other never sways. Consuela spends a lot of her time in Canberra allotments but eventually heads for regional fields and finally Binalong itself.

 

Saw a notice for this book on the Binalong Post Office notice board just recently. I wouldn’t have paid much attention to it as our horse days are long behind us — yes we did do the pony club thing with the kids and had a couple of beautiful Clydesdales at one time. Except that … another Binalong author? Stage left to Bill Kosseris’ wee shop! ‘Thought I should buy this book Bill as it’s a Binalong author.’ ‘Oh yes,’ he says, and in the way of small towns, ‘she lives up there in so and so’s house …’ Houses are not placed by their addresses but by their histories. My new neighbour! All the more reason to check this book out.

 

I’m not sure what the target market is. I’m thinking it’s a book for teens — if they can wrestle it off their mums first  But then again it was highly recommended by a younger discerning reader in Bill’s shop at the time. Thank you Ella — you were right — I Still Dream of Horses is a REALLY good book. Keep the tissues handy but be prepared for a good chuckle too. An un-put-downable memoir with a difference.

 

If you are not near Binalong in the Yass Valley, NSW, you can also order from the author (add $6.95 p&p) via https://www.istilldreamofhorses.com/buy-now Amazon has paperback and kindle versions and by the way says it is for ten year-olds to adults. Visit: https://www.amazon.com/Still-Dream-Horses-Leanne-Heffernan-ebook/dp/B08L8VV6F8

 

If you are in the area why not make Binalong your next country delight. 

 

PS Apologies Leanne for my sloppy photo

DON'T BE LIVE POETRY DEPRIVED 3

 

CULTIVATING VOICES — LIVE POETRY OPEN MIC Sunday MAY 10 via US

 

If you missed the Cultivating Voices — Live Poetry Open Mic on Sunday May 3, the good news is that recordings of the featured poets are still on Facebook. Well worth a visit as it includes a number of Irish poets not only reading their own work but celebrating the late and great Eavan Boland. Just wonderful. 

More good news is there will be another Open Mike on May 10. Please visit Cultivating Voices’ Facebook page for times (BST — GREENWICH MEANTIME+1 — er no I don’t understand that from an Australian perspective yet) on the Thursday before. You’ll also find instructions there should you wish to sign up to read. In the meantime you are welcome to post on the FB page and be part of an ongoing dialogue. 

Hosts are Elizabeth Ann Yannone and Sandra Yannone whose debut collection Boats for Women is published by Salmon Poetry. I hope to be there one day. The growing  interconnectedness of poetry online in response to COVID-19 is heart warming and exciting. Great thanks to all those poets organizing live streams through FB, Zoom etc.

 

DON'T BE LIVE POETRY DEPRIVED

 

[Just a couple of lines]

TREE WEEK POETRY ZOOM Monday May 4

Yes there is still poetry! Poetry and trees! That Poetry Zoom celebrates trees on Monday May 4. Includes readings of poems written for trees in Hague Park, Canberra as part of the Hague Park Experiment Heritage Signage project. [Mouthful.] Shane Strange will fill you in, followed by the poets Faye Brinsmead, SubhashJaireth, Asha Naznin, Melinda Smith, Martin Dolan, Gemma Nethercote-Way, Penelope Layland, Kerrie-Anne Nelson, Zoe Anderson. 

THE ACT'S Tree Protection Officer, Samantha Ning will speak briefly about Tree Week, followed by readings by Robert Verdon, Lizz Murphy, Judith Nangala Crispin, Kate McNamara and (tbc) Jenni Kemarre Martiniello organized by Sarah St Vincent Welch.

There’s an open mike before and after the tree poetries — sign up when the virtual doors open at 6.30 pm. Event starts 7.00 pm with Sarah St Vincent Welch as emcee. If you are not already on their email list you can find out about it on Facebook where the Zoom invitation link is also posted just prior to each event.

VOICEBOX FREMANTLE Monday May 4

Also on Monday it’s a special Voicebox Fremantle launch of Letters to Our Home hosted by Vivienne Glance at 7 pm. Readings by Michael Williams, Liana Joy Christensen, Allan Padgett, Tara Hurst, Deanne Leber, Natalie D-Napoleon, Jackson, and Allan Boyd. There is also an open mike. Virtual doors open at 6.45 pm. This project was conceived during the Australian bushfire crisis. The Zoom link is here: https://www.voiceboxpoets.com/calendar

Self-serve Open Mike

Voicebox is currently running the Self-serve Open Mic — Alex Chapman’s brainfart he says — where you are invited to post a poem on their FB page during the normal meeting time-slot. Can be text, audio, video. Great idea. Founded in 2004 by Desmonda Kearney, Voicebox normally meets on the last Monday of the month. Time?? Website: https://www.voiceboxpoets.com/calendar

THAT MOTHER TONGUE ZOOM Monday May 11

A rare opportunity. That Mother Tongue Poetry Zoom featuring Thandi Katase, a storyteller from the Makwayi clan of the Xhosa tribe from South Africa. Thandi will tell stories and share her original poetry in Xhosa and English. She might introduce everyone to Imbongi praise singing. Share a poem in a language other than English — or a mix of languages. Email: mothertonguemic[at]gmail[dot]com to sign up in advance, or sign up on the night. Limit 4 minutes. Thank you That Poetry Thing committee member Jacqui Malans.

A BRUSH WITH POETRY Sunday May 31

Watch for Binalong's first Brush with Poetry Zoom, May 31, 2.00 pm.

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Writers tip: 

Cut your performance teeth on Open Mike opportunities but be considerate of your emcee, your fellow poets and the audience and follow the rules — one poem is one poem, three minutes is three minutes and one minute is one minute, etc. Have your poem ready. If it's in a journal bookmark it (preferably with something that won't flutter to the floor just when you need it); if it's on a device make sure your poem is on screen ready to go. Currently on Zoom we all also have to remember to mute when listening to other poets and unmute when it's our turn :)