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

IRISH POETRY READING ARCHIVE

 

If you have any interest at all in Irish poetry — and who hasn't! — you might like to visit the Irish Poetry Reading Archive, Ireland's only curated digital collection where the voices of Irish poets, both North and South, doing readings, scholarly masterclasses, and in conversation, along with digital copies of poetry related materials (anthologies programmes posters) are preserved for future generations. If you're in Dublin, you will find the archives in the James Joyce library at the University College of Dublin (UCD) otherwise you can jump online and find them here. 

Poets include everyone from Nuala Ní Dhomhniall and Mary Dorcey to Theo Dorgan and President Michael D Higgins to Andrew Jamison [related by chance?? — nee Jamison here] and Michael Longley to Medbh McGuckian, Maíghréad Medbh and Christine Murray. You will also find Australian poets Anne Casey, Robyn Rowland and myself, all part of the Irish diaspora. This is just a sampling — all the poets are fascinating. 

I must thank and thank Anne Casey who put the Archive in touch with me. It was such a great experience to visit the James Joyce Library and to meet co-founder Ursula Byrne and her team — great thanks indeed to them. It was fun too, travelling from Belfast to Dublin on the train with daughter Aroona Murphy and testing the Guinness at a couple of venues before the return trip. 

Here are my eight recorded poems, including links: 

A Woman’s Work (after Jenni Kemarre Martiniello) from The Wear of my Face (Spinifex Press 2021) 

The Weight of Tomatoes from Two Lips went Shopping (Spinifex Press 2000) 

$600 from Six Hundred Dollars (PressPress)  

Departure from Stop your Cryin (Island Press)  

Felt from The Wear of my Face (Spinifex Press 2021) 

Out of the White from Walk the Wildly (Picaro/Ginninderra)  

Brown Hills from Two Lips went Shopping (Spinifex Press 2000) 

Syria’s Children from The Wear of my Face (Spinifex Press 2021) 

Photo: A Dublin afternoon in January

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

RATTLE THAT POETRY CAGE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve subscribed to Rattle in the past and loved it. Might do again. Billy Collins tells us in his poetry broadcast (via Facebook) that he subscribes so there’s another recommendation. Rattle is a quarterly journal coming out of the US with a number of opportunities including submissions to their print issues paying US$200 a poem. Interestingly they don’t say read us for what we publish but read us for what we haven’t published yet. Submissions received all year.

 

Each issue publishes Tribute poems — the current call is for poems by librarians for the Spring 2022 issue. Deadline is October 15. There is also an ekphrastic challenge where you are given a month to respond to an artist’s image. One poem will be selected by the artist and Rattle Editor Timothy Green for publication. Payment $100. Have a look at the image by Annie Kuhn — deadline is June 30.

Every Sunday and sometimes on a Wednesday as well, they publish a poem online under the heading Poets Respond. Must be written that week in response to a ‘public event.’ Deadline Fridays midnight PST (sorry I haven’t worked that out in Oz time yet). Payment $100. Turn over a new leaf — or an old one — and write a news related poem each week. Send it in. That all should keep you busy for a while.

So how did I get back to Rattle? Oh yes through Timothy's Rattlecast via Facebook. Poets Respond poems and interviews with featured poets. Livestream it (Sunday evenings his time) or catch it later on various platforms.

A BRUSH WITH POETRY ZOOM

[Poetry in the air]

Don't Be Live Poetry Deprived 5: Sunday May 31 at 2.00 pm. Even tiny Binalong is joining the international poetry zoom craze thanks to Coordinator Robyn Sykes, with the support of Southern Tablelands Arts. A Brush with Poetry is an eclectic mix of poetry styles, readings and recitals from free verse to tanka to traditional Australian narratives. Music and song also welcome and sometimes that happens. Usually at Café on Queen (currently takeaway only) on the last Sunday of odd months Brush is taking to the air. See you there (and back at the Queen post-pandemic).

Go to the Binalong Arts Group Inc Facebook page on Saturday for the Zoom link.

(Zoom is quite easy. Download the app on to your computer or other device from zoom.us At the scheduled time just click on the link supplied which will take you to the Brush 'meeting.' You'll see a message telling you the host will let you in asap. Then suddenly — voila!)

DON'T BE LIVE POETRY DEPRIVED 4

Stepping across the way to New Zealand for a moment — many thanks to the NZ Poetry Society for their list of online NZ and world events and opportunities.

Here’s a couple of events: 

TODAY! Wairarapa Word's online open mike is on Sunday May 17 at 3 pm NZT. You will find the Zoom link here. Seems to be an open invitation.

Poetry at Your Place (includes poetry, spoken word, music, art) from Wellington on Zoom and Facebook. Sundays 7.30 pm NZT. Poetry Slam at Your Place on what might be alternate weeks I think. 

The House is Open (music, theatre, poems) from Wellington on Zoom Fridays 8 pm NZT. Cost $10 (family/household) ticket to help pay the NZ and OS artists. See Facebook for event details. 

NB Go to the event's website or Facebook for more information including where to find the Zoom link for the individual online happening — it's a new link each time. The link will take you straight there and the host will click you in as soon as they get a chance. 

Check out the NZPS international poetry competition while you are in their website. Closing soon. 

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.

***

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 :)