Under Sedation: Canberra verse remixed takes on a curated collection of compositions from the 1940s to the present day, weaving together the old, the new, sung, spoken, published, drafted, applauded, unknown, the earnest, irreverent—and turns them into a new theatre work. The Street talked to Adele Chynoweth, almost a year after interviewing her about her commission and … Continue reading
POETRY ON THE MOVE is a festival of poetry, taking place in Canberra from the 14th to 21st of September. We asked Paul Munden, Festival Director, about this year’s program. The theme for this year is ‘Border Crossings’. How has that manifested itself in the festival? The theme emerged naturally. ‘Borders’ of all sorts are very much … Continue reading
Michelle Brock’s poem ‘Memorabilia‘ was highly commended in the 2015 Michael Thwaites Poetry Award. Memorabilia By Michelle Brock —- campfire under the she-oaks burnt to ashes the future they shared by the waterhole Dear Tom I’m back at Roslyn to help out with the farm, starting the holidays early, not that I mind. Right now I’m sitting … Continue reading
This month, we caught up with local poet Melinda Smith to chat all things festivals, including her upcoming appearance at Voci Lontane Voci Sorelle festival (‘Far Voices, Sister Voices’) in Florence, Italy. Melinda Smith is a Canberra-based poet. She won the 2014 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for her fourth book of poems, Drag down to unlock or place … Continue reading
Can you briefly describe your writing career? A happy accident—for a while I thought I was a painter. At first I just played, but then words found a pattern and a place in my life. Thirteen (almost) books later … and some great opportunities. What inspires your creativity? The world. Walking. Walking with a sunhat … Continue reading
Penny O’Hara’s poem, Ode to a Papermate Inkjoy 100, won the 2015 Michael Thwaites Poetry Award, as part of our ACT Publishing and Writing Awards announced last year. The judge, Melinda Smith, described it as “a fabulous tight piece of metaphyics with lots of clever witty angles, none of them overdone.” Read it for yourself below. Who can say who picked up whom? … Continue reading
Essayist-in-residence Kabu Okai-Davies waxes lyrical on his relationship with poetry. The pleasures of poetry rest within the lingering sensation of memory, left behind in the infinite spaces of the mind. Like trails of star dusts, every poem makes love to the reader behind the dark shadows of secret desires. Poetry is like a lover, slipping away … Continue reading
Chris Kerr compares the “slam” and traditional poetry scenes, chatting to a few of Canberra’s notable poets in his last post as Blogger in Residence. [Photograph by: Brianna Laugher] This is the second of two blog posts looking at the Canberra poetry scene. The first one explored the sometimes overlooked world of Bush Poetry. In … Continue reading
Sarah Rice’s poem, Action (Bus Route 2) was Highly Commended for the 2015 Michael Thwaites Poetry Award. This poem was described by judge, Melinda Smith as “A personable, compassionate meditation on having and not-having with some sharply observed moments”. Action (Bus Route 2) There’s someone living in my bus stop two bikes three bags and … Continue reading
Blogger in Residence, Chris Kerr, wants you to “forget whatever pale and anaemic associations the word ‘poetry’ brings to mind”, by enlightening you on the fascinating and lively poetry scene in Canberra. Canberra is blessed with a vibrant and diverse range of poetry scenes. This post is the first of a two-part look at what … Continue reading
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