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I was part of a fabulous line up Wednesday evening at this month’s No Wave poetry readings at The Wheaty – Jelena Dinić, Caroline Reid and Jennifer Liston – curated by the equally fabulous Jill Jones.
Jelena was first up who shared some poems from her recent trip to Serbia that were haunting and quiet and devastatingly beautiful, just like the rest of her work. Jelena’s collection In the Room with the She Wolf published by Wakefield Press charts her journey from her former home of Yugoslavia to Australia, from childhood to becoming an adult, and won the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Unpublished Manuscript prize in 2020.
I was next up and shared some poems from my new collection ice cream ‘n’ tar, one of the winners of the James Tate Chapbook Poetry Prize last year published by Survision Books in Dublin. Offering a surrealist take on climate change, my work produced many contemplative responses, which was exactly the reaction I’d hoped for, as the idea behind these poems was to help people focus on the human impact on our wonderful world.
After a short break Caroline took the stage, whose work was highly entertaining in its grittiness and appeal, where poets were compared to dogs with their bite and how the monthly bleed can generate associations in various guises. Caroline won the 2021 Mslexia International Poetry Prize with ‘A Poem to My Mother that She Will Never Read’, which I remember finding in the magazine and being completely wowed by it.
Last but by no means least was Jen who read poems from her forthcoming collection Grace Notes due out from Salmon Publishing later this year, about Grace O’Malley the Pirate Queen of 16th century Ireland who, despite commanding over 200 men at sea, was written out of history. Jen’s poetry is mesmerising and this was no exception, as she gave voice to this heroine once again following her sold out shows at the Adelaide Fringe in 2020.
It was a brilliant evening compered by Jill who shared witty alternative bios alongside our real ones (seem to recall I was a famous chef!) and the variety of poetry shared worked incredibly well. The readings were recorded for Vision Australia Radio‘s Emerging Writers program, to be broadcast alongside the interviews we gave to Kate Cooper, one of its volunteers, which was another fabulous opportunity to reach a wider audience. Here’s my reading and interview if you’re interested and be sure to check out the others too.
So, I consider ice cream ‘n’ tar officially launched and what better place for it than at these prestigious readings. I even managed to sell several signed copies, although of course a poet is never in poetry for the money; it’s all about the words.
at The Wheaty Wednesday night was epic featuring a stellar line up – Bronwyn Lovell, Alison Flett and Dominic Symes – who helped launch each other’s new collection.
First up was Bronwyn whose work I’ve long admired and her collection, In Bed with Animals from Recent Work Press, is possibly one of the best debuts I’ve ever read.
Bronwyn is a novelist and science fiction scholar as well as a poet, and her work has been shortlisted for some big poetry prizes, including the Dorothy Hewett Award. These poems speak of one woman’s experience of gender discrimination in an ecofeminist voice, calling attention to the exploitation of the environment and animals too. ‘Bitching’ is a fine example, in which Bronwyn draws comparisons between herself and her beloved dog Carmela, both in terms of treatment and temperament:
We domestic animals are still wildly
frightened. If a man mauls me,
they will look for the predator’s DNA
carved in crescents under my claws.
from ‘Bitching’ in In Bed With Animals by Bronwyn Lovell
Alison followed next with her captivating collection Where We Are published by Cordite Books, evocative of home wherever that may be.
Originally hailing from Scotland, Alison travels back to her roots in these raw, visceral poems of longing and belonging, of here and there, conjuring memories along the way interspersed with the delectable Scottish dialect. Alison’s poetry is simply brilliant and I was so pleased to see her infamous fox poems in this collection, (which form a chapbook by themselves published by her own imprint Little Windows Press), a symbol of this fleeting life that shines with her brilliance:
from ‘Semiosphere’ in Where We Are by Alison Flettthe rain runs in rivers
through its red-black fur
and the pavements are thick
with its foxy scent
and the rain rises
to meet it as it runs
and the pavements run
with rivers of its redness
Last but by no means last was Dom reading from I Saw The Best Memes Of My Generation also from Recent Works Press and with a title that sticks.
Dom founded the monthly No Wave poetry readings to try and fill the gap left by the Lee Marvin ones, brain-child of Ken Bolton who is another fine Adelaide-based poet, both of which I’ve had the honour of reading at. Dom’s work is both tender and funny, can make you laugh out loud or nod in rapt agreement, and he had a clever technique; letting the audience choose which poem he shared, that cheered for a Cher poem louder than a Prince one:
I’ve been instructed by The Guardian –
which I pay for now
after being guilted by that widget which kept telling me how
many free articles I’d read & which I’ll admit
feels kind of like paying a bully at school to stop you from
getting beat up (I believe that is called a ‘racket’)
– to feminise the cannon
from ‘Queering the Cannon’ in I Saw The Best Memes Of My Generation by Dominic Symes
Adelaide has a thriving poetry scene, much of which buzzed in the room that night, and with this being the final No Wave coupled with the heartfelt words shared, emotions were high. And it was a festive celebration too, with Alison supplying delicious home-baked treats and party hats, each with a line from a poem and it’s author on the back. Everyone was invited to select one that speaks to them; this was mine:
And the days are not full enough
And the nights are not full enough
And life slips by like a field mouse
Not shaking the grass.
from ‘And the days are not full enough’ by Erza Pound
So if you’re looking for stocking fillers, buy these books. Brimming with confessions, heartbreak and wit, they will not disappoint because their appeal extends beyond poetry. It reaches you.
Last week I read twice – Wednesday at No Wave hosted in The Wheatsheaf Hotel and Sunday as guest poet at Hills Poets in the Aldgate Pump Hotel.
No Wave is a series of poetry readings held on the first Wednesday of each month, the brainchild of brilliant local poet, Dominic Symes. Four poets are invited to read for ten minutes. I was first, with two relatively new poems on a seasonal theme, followed by one from each part of more than here, then a few more new ones. Next up was Dylan Rowen who shared a brave, poignant poem about his mum and the atmospheric ‘Twilight Men’. After the break was Louise Nicholas, a talented poet and friend, reading ‘At Faber and Faber’ about her recent workshop experience and another on drinking in poetry, very entertaining. Paul Turley closed the set reading a series of short poems, one of which was ‘In the Fish Tank’, a goldfish’s perspective.
I’ve been guest poet at Hills Poets before, so it was great to be invited back. Jill Gower convenes the monthly poetry group, another wonderful local poet with her latest collection, Winkle Pickers & Brothel Creepers, also published by Ginninderra Press. After a poem had been shared by each member, Jill introduced me. I started with both the first and last poems from A bellyful of roses followed by four poems from more than here (a different four to No Wave), but finishing with the same new ones. A break followed with another round of poems from all, spanning a combination of styles, content and meter.
As well as the readings, I have some poems upcoming in Ache Magazine, Coffin Bell Journal and The Poeming Pigeon, about endometriosis, strange encounters and the moon respectively. It’s good to be busy. With words.
J V Birch 