Poetry in Motion

I have boarded the poetry train to Sydney.

Australian Poetry ltd have sponsored a train to Sydney thats going to be crammed to the gunnels with poets. There'll be slams and recitals and media and food. So i'm in. I like the concept, it reminds me of the Tragic Troubadours, our performances for the You Are Here Festival, taking poetry to  different places.

The word "gunnels" (actually gunwales) always makes me think of trains, and not boats. This is due to me reading Ahma Hoarss, Tom Leonard's brilliant phonetic translation of Jean Arp's Ich bin Ein Pferd which, for the non-germanic, Jean had helpfully self translated into Je suis un Cheval.

Ahma Hoarss

Ahm oan a train
packt ti thi gunnilz
ma comparmints fuhll
a wummin n vri seat
a man oan ivri wummins knee
helluva hoat
lik sumhm oot thi tropics
aw thi passengers
fuhlin thir faces
champin away
when thi men aw suddnly girn
they wahnt thir mammy's tit
wahnt thir feed
wahnt thir sook
the oapn thi wummins blouses
lift oot the diddies
sook away fur life
fuhll thimselz wi good fresh mulk
ahm thi only wan no breastfeedin
n naibodys sookn it me
n am no sittn oan emdy's knee
an naibdyz sittn oan mine
coz ahma hoarss
sitn straight up a hoarss
ma hinn legs
upnthi seat
leanin nice n comfy
oan ma front legs
nay bothir a nieeeei gh gh gh
oan ma breast six buttns
shiny sixy sex appeal
neat n a row
lik glossy buttns n a uniform
how toaty thi world
how mega its cherries

Loved you once

Just in case you've missed previous links to the demo of Martin Raynor and My  song Loved you once here is the soundcloud.

Martin is playing a gig at the Potbelly in Belconnen on the 24th of August, 9pm. Come along!

Canberra Poetry Slam August Slam or Scrambled

Friday the 31st sees Canberra's longest running poetry slam, The Canberra Poetry Slam host Slam or scrambled, the August edition.

Featuring Canberra's CJ Bowerbird, a no-holds barred open mike, the slam itself and a return to cash prizes, the night promises to be chockfull of entertainment

Hosted by Myself and the Flying V, the night will kick off with the open mike, a defining tradition of the Canberra Poetry Slam, and then the slam proper will start at 8.

Slam rules are simple, 3 minutes of your own composition, no musical accompaniment or props.

Join the Facebook Event here.

the night kicks off at 7:30, Front Cafe and Gallery, Lyneham

Schmooze Artist in Residency

Last week the business networking gurus at Schmooze appointed me to their 2012 Artist in Residence, a position that I was lucky enough to even be considered for.  The residency will last for three months, where i will compose and perform at various functions culminating in a charity auction where businesses can bid for my talents and funds raised will go to the Cerebral Palsy Alliance as a part of Schmooze founder's Everyday Hero charity work.

Details of my residency can be found on the Schmooze website here.

Book launch date released!

The date of the launch for Blemish Book's Triptych Poets #3 has been set for the 20th of September.

Triptych Poets is an annual publication that tries to "highlight the contrasting and complementary aspects in contemporary poetry" by selecting a collection of poems from three Australian poets.

Blemish Books is an independent press publishing an exciting high quality range of  books, essays and poetry from establishing and emerging writers. Triptych Poets #3 is my first collection, which i share with P.S. Cottier and Joan Kerr.

Launch details:
Blemish Books presents
Triptych Poets #3
20 September 6 pm
Paperchain Bookstore
34 Franklin Street Manuka

Scissors Paper Pen soundcast

A soundcast of a promotional interview for the launch of Triptych Poets #3 is now available online.
Conducted by blogger Duncan Felton for Scissors Paper Pen the soundcast contains two recorded poems "Once More" and "Two Dueling Love Poems For Phoebe", a brief interview and finishes with a demo of Martin Raynor performing our song "Loved You Once".

Both poems feature in Triptych Poets #3, where my collection of poems "Lovers and Brothers" is a third of the volume shared with Joan Kerr and another Canberran poet P.S. Cottier.  Triptych Poets is the third volume in a wonderful series produced by Blemish Books Independent Press, and is set for release in September.

Loved You Once is a song co written by me and Martin Raynor, and recorded in my living room. The plan is to build an EP of songs together, so stay tuned for more on that project.

To listen to the soundcast head to the Scissors Paper Pen page for an SPP event in audio miniature.