Blogging - How to...

There's been a whole lot of static on my blog for a while now...

Today I am attending, in fact co-hosting, a workshop about blogging. I'll let you know what I learn afterwards.

Little Mountain Reading Poetry Workshop

Peter Lach-Newinsky is a fabulous poet. I have been in awe of the strong voice that is conveyed through his poetry and I can't wait to attend this poetry workshop on the 28th of November, 10am-1pm, at the beautiful Sturt Cottage. 

little mountain readings 2015

Can't wait for another great little mountain readings!

This year Peter Lach-Newinsky and Lorne Johnson are our feature poets. As always there will be drinks, canapés, live music, book sales and an open mic.

This year's event is on the 28th of November, from 5-8pm, at Sturt, Mittagong.

Little Mountain Readings - Poetry Workshop

Saturday 15 November, 10.00 am–1.00 pm – Ron Pretty will lead a poetry workshop, Drafting: A Creative Process, at Sturt Cottage, Mittagong. 

Participants will explore ways of developing a first draft into a fully crafted poem. The workshop will explore the creative aspects of the process, including line breaks, language, imagery and structure. 

Participants are asked to bring several of their current poems. 

Fees (including tickets for the Little Mountain Readings in the afternoon) are $85 full fees, $65 Friends of Sturt and SCWC members and $45 for under 18s. 

Bookings essential on (02) 4860 2083 (Sturt Cottage). Information on (02) 4228 0151(South Coast Writers’ Centre).

Little Mountain Readings 2014

Saturday 15 November, 5.00 pm–8.00 pm – Little Mountain Readings will present acclaimed local poets Jessica Raschke and Mark Tredinnick, alongside poets Peter Bakowski and Ron Pretty at Sturt Cottage, corner Range Road and Waverley Parade, Mittagong. 

Bring along your poems! Open mic with book prizes and the inaugural lead logie (LMR pencil) to be won. 

Refreshments provided. 

Bookings from the South Coast Writers’ Centre at director@southcoastwriters.org.au or from Sturt Cottage on (02) 4860 2083. $25/$15 (SCWC members and Friends of Sturt Cottage).

Little Mountain Readings 2014

Looking forward to the second Little Mountain Readings on November the 15th, 5-8pm. We have an inspiring line up of poets: Peter Bakowski, Jenny Crozier, Ron Pretty and Mark Tredinnick. There will be book sales and of course an open mic with book prizes and the annual LMR 'lead logie' pencil to be won.

For tickets contact South Coast Writers Centre on director[at]southcoastwriters[dot]org[dot]au or call Sturt on 02 4860 2083.

Wollongong Writers Festival

I'm thrilled to be able to promote the Wollongong Writers Festival, an exciting new enterprise that began successfully last year. Congratulations Chloe Higgins for doing such a fantastic job organising this festival!

You can find details of the program here http://www.wollongongwritersfestival.com/event/

Sweetened in Coals

Alan Wearne will launch Phillip Gijindarraji Hall’s first collection of poetry at the University of Wollongong. The collection, sweetened in coals, explores “ways of responding to place; listening to Country in a way that esteems the Traditional Owners and interrogates colonialism’s crooked paths,” Hall said.

Please come along to the foyer of building 25 at Wollongong University on Friday the 4th of July from 4:30-6pm for a discussion and reading.

sweetened in coals by Phillip Gijindarraji Hall

I am so proud of my dad! Phillip Gijindarraji Hall has had his first poetry book published, sweetened in coals, with Ginninderra Press. This amazing collection has been in the making for a long time, part of it came about as a result of Phillip's Doctorate in Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong.

This is poetry that dances like the brolga: in praise of wading waist deep in the mountain river's 'nourishing brown flow'; of parcelling freshly caught barra in paperbark before 'sweetening in coals'; of a campfire crackling in 'plumes of rising heat'. Hall raises the flag to Indigenous survival, listening to Country in a way that esteems the traditional owners and interrogates colonialism's crooked paths. This is poetry that keeps us sensitively engaged and committed from beginning to end.

'Every day twenty-first century Australia needs urgent corrections to that ongoing virus of phoney patriotism continuing to infect it. The plain-speaking, closely observed poems of Phillip Hall go a mighty long way in tending to that need.' - Alan Wearne

'Hall is a striking imagist, moving us toward a Thoreauean poetic of sauntering and ambient perspective. Sweetened in Coals is a stunning achievement.' - Bonny Cassidy

Phillip will be at the University of Wollongong in July reading poetry from his collection, which will be launched by Alan Wearne. I will post more details about the launch shortly. Thanks in advance to the South Coast Writers Centre and the University of Wollongong for hosting this launch.

To purchase the book visit Ginninderra Press.

Hovering into the Australian Literature Scene - Sotto

Happy New Year dear readers. Please visit Australian Poetry's online journal - Sotto - and read my article 'Hovering into the Australian Literature Scene'. http://www.australianpoetry.org/2013/12/11/hovering-into-the-australian-literature-scene/

The article explores my work at the South Coast Writers Centre. I have sadly finished up my job in the office at the Writers Centre, although I will be staying on as a board member and I will continue to run the annual event, Little Mountain Readings. 

It also discusses my challenges and successes as an emerging poet.

Little Mountain Readings

I am incredibly excited to be launching the first Little Mountain Readings (LMR) this weekend, in partnership with South Coast Writers Centre and Sturt, supported by Arts NSW. LMR will be a regular poetry event in Mittagong.

The first LMR will take place this Saturday, November 30th, at Sturt Cottage, 6-9pm.

The event will combine poetry with the romantic atmosphere of the cottage, where writers and literary enthusiasts can relax with a glass of wine, canapes and music.

Local poets Ken Challenor, Kerry Miller and Monica Markovina, as well as acclaimed writer Mark Tredinnick will give poetry readings on the night, followed by an open mic session.

Tickets are $25, or $15 for SCWC members and friends of Sturt. For bookings, please contact the South Coast Writers Centre here or call (02) 4228 0151.

Rocket Readings - Today!!

I have just finished my last prac teaching block. I loved it and was sad to leave the school, the supportive staff and the lovable students behind, but I am looking forward to receiving a placement for next year.

In the meantime, I am excited to have more time for my writing and reading!

First up, today I will be reading some of my poetry at the Wollongong City Gallery, for Viva la Gong's Rocket Readings. I am honoured to have been invited to read by the event host, Linda Godfrey! I am also a bit nervous to be reading alongside poetry great, Peter Skrzynecki!

Experimental Love Poem

It has been a long time since I have found a spare moment to write a post here...

Let me fill you in on some of my goings on. I was involved in the Southern Highlands Writers' Festival, chairing a great panel discussion about 'Seeking Horizons: Local, Highly Acclaimed Poets in Discussion'. In this panel Chris Mansell, Ron Pretty, Mark Tredinnick and myself talked about where we write and how the places that we write from affect our poetry. 

I also participated in the Fest Factor, reading my poem 'Cafe Rosso', which you can read in Australian Poetry's Sotto. Congratulations to Lorin Reid for winning the Fest Factor! Lorin is a very talented slam poet!

The Southern Highlands Writers' Festival was the first literary event that myself and a team of tweeters live-tweeted from, capturing the inspirational atmosphere and some great quotes so that the conversations that began at the festival could be shared be a much wider audience. To find out more about the 2013 Southern Highlands Writers' Festival please check out the twitter #shwf2013.

I am currently the Acting Director at the South Coast Writers' Centre, which is keeping me very busy! We had Lynne Leonhardt at the Centre earlier this month reading from her latest book Finding Jasper. My team of tweeties got their digits moving and again shared some great quotes from Lynne's talk which can be found @SCWCentre.

Thankfully, I am coming to the end of my university studies. I am looking forward to the Christmas break and hopefully the whole lot of writing that I will be partaking in! For now though, here is an experimental love poem that I have been playing with.

143 (I Luv U!)

      459! wot r u up 2?

      thinking of u! HAK xx

          thanks hun! ILY!

    wot r u doing l8tr? xoxo

    i dont no… J

         want 2 do sum couch cuddling? J

   ILU! B round at 8 xxx

  cant wait 2 c u! LOL

              ILU2 v. much!!

Southern Highlands Writers' Festival

The festival is nearly here! Myself and a team of twitter experts will be broadcasting all of the highlights from the festival. To follow or join in on the conversation follow #shwf2013 on twitter and Facebook.

To find out more about the festival lineup and to book tickets go to www.shwf.com.au.

Southern Highlands Writers' Festival Events

The South Coast Writers Centre, in association with the Southern Highlands Writers' Festival and supported by Arts NSW, will be hosting the following three events on Saturday, July 13th at Gibraltar House in Bowral.

Seeking Horizons: Acclaimed and Local Poets in Conversation
Rhiannon Hall from the South Coast Writers Centre will be in conversation with three local poets: Mark Tredinnick, Ron Pretty and Chris Mansell, in the Gallery Room, from 2.30–3.30pm.
Fantastic Fiction
Authors Nigel Featherstone and Christine Howe will be discussing contemporary Australian fiction and their latest works with journalist and author William Verity, in the Ballroom, from 4–5pm.
Muso Musings
Musician and ABC Illawarra broadcaster Nick Rheinberger will be in conversation with one of Australia's most prolific and esteemed writers of music biographies, Jeff Apter, in the Gallery Room, from 4–5pm.
For information on ticket prices and bookings please visit www.shwf.com.au

Sydney Writers’ Festival: What are you going to see?

I think May is my favorite month of the year. I am always so excited to listen to and meet national and international writers at the Sydney Writers’ Festival. Plus, you can’t forget the books! I work all year just so that I can buy books and get them signed at writers’ festivals.

This year the South Coast Writers Centre (SCWC), in partnership with the Sydney Writers’ Festival will be hosting two excellent literary events. On Sunday the 19th of May, from 1.30-3.30pm, Wollongong’s reoccurring poetry event, Rocket Readings, will kick off the week. This year’s Rocket Readings special guests are Joanne Burns, Peter Lach-Newinsky and Ron Pretty. These three marvelous Australian poets will be reading their poetry, with Ron Pretty sharing some of his poems from his recent writing residency in Rome. These readings will be followed by Rocket Readings’ very successful poetry Open Mic section. All poets are welcome to read in the Rocket Reading Open Mic. The Open Mic will be judged by the special guest poets and will end in the handing over of the official Rocket Cup. Rocket Readings’ host, Linda Godfrey, welcomes everyone to enjoy some fine poetry in the Wollongong City Gallery. The event is free and no bookings are required.

The second event that SCWC will be hosting, in partnership with the Sydney Writers’ Festival, is the annual Celebrating the Voice Indigenous Writers’ Night (CTV). Now in its 13th year, CTV presents a brand new collection of poems, published by SCWC, entitled Dreaming Inside. Dreaming Inside includes writing by Aboriginal inmates at the Junee Correctional Centre. On Thursday the 23rd of May, from 6.30-8.30pm at the Wollongong City Gallery, Aunty Barbara Nicholson, Simon Luckhurst, John Muk Muk Burke and Bruce Pascoe will read excerpts from Dreaming Inside. These four writers tutored the inmates in the art of poetry. These writers will also be reading their own reflections on their experiences working with the inmates, which are expressed through poetry and prose. There will be book sales on the night and free drinks and nibbles. CTV 2013 will be MC’d by Associate Professor Paul Sharrad. CTV is part of the South Coast Writers Centre’s Indigenous Writing program.

This event is presented by South Coast Writers Centre, in association with the Sydney Writers’ Festival and supported by Arts NSW, Wollongong City Council and Wollongong City Gallery. Free, bookings essential, please contact SCWC on 02 4228 0151 or email director@southcoastwriters.org.au.

For more information on events that are occurring during the Sydney Writers’ Festival please check out the Festival’s website, at http://www.swf.org.au/, as well as Varuna, the Writers’ House website, for details of the Blue Mountain’s program, at http://www.varuna.com.au/varuna/. Finally, don’t forget to grab yourself a copy of the Sydney Morning Herald.


This article was first published in Tertangala - UOW's Student Magazine.

ABC Open 500 Words

On February 21st, Sean O’Brian held a seminar at SCWC. The seminar focused on ABC Open – a website that seeks to publish the photos, videos and stories created by regional Australians. Sean spoke about 500 Words ABC Open’s latest theme, ‘A Scary Moment’, and gave tips on how writers can make the most of their stories published through the website.

• It’s all about the title – Short, catchy titles are what gain attention. If you name your story after the theme or use something generic-sounding, you may not get as many readers as you would with something original. For example, a title such as “The Journey” may not get as many readers as a story entitled “Never Listen to Your Mother”.
• Images catch eyes and readers – Finding an appropriate and interesting image for your story can help draw people to your story. A great website for finding original images is Flickr. However, be aware of copyright; only use images if they are in Creative Commons or if you get permission from the photographer to use their work. Focus on picking a strong image that conveys one element of your story simply. If you cannot find an image, Sean can choose one for you.
• Keep summaries simple – Grab a reader’s attention by using a good summary. Questions can be provoking and stimulating.
• Take care when submitting – If you submit to ABC Open by pasting your story from Word, be sure to click the Word button on the submition page in order to retain your formatting. To make your story easier to read on the internet, make sure you have short paragraphs and sentences. A single sentence can be its own paragraph. Using brief grammar and language can help make your story more reader-friendly.

Sean provided much insight into the broader ABC activities and his encouraging attitude inspired many. He says that if anyone has issues with using the site or uploading their stories, they can contact him at abcopen.illawarra@abc.net.au for help.

ABC Open’s ‘A Scary Moment’ category already has 500 published submissions. As all submissions are published (unless there are legal issues) and all writers retain their copyright, anyone is welcome to send in their work. You may also respond to previous themes, but keep in mind you will get less readers.

As the current theme comes to a close on February 28th, writers are encouraged to come up with their next story, centered on the theme ‘I Was There’. You can browse other stories and guidelines at the ABC Open website open.abc.net.au.

By Rhiannon Hall and Ashleigh Kelman
http://southcoastwriters.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/abc-open-workshop/ 

Morning Becomes Electric

The South Coast Writers Centre's Poetry Appreciation Group looked at the poetry of Bruce Dawe in our meeting this month. One of the poems that we read and discussed was his 'Morning Becomes Electric'.

The imagery within this poem is amazing and at first appears quite eclectic.

The poem includes metaphors of nature and the hustle of morning traffic, beginning:

Another day
roars up at you out of the east
in an expressway of birds gargling their first
antiseptic song, where clouds are
bumper-to-bumper all the way back to the horizon.

As well as the similes of traffic and nature there is an image of car fumes reminding the speaker of the smell of a friend being cremated. This image made many in our group feel slightly uncomfortable and led to a lengthy discussion about the appropriateness of the image within the context of this poem. The lines that I am referring to run as follows:

― the odour of stalled vehicles
wickedly pleasant like an old burning friend,
still whispering to you from the incinerator.

The poem then ends with images of the home, of preparing breakfast and opening the door to door-to-door salesmen:

...its armies, its smoke, its door-to-door salesmen,
... giving you an argument of sorts
before you have even assembled your priorities,
properly unrolled your magic toast
or stepped into the wide eyes of your egg.

For me, this poem is exploring a few things: firstly, and most obviously, the repetitiveness and predictiveness of the everyday; as well as, change and adjustment.

The first of these I don't believe needs any further explanation, the lines from the poem above clearly illustrate the humdrum nature of the everyday that Dawe's has captured.

As for my assertion that the poem is exploring change and adjustment, I feel that Dawe is drawing out the changes that we experience within the everyday. I say 'we' because Dawe addresses "you" or us as readers throughout the poem. That change may be gradual, for example where there was once herds of cattle meandering between fields there may now be a busy road, where during peak hour, cars "bank-up". As the physical landscape changes so to do we, as living organisms. The adjustment or acceptance of the loss of a friend can also be gradual, as we are reminded of a passed friend in the "odour of stalled vehicles".

This poem is satirical, as are many of Dawe's poems, the comments on change and the lack of control that we have over the everyday that can be found within the poem include an element of shock value, as well as a questioning of if and why we would want to have such a tight control over the everyday. The traffic scene of the first two stanzas is crowded and we are all just hanging on, with the gulls, waiting for something newsworthy to occur. Even as we are pulled back into the house in the third stanza, we are still holding on for something more exciting than the 'everdayness' of the door-to-door salesmen. The magic realism of the last two lines, where we are 'unrolling' our toast and 'stepping into' our eggs, is a final illustration of the ridiculousness of the everyday.

To purchase this Bruce Dawe's collection Sometimes Gladness, which this poem can be found in, click here or here. Copies of Sometimes Gladness can also be found cheap at second hand stores.

Zwischenräume - Spaces of Convergence

Check out the films of Ken Challenor, Di Barkas and myself reading our ekphrastic poems at the Zwischenräume - Spaces of Convergence exhibition.

Thanks to Adam Carr for all his hard work in getting these online and to Garry Jones for filming on the day.

http://southcoastwriters.org.au/article/event-2012-zwishenraume.php


My poem can also be read in a previous post here.

Unfolding

The Nan Tien Institute, SCWC (South Coast Writers Centre) and IAVA (Illawarra Association for the Visual Arts) invite SCWC poets to be part of a unique collaboration at this upcoming event. ‘Unfolding’ is an art exhibition that gives local artists and writers the opportunity to reflect on living in the ‘Asian Century’. The ‘Asian Century’ follows on from an American Century in the 20th century and a British Century during the 1800s, with concepts that allude to trans-cultural experiences across the globe, economically, politically, and philosophically. Two winning entrants will have the opportunity to perform before a huge audience, as the opening is part of the official Nan Tien Institute’s Graduation Day, for which some 4000 visitors are expected. In addition, the poems will be published in a colour catalogue. 

It was a joy and a challenge to respond to the theme 'living and working in the Asian Century'. Thank you to the Nan Tien Institute, SCWC and IAVA for the opportunity to submit a poem for this exhibition and for excepting my piece. 

To read my poem 'Conversing' please purchase the catalogue from IAVA or you can purchase it from the SCWC at  Gleniffer Brae (Wollongong Conservatorium of Music), 5 Robsons Rd (Corner of Robsons Rd and Murphys Avenue), Keiraville.