Inspiring through poetry: An article in the Southern Highalnds News

Penny Bell wrote this fabulous article about me for the Southern Highlands News.

POET and high school teacher Rhiannon Hall says that her initial love of poetry began with her father reading poetry to her as a child.

He also writes poetry, which no doubt set a good example, but Rhiannon's path to finding her voice was not as straight as perhaps her father may have wanted.

Teenage depression made her take a detour.

She hated high school and dropped out in year 10.

"I needed freedom to find my own way," she said.

And find her own way she has.
...

After leaving school, she moved to Moss Vale, supporting herself working in hospitality.

By 22, she tired of the long hours and physical work, and enrolled in an Arts Degree at University of Wollongong, Southern Highlands Campus in Moss Vale.

"Having a Uni around the corner made it possible to juggle everything and the staff there were so encouraging," she said.
...

Once she found her confidence there was no stopping her, and she went on to do an honours degree and a Diploma of Education at the Wollongong university campus.

These days she is so busy teaching the next generation how to write that she finds it difficult to find the opportunity to write herself.

"I always have ideas for a poem in my mind but it is not until I can find a quiet space that I can concentrate on the image and express it," she said.

Despite the competition for her time, she still manages to run an annual event called 'Little Mountain Readings', held in November at Sturt Gallery, Mittagong.

Last year she organised Peter Lach-Newinsky and Lorne Johnson, both established poets from Bundanoon, to be guests at the event.

This year she hopes to have her Dad, Phillip Hall, as guest poet.
...

- Penny Bell

For the full article: http://www.southernhighlandnews.com.au/story/3916376/inspiring-through-poetry/?cs=262

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.

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.

The process and the poem: An interview with local poet Rhiannon Hall

Bellow is a lovely write up of me, by my friend Chloe Higgins. Thank you Chloe for offering to interview me and for representing me and my writing so well!

This interview first appeared in Tertangala: UOW's Student Magazine: The F-Word (2013)

“Who do you write for?”

A couple of days earlier, I had sent Rhiannon a list of more than 15 questions. She sent me her response shortly after. It totalled over 2,000 words.

As we walked through Wollongong’s Botanical Gardens, I realised a question had been missing.

“For myself,” she answered.

Three things came to mind.

The first was an earlier conversation with Rhiannon. I had asked where she got her inspiration. Her response came in the form of a short story about a man and his goat.

There was once a man who regularly came into the butchers where Rhiannon previously worked. Each time, the man told her the same story: his goat was driving him mad. So he tied it up. He got it under control.

At first, she dismissed the story as idle chat. But the man kept coming into the butchers. And he kept telling her the same story. He had a goat. It was driving him mad. So he tied it up.

Eventually, when she didn’t know what else to do with the man’s story, she made it into a poem.

A Retiree and Goat

for alex

First appeared, in an earlier version, Seeking the Sun: Australian Poetry 2012.

1

Combat in our final years, assembling the fence. Spying

the goat contriving, flaunting her power,

to expose frailty,

                         kicking up her heels.

Watching wearily, tomorrow I will toil

with fence posts and wire.

2

Watching from the window she remembers a time

when I was attentive to other passions. Snagged on a nail

yellow dress slipping

                                  off pearly shoulders.

A time when fencing could wait, just to

touch breast, navel, thigh.

3

Retirement meant more time embracing our passions.

Time that we dreamed of. We found novels, movies,

individual lounge chairs.

                                     I fight with the goat.

The second thing that came to mind was another earlier exchange we had. I had asked which of her poems was her favourite.

“Demokratizmi,” she said.

I asked her what it meant.

She told me the title is Georgian for democracy. The poem was written in response to an imprint created by Gela Samsonidse. She explained that the imprint was Gela’s attempt to express his identity and explore language. He starts by writing words in Georgian script, and then scribbles over them until he can longer make out the words.

Rhiannon wrote Demokratizmi by looking at the imprint, allowing words to flood her mind, and then cutting out words until she was left with the small number that make up the poem. She never did decipher the actual words that Gela wrote.

I re-read the poem.

Demokratizmi

after an imprint by Gela Samsonidse

First appeared South Coast Writers Centre website, July 2012.

დემოკრატიზმი

(democracy) drums,

chanting from the people

mouths widen, marching

mi to the ballot box,

curving in a crescendo

climaxing in October 28, 1990

striking the floor, blood

    (სის­ხლი) blood shed on canvas.

I asked her if she showed Gela the poem. She said she hadn’t. He wouldn’t like it, she explained. He doesn’t like his artworks to be made political.

I asked her how she felt about people misinterpreting her poems and she laughed.

“I misinterpret people’s poems all the time.”

We continued walking through the gardens.

I reminded her of the two stories she had shared and repeated her answer to the question of who she writes for, back to her, in the form of a question.

“So you write for yourself?”

She laughed softly, “Yeah, I guess…”

When we finished walking through the gardens and parted ways, I re-read over her responses to the questions I emailed her. When asked why she writes, her desire to create comes through strongly.

“I love the feeling I get when I know that I have written something half good. I feel like I have really achieved something. Having a creative outlet has been really important for me, particularly while I was doing my honours research last year. I can’t dance, paint or sing, so writing is the only form of creative expression that I get a real buzz from.”

She went on to talk about her process.

“Often the words appear in more of a trickle than a splash. But, there is always something that stimulates and inspires me, like a painting, a piece of writing, an event, my surroundings, or a combination of these things.”

A sense of silence and space came through strongly.

“I need a lot of time to write. I have to be able to slow down and forget about work and uni for a bit. It is kind of like a meditation, once I am calm, I can devote myself to pondering over the ideas that have been bouncing around my mind. I always have ideas for a poem. I pick ideas up from work, uni and everyday life, but it is not until I am able to remove myself from these things that I can concentrate on one image.”

Rhiannon’s responses seemed only to further the idea that she is a woman who very much writes for the other, cares for the other, wants to observe and understand the other.

One of her poems in particular, Café Rosso, paints a picture not just of women with windswept hair, lovers leaning across tables, cocky men and stout women waiting to pay, but of a woman, sitting in the background, immersed in observing and understanding what is going on in the world around her.

Café Rosso

First appeared Sotto, August-September 2012.

grey thunders Bowral skies

two women with windswept hair

warming over cannelloni, their cappuccinos cupped.

Lovers lean across tables, faces almost touch;

Order seafood - Grigliato Misto, white wine.

Big men, cocky as  sunshine yellow parrots,

chucking back macchiatos; riffling work schedules,

envy  every casual diner.

Waitresses flitting across the room,

enjoying sweet meringue aromas,

the delicate perfumes

of stout women waiting to pay.

The poem speaks loudly of the quote Rhiannon has posted at the top of her blog homepage:

To be a poet one needs the six P’s – the pencil, the paper, the perception, the passion, the persistence and the unshakable persuasion that the poem is in fact possible and attainable. - Grace Perry

The third thing that came to mind when Rhiannon said she writes for herself was a quote by George Steiner.

“There is language, there is art, because there is the other.”

I mention the quote to her and she shrugs, “I guess I have never really thought about it before.”

Rhiannon Hall was a café poet with Australian Poetry and has been published in Seeking the Sun: Australian Poetry 2012, Sotto, the UOW LitSoc Zine, Tertangala, Unfolding (an art exhibition catalogue) and on the South Coast Writers Centre's website. 

An Interview by Chloe Higgins.

A Rumour

Kelman, A, Hooper, J, Sanchez, N, Prokop, R, and Lee, V (eds.)

Tide, 9^th Edn, 2012, 115pp.
Available at: http://ro.uow.edu.au/tide/vol9/iss1/1

Every edition of the Faculty of Creative Art’s journal, Tide, sparks rumours of greatness. For those of you who have not heard of Tide, it is a literary journal produced by third year creative writing students. The 2012, 9^th edition of Tide showcases a quality of writing, imagination and vision that I was not prepared for when Ashleigh Kelman proudly presented a copy to the South Coast Writers Centre.

Kelman, and all of the 2012 Tide team, had every reason to be proud! This edition has it all, from poetry and short stories about love, war, popular culture, drugs, death and much more, all connected by the central theme of ‘endings’.

The theme that I am most engrossed by is that of rumours. The literary virtuosity found in the poetry and stories of this edition can only be interpreted as a rumour of the success that awaits these emerging authors and poets.

Elizabeth Stevenson’s story ‘Devotion’ is a cold tale of cause and effect, which details a sibling power struggle and eventually a murder. It ends with the same ‘tap-tap-tapping’ sound that it begins with, but the perpetrator is no longer Michael’s sister, but Michael himself. The story begins:

“She sat on the divan, eyes narrowed and cold, looking down at him… tap-tap-tapping her fan on her smirking lips. They were painted a deep red. Red like the wine. Red like blood” (36).

The tapping at the beginning of the story does not only contribute to the cause of the final murder, but is also a rumour of the kind of anger that lies within the downtrodden Michael, the kind of anger that leaves a man seeing ‘red’. The repetition of colour and sound invites a reader to sympathise with the murderer and positions the victim in the role of the antagonist.

Tide has set off a series of causes and effects, encouraging many of these emerging writers to further experiment with their form and to search out more publishing opportunities. Thus, the ‘tap-tap-tapping’ continues.

Nicholas Brooks is one writer whose work continues to grab my attention. His story ‘Drew’s House’ opens up a families suffering, allowing a reader to view the bubbling rawness of grief, as the characters struggle to accept Drew’s condition.  Brooks has a way of beginning his stories; after the first few lines my blinkers are up, and I have eyes and ears only for the story. It is in the simplicity of his descriptions, and in his short, concise sentences, that I am mesmerised. The combination of these is found in ‘Drew’s House’, which begins:

“Drew’s dad is watching television when I walk in. Something loud, mindless. A cigarette rests in an ashtray on the arm of the couch; smoke rises towards the ceiling” (69).

The pain, confusion and anger that are felt by the characters are expertly suggested, if you will, rumoured in the noise and haze of these first three sentences.

Whispers of Brooks’ determination and skill can be found in dark corners of the internet. I am a proud follower of his WordPress blog ‘readingroomofhell’. Brooks’ voice can also be heard at the Literary Society meetings and at the South Coast Writers Centre’s fiction writing workshop.

I am excited for the writers who were published in Tide 2012, because I truly believe that they are all very talented. I am looking forward to following all of their writing careers.

Samantha Lewis’ poem, ‘Means’, is another piece of writing that details a series of cause and affects. Lewis’ capturing of the events and emotions experienced by a young man fighting in a war in Afghanistan, to an older man, still traumatised by the events of his youth, is powerful. It is a real credit to Lewis that she was able to successfully portray this character. Her poem constructs a moving antiwar argument.

There are so many other poems and stories that I could write about, but I will leave you with a rumour, the rumour that the poets and authors published in Tide 2012 have exciting literary careers in front of them.

This article was first published in Tertangala: University of Wollongong's Student Magazine: The F-Word (2013).

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.

Demokratizmi

The following poem, which was generously selected by the SCWC director as the July 2012 South Coast Writers Centre poem of the month, was written in response to Zwishenräume – spaces of convergence art exhibition. I wrote this poem in response to an artwork by Gela Samsonidse (the image on the right).

I have never previously written a poem in response to an artwork, which was an interesting, stimulating and exciting experience for me. I have also never written a piece that experiments with language the way I have here. I hope you enjoy it.

Demokratizmi

after an imprint by Gela Samsonidse

 

დემოკრატიზმი

(democracy) drums,

chanting from the people

mouths widen, marching

mi to the ballot box,

curving in a crescendo

climaxing in October 28, 1990

striking the floor, blood

(სის­ხლი) blood shed on canvas. 

One Long Summer Afternoon

I have been busy working on my honours thesis the last couple of weeks, so much so that I haven't been able to find any inspiration for writing poetry. So, I have instead been reading. I thought I should share some readings of poetry with you.

David Tacey believes that “…good poetry (contemporary and traditional), is written from a spiritual perspective, and is often a celebration of the spirit of life, society and experience” (2004, p55). For Tacey literary theory has for too long practised secular readings of poetry, neglecting and sometimes refusing to acknowledge the spiritual undertone of much poetry, and it is this spirituality that Tacey believes attracts general readers to poetry (2004). In this sense, Tacey argues that literary critics have been interpreting poetry in a way that opposes a general reader’s interpretation. Tacey views the Australian natural landscape as a key source of spiritual reverence in the twenty-first century stating, “…in Australia, the country of reversals… the celestial realm appears to be ‘below’ us, in the earth itself, in the soil, rocks and plants of this ancient land” (2000, p94). By this premise place-poetry in Australia must be spiritual, displaying a level of intimacy between the poet, speaker, reader and the natural subject of the poetry. One example of such a poem is Australian poet Bruce Beaver’s poem ‘One Long Summer Afternoon’. It is set in Bundanoon, in the Southern Highlands and is aesthetically motivated, describing the visual appeal of lilacs: “…The lilac / lulled me away from dusty heat / to scenes as distant as another / life…” (Beaver 1991, p250). Beaver’s poem is transcendental in that the lilac transports the speaker to another space, where the speaker “…hovered half-in half-out of / myself…” (1991, p250). The representations of nature within Beaver’s poem are used as a metaphor for the speaker’s emotional experience of 'the country'. These emotions are linked to the place, but remain human-centred. The speaker is in awe of the space but is not concerned with the human impact on that space as the speaker drives past cow and sheep farms. Although the speaker does not openly acknowledge, for example, the devastation that hard-hooved cattle may have on the Australian earth does that mean that there cannot be a message of preservation taken from the poem? Jonathan Bate writes that “[i]f mortals dwell in that they save the earth and if poetry is the original admission of dwelling, then poetry is the place where we save the earth” (2000, p283). For Bate place-poetry does benefit the natural place that it engages with, through a connection of the heart with place, and by modelling relationships of praise, spirituality and respect for the natural environment. It is my contention that messages of dwelling are conveyed through recognition of a level of spirituality, or the sacredness of nature, within the poetry. In this sense Beaver's poem, where the speaker is in awe of the lilac flower and surrounding nature of Bundanoon, carries in it an underlying message of preservation. In this time of increasing environmental crisis messages of sustainable living are important for the continuum of species of flora and fauna that may be under threat from climate change and various agricultural, mining and development practices.

Sydney Writers' Festival 2012

Sorry for my slackness last week. I really intended on posting about my glorious week at the Sydney Writers' Festival. Better late then never though!

I had a marvelous week of literary submersion. On Tuesday I went to the event 'launch into poetry', held at the Carrington Hotel, which is a beautiful building. It (the building) inspires in me ideas and themes of history and mistory. The launch was for David Musgrave's new book of poems Concrete Tuesday, Mark O'Flynn's Untested Cures and John Watson's Four Refrains and Occam's Aftershave. The three chose some excellent, well crafted pieces to read, so... I had to buy the books!

On Wednesday, at the University of Wollongong, Metis playwright Bruce Sinclair and Aboriginal author Anita Heiss spoke about their work and how they approach their writing. Sinclair spoke wonderfully about the balance that you must have in your life and how the Cree medicine wheel can help you keep that balance between your emotional self, physical self and work life. I could benefit from the Cree teachings. Anita Heiss spoke about her new book Am I Black Enough For You. I hadn't realised the extent of racial hatred that had been unearthed after Andrew Bolt's article 'It's so Hip to be Black' in April 2009. Heiss had begun writing her book before this article by Bolt questioned her Indigeneity. On the release of her book she has received further racial attacks as well as praise from many in the community who think her book shares an important lesson that all Australians should be exposed to. You have probably already gathered that Heiss's book is about identity. I am only a couple of chapters in, but as always I am finding Heiss easy to read and very entertaining.

Friday and Saturday were spent in Sydney. I attended a poetry reading titled 'Legends', where Gig Ryan and Robert Adamson read some of their poetry which deals with myths and legends. I struggled to follow both of their poetry read out loud. They make so many references in their poetry that go over my head. However, I have been reading Robert Adamson, after purchasing his book, The Golden Bird, and I am enjoying his poetry far more when I can read it in private, just me, the book and the words. I have been told that I have to purchase and read Gig Ryan more closely as well, which I will be sure to do!

'Modern Manglish' was a fun session. I raced to buy the book for my mum. Neil James and Harold Scruby were mostly bagging on politicians and the way they use language so that they can say absolutely nothing in an interview. You know how it is: "That's a great question, I'm glad you asked that... I would like to see a line drawn in the sand, to have an even playing field, a brighter future, it's time to move forward...". It was a great discussion of tautology and slogans.

Barry Spurr talked with Geoffrey Lehman and Robert Gray about their new book Australian Poetry Since 1788. This is a controversial anthology. I have heard the criticism and now I have heard their opinion. While I still think that this anthology has possibly overlooked a lot of important Australian poets, particularly Indigenous poets. I do appreciate the project that these two took on and what they were looking to get out of it. I enjoined hearing these three debate about the anthology and the voice and place of Australian poetry.

Saturday began with Neil Astley and Robert Adamson talking about Astley's anthologies of contemporary international poetry: Staying Alive, Being Alive and Being Human. I can not wait to purchase and read these anthologies. They sold out at the writers' festival. I have to confess that I am not wide read in international poetry. I read a lot of Australian poetry, but I do believe I should be reading more widely. Astley read a great selection of poems from his series of anthologies.

The Red Room Company's 'Disappearing Walking Tour' was brilliant fun! Johana Featherstone expertly conducted a tour of Sydney streets with four poets sharing their works of 'the disappearing' of Sydney. Martin Harrison, Astrid Lorange, Nick Bryant-Smith and Lorna Munro performed their poetry with ease and charm. I look forward to reading / hearing more of all of their work.

Mark Tredinnick, Ali Jane Smith and Julie Chevalier read wonderfully at the Rocket Readings in Wollongong on Sunday. I have been a fan of Tredinnick for a fair while. I enjoyed the poetry of Ali and Julie as well. The open mic section was also mind opening. There was a great display of local poetry on show.

That was my stimulating week, which has inspired me to scratch out multiple draft poems. I shall work on some of these tomorrow share them with you.

When is it time to ditch fossil fuels and turn to renewables?

The time is now according to Dr George Takacs, physics professor here at UOW. Dr Takacs spoke at the ‘No Gas at UOW’ forum last year, arguing that in the light of global warming and with the undeniable peak of fossil fuels within sight it is time for large businesses and organisations, including the university, to invest in renewable energies. Whether you believe in global warming or not, across the globe severe climate change is being experienced, making investment in renewables essential. As more money is put towards renewable energy sources, more funding will be made available for the research in and development of effective renewables. We may run out of fossil fuels in 20 years, or it may be 200 years, but either way we can’t leave the future generations without effective and reliable energy sources or Western society would collapse.

There are myths that moving to renewables will leave many jobless, however, as written in the January 2006, issue 386, New Internationalist, the “…renewable energy industries provide 1.7 million jobs, most of them skilled and well-paying”, while only providing about four per cent of the world total electricity. Another myth is that the manufacturing of solar panels creates a large amount of pollution, meaning that the implementation of solar panels compared with fossil fuels will not alter the global warming effect, however, given the life of and amount of energy created by a solar panel this is incorrect. As further money is invested into solar panels the manufacturing will become more environmentally sustainable and cheaper for domestic and commercial use.

Wind and solar may not suite all locations at this point in time but as the technologies improve their application will be able to extend. The university has found that a gas plant on campus (combined with solar and other energy sources) will reduce the universities’ greenhouse emissions more than implementing solar panels, to the same monetary value, alone. Such thinking is common in organisations and big businesses whose decision making ability is clouded by dollar signs. The greater impact of continuing a reliance on gas, such as increasing Australia’s want to exploit higher risk gas resources such as CSG, to have enough supply of gas to go around.

The vast, sunny and relatively flat continent of Australia has abundant natural resources in various forms of renewable energy from solar, wind, ‘hot rock’ geothermal, wave and tidal, to bioenergy and biofuels. Perhaps the best way for large businesses within Australia to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the renewables industry is to elect to pay a little more on their electricity bill (green-select) for green-e renewable electricity. This selection requests that your electricity company ensure that part or all of your electricity comes from renewable sources, which means more money for the renewables sector. As more large businesses and organisations take this option the cost of renewables will decrease making this option available and affordable for domestic households.

We shouldn’t be doing anything with fossil fuels anymore, apart from leaving the damn stuff where it is, under the sand or water or rainforest. It is time for renewables!

Previously printed in the Tertangala: UOW's Student Magazine, Issue 1, 2012.