A NAME & A SEASON

Thanks everyone for your helpful suggestions today - I've revised "Autumn in Melbourne". As well as changing the title I've cut out a number of lines. I've italicized "autumn " in line 17 in the hope that the word will look incongruous in the context of the poem - not sure if that works though. What do you think?

A NAME AND A SEASON

Think of an aged politician,

scuttling through corridors,

winding soon to death.

And a city, on the dark side of the world,

corroding river, trees and people,

named after him.

There hard – edged men,

shed them from the stony flanks of a harsh land,

glare straight and far ahead,

impatient to launch across the distant ranges

a vast, grey, bleating army.

So the place is branded with a cringing name,

and trees bronzed as lifesavers now parade streets

that smother fat eels and flowering manna gums.

Dead leaves scuttle

where soft fern fronds silently unfurled

and autumn’s dry death – rattle sounds

where wombats grazed and lyrebirds danced.

Only Lo – an Tuka, the Hunter, unknown,

gleams still at day’s dark edge.

Dear Cecilia, Thank you for your enthusiasm ,support and encouragement . .Looking forward to the next adventures ...with occassional thoughts of trepidation ! best wishes Annetine

Federation Square first public performance

Congratulations to all the Coast Liners. The first public performance was marvellous. You read splendidly and looked handsome. It was a well polished program. Now we are launched to go public, our next performance at the Literary festival is already rehearsed. Bravo to you all. And thank you for overcoming your fears and anxieties, which some of you had in the beginning and you overcame them and now you can be proud.

Next meeting will be a one hour with Jonathon helping us to learn even more and one devoted to your poetry. So try and bring along another poem. Be interesting to see if you could write something about yesterday at Federation Square. Any angle you like from the building, birds, books, Melbourne or performing.

Cecilia

Poetry at Fedsquare

I attended the March program at Federation Square, along with Geoffrey and June. In celebration of International Women's Day the performers were all women. For me it was an eclectic, thought provoking, at times moving experience. Some singing, guitar playing, poems read in English, then read in French, others read in English and Dutch.

Lea Hills, the co-initiator and co-editor of Moving Galleries, read some of the Haiku's among them one of Suzanne McCourt's. Lea also mentioned that Moving Galleries is after more little snippets, not necessarily Haiku, for their ongoing poetry section. Something for any interested Coastliners to think about.

I have been in contact with Lella, who co-ordinates the poetry@fedsquare programs and Coast Lines will open the April program. We have been alloted an hour, roughly 5 minutes per person but if we want more time Lella is open to this, I just have to let her know ASAP before she finalises the program.

The venue is Jolimont Espresso Cafe, The Atrium, Federation Square, start time 2.00pm, finish time 4.00pm, date Saturday 12th April.

There are plenty of eateries around so if any want to kick on afterwards there will be plenty of choice. There is a beer specialist place opposite Joilmont Espresso, the name of which escapes me because my memory is a sometimes thing these days, it also serves wine I hasten to add for the Vino lovers amongst us. The thing Rod and I really enjoy is their wonderful Tapas selection, succulent squid, glazed quail, crumbed olives, mini Peking duck pancakes, to mention just a few.

Look forward to seeing you all next Wednesday

Tricia

Bundanon Poetry Workshop, January, 08

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry I can't get to meetings this year - from the blog I can see you're having a great time - and I miss it.

I promised some of you information about the Bundanon Workshop that I attended in January. It was totally inspirational and I would urge people to apply for the next one. You're meant to have a book of poems published, but I was selected on ten pages of poems - and there were others attending who had not published a book.

There were 20 participants with four established poets as lecturers/tutors - Jennifer Harrison (love her poetry and a wonderfully generous person), Ron Pretty - also very helpful and generous), Susan Hampton and Michael Sharkey.

Normally this workshop is run at Wollongong Uni (and it may return there next year - I don't think it's been decided yet) - we were so lucky in being able to stay on the Boyd property in an amazing Murcott designed complex with Boyd paintings in our rooms and magnificent views over the Shoalhaven River. As a result, my poetry was heavily influenced by Boyd's work and I have become fascinated by the strength and diversity of his art.

It was an eight day workshop. Each day began with workshopping poems we'd brought with us - or new ones if we'd written any - five students/one tutor. After morning tea, we had a lecture - interesting topics - Cliche/Repetition/Surrealism. After lunch a seminar where we worked on the lecture topic in a practical form. We had from 4.00 - 7.00 off each day when we wrote, walked, swam or rested. At night we had structured readings - our own poetry - or the tutors read from their current works - or we shared our favourite poems.

For me, it was inspirational in every way but particularly in meeting so many wonderful poets, having my mind stretched in so many directions, in the friendships and contacts made. It took quite a while to come back to the real world. If anyone would like further info, give me a call on 9592 2523. Hope to see you at Fed Square.

Suzanne

Poetry at Fedsquare

I have been following up on the poetry at Federation Square and as a result the members of Coast Lines have been invited to read/perform their poetry as part of the April program. The woman who organises these monthly readings would like me to send some examples of our work and have a time frame for our reading as there is a schedule to follow.

The first hour will be talk/reading from one or two established poets or the works of chosen poets and the second hour can be all Coast Lines if we so wish, (10 five minute readings by each member)

If you are interested could you either email me a poem or bring a copy to our meeting next Wednesday. I need to get back to Lella asap because if we don't want the hour, she needs to organise to fill it some other way.

Details are Saturday April 12th in the Atrium at Federation Square from 2.oopm to 4.oopm. Also any who have produced books of poetry are encouraged to bring them and they will be promoted during the program.

See you Wednesday
Tricia

I think whaling is a pretty good guess for the riddle. Another might be nuclear bomb.