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Six Pack Sound #3 now launching
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a poetry-reading album for my new book
Last night we had a big poetry reading at Gow Langsford Gallery in the middle of Michael’s show to celebrate the arrival of New York Pocket Book. It was a really special occasion with 15 poets reading city poems by themselves and others. It felt like our art family (of Michael and I) was hosting my poetry family. Such warmth and empathy in the room. Such a good turn out (over 60 at one point), with poets not reading coming along too. So generous. The readings underlined why there is so much to love about poetry in NZ.
Helen Rickerby has done such a gorgeous job on the book – taking precious time out from her life as a poet. I can never overlook that.
No notes on the readings – I just wanted to savour a free ticket to the world courtesy of poems. And I loved it.
So thank you poets and thank you audience for making this occasion memorable.
Helen Rickerby, Seraph Press
a clutch of poets to celebrate my new book tonight
Such nervous anticipation as poets wait to see poems become book object.
I am no exception. Finally I have a copy of New York Pocket Book and I so love what Helen Rickerby from Seraph Press has done. It is like a little guide book I could take to NYC in my purse. I picture myself writing a suite of city pocket books so I could have a little row of them on my shelf. What madness. Rome Pocket Book. London Pocket Book. Paris Pocket Book. But I have always wanted to go to Barcelona. If only.
Tonight , well at 5pm, I am looking forward to 15 poets taking us on a mini world trip with city poems. The links might be tenuous but that is part of the delight.
When: 5 until 7 pm
Where: Gow Langsford Gallery, Lorne Street (in Michael’s show)
Who:
Paula Green, Helen Rickerby, Angela Andrews, Sophie Van Waardenberg, Courtney Sina Meredith, Murray Edmond, Vana Manasiadis, Sophia Johnson, Gregory Kan, Michele Leggott, Albert Wendt, Janet Charman, Steven Toussaint, CK Stead, Robert Sullivan.
You are most welcome!
A box of books like a box of birds
Hard to settle, haven’t got my copies yet, but look what Seraph Press has.
Two launches in one week.
An Ode to the Very Good Dumpling Food Truck
Very Good Dumplings
no rain nor hail nor thunder how surprising
surprising my first very good dumplings
warm and perfect, fresh dumpling bites
of Japan light such lovely rumba on the tongue
or Nepal’s soothing balm and how embarrassing
I do a warm and perfect jig in the mongrel dog wind
by the sea at Cox’s Bay sweet herb salad to the side
the cobalt blue sky a clean sheet of a day
Paula Green
Oh my gosh! The Very Good Dumpling Truck will be at Cox’s Bay Wednesday to Saturday from 11 am until 3pm. I will drive in especially for these!
Poetry NZ open for submissions
From editor Jack Ross:
From today (Sunday, May 1st: Mayday) onwards, Poetry NZ is open for submissions for the next yearbook. This will be appearing in Late February / early March next year, from our new publisher Massey University Press, and thereafter at the beginning of each year.
Submissions close on 31st July.
For further advice on how to submit, please look at this page on our website. Please note: no more than five poems at a time, of any length, on any theme, in any style. This editor has also written a few advisory comments of his own in this post, below.
As well as poetry, we’re also interested in essays and other prose comments on poetics and allied subjects. Remember, too, that all poems sent in for this issue are eligible to be considered for the Poetry NZ Poetry Prize, as mentioned in another post below.
See here for journal site
On editing – Sarah Jane Barnett interviews Ashleigh Young
A new post at The Red Room:
I like to read and review New Zealand poetry, and because I live in Wellington quite a few of these collections come from Victoria University Press. When Ashleigh Young began working as their editor, I began to notice her careful hand on the collections. I asked Ashleigh a few questions about being an editor.
—
Sarah Jane Barnett: I was watching the show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and Jerry Seinfeld asked Barack Obama, ‘If politics was a sport, what sport would it be?’ So, if editing was a sport, what sport would it be?
Ashleigh Young: I was about to say cricket – long bouts of brooding interrupted by sudden bouts of high-speed action and head-clutching – but you can say that about almost anything. About life. I wonder if maybe editing is a bit like tenpin bowling. Every bit of editorial interference is a small act of violence, essentially trying to knock things down – but there’s this attempt at elegance, at the graceful flourish. And then there’s the stubborn beauty of the pins that remain standing. Also, tenpin bowling is the sport of grudging office team-building that ends up being quite fun.
Just contradicting myself, though, I think there’s something intrinsically un-sporty about editing. The writer and the editor shouldn’t feel like they’re adversaries grappling for ultimate power. No one should be spraying champagne around if they ‘win’. They can do that at the book launch.
For the rest of the interview go to Sarah’s blog: here
Auditions for Flock Ensemble Poetry Performance
The Divine Muses Poetry Reading & Unity Books Auckland – 2016 EMERGING POETS COMPETITION
Entry now open for: New Voices – Emerging Poets Competition
Judge – poet and teacher Vana Manasiadis
Results announced at Divine Muses Poetry Reading on National Poetry Day, 26th August 2016
First Prize: $200 in Unity Book’s book tokens Second Prize: $100 in Unity Book’s book tokens
Closing Date: 1st August 2016
The competition is open only to writers considered ‘emerging’
i.e. have not published one or more books (fiction, poetry, nonfiction) with a New Zealand or overseas publisher,
and
is a current or former undergraduate (BA, Hons, BSc, BComm etc) or Masters student attending The University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, Manukau Institute of Technology and Massey University (Albany Campus, Auckland only)
Poetry Shelf Poem – Heidi North-Bailey’s ‘The Women’ is like a delicious sweet almond with a bitter sweet kernel
Mary McCallum from Mākaro Press and Heidi North-Bailey have given me permission to post this marvelous mother poem from Heidi’s debut poetry collection. The poem is so beautifully lyrical, exquisitely layered, the gaps large and resonant, the line of women vital; the hidden stories pull you back for another look, and then another. This is one of my favourite poems of the year to date.
©Heidi North-Bailey 2015
NZ Poetry Shelf 