Guided by Poets – WA #2

For this Guided by Poets thread we travel back to the west coast of Australia to check out five exciting, original voices. And here they are:
Amanda Joy – Scott-Patrick Mitchell – Gabrielle Everall – Amber Fresh – Simon Cox
 
 
Stuck Out
Deep night in Tokyo
Memories are smeared light
Sirens sparkle urgency
to pillow-covered ears
The girl            is gooseflesh
hidden by the [...]

Last Letter to Richard

It was only a day or so after the accident
Like crows, they came
opening and shutting
their black leather briefcases
Life insurance salesmen
                                       (what keen sense they’ve got)
Your soft body had not yet even
lost consciousness and yet
that seed of death must have
started smelling already

Two killer opportunities – Val Vallis & Thomas Shapcott Awards

Here’s a couple of competitions that might get the pen/keyboard working over time.
Arts Queensland Poetry Awards
 
Arts Queensland Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize
Named in honour of a distinguished Queensland poet, the Arts Queensland Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize is committed to encouraging emerging Queensland poets. Now in its 7th year, this prestigious prize for an unpublished poetry manuscript [...]

Beyond

seduced
by kite hawk
that spirals
on hot thermal winds
loneliness
like that
of the spirit of sky
inspires a hopeless
heart-broken
longing
 
wind at dusk
resents the song
of insects
and falling leaves
remind me
of the great distance
between
us
 
I want to fill my hands
with moonlight
and bring it back
to you
 
here is seclusion
and stillness
with nothing
to break the spell
 
let me soar
a white cockatoo
on strong wings
to fill a cup
from the dark heavens
and banish
this [...]

Brisbane Poetry Gig Guide – April 26

Well, I am home, fresh from a great gig today in Brisbane Square Library with Ghostboy, Skye Staniford, DarkWing Dubs and the mighty Sheish Money. Thanks to all who came along.
Here’s what’s happening around town over the next few weeks. Hope to see you somewhere soon…
 
Tuesday April 28
 
Riverbend Books – Poetry On the Deck 
 
Queensland Poetry Festival, QLD Writers [...]

little truth

shadows silenced her door
the day she died
hovered over
her miniature roses
digging into earth
for a pulse

Guided by (Cafe) Poets – Josephine Rowe, Amelia Walker & Lara Taylor

Poets and cafes have always been a happy match and currently there are a number of poets undertaking residencies in cafes Australia wide, thanks to an initiative of the Australian Poetry Centre. And there are some exciting projects happening as a result.
Over the next few months I will be featuring many of the ‘Cafe Poets’ in the Guided [...]

Ghostboy & F(r)iends – come join us!

This Sunday, April 26, Brisbane’s surrealist spoken word ringmaster Ghostboy will gather a few of his f(r)iends together for a stripped down afternoon of poetry and performance at Brisbane Square Library. It’s all happening in the Sound and Vision Lounge on Level One from 12:00pm – 2:15pm as part of the monthly Acoustics on Sunday gigs.
 

 
First up in [...]

(Near) Perfect Books of Poetry

The good folks over at Lilliput Review have been compiling a list of perfect or near perfect books of poetry and it has now reached the 200 mark.
You can check out the list here: http://lilliputreview.googlepages.com/nearperfectbooksofpoems
Many of the books on the list are books that have had a huge influence on me: Coney Island of the Mind [...]

Good Friday, Brunswick Heads

Twelve months on, defining clumsy, my father will say,
That’s where you fell.
I’ll remember it more than anything else that happened
that Easter. More than the chocolate and freshly baked
buns. More than the sounds of his voice waking me
in a thick film of sweat.
A rock exposed by the tide,
like a blackened egg decorated with moss. A danger
unseen, [...]