SAT 23 Aug 08: Please note some of the events below have been updated... For up to the minute updates on 2008 WA Poety Festival and National Poetry Week Events, go to Maureen Sexton's website here...

brought to you by WA Poets Inc

Email: wapoets@yahoo.com.au

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WA POETS EVENTS - 29 AUGUST - 7 SEPTEMBER 2008:

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FRIDAY 29th August

OOTA Poetry Wall, State Library of Western Australia
29th August to 1st September
Contact: Jo Clarke, 9339 0847, or josephine.oota@gmail.com

School Student's Day with Veronica Lake
Friday 29th August
Contact: Veronica - votiveoffering@gmail.com

OOTA Poetry Reading with guest poet, Marcella Polain
plus open mic, Friday 29th August, 12.30 to 2 pm
Function Room, Fremantle Arts Centre
Contact: Jo Clarke, 9339 0847, or josephine.oota@gmail.com

de Ness @ Scots with WA Poets Inc
Friday 29th August, 7.30 pm
Scot's Hall, Cnr South Terrace and Parry Street, Fremantle
Contact: Jen de Ness - jdeness@optusnet.com.au

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SATURDAY 30 AUGUST

Festival Grand Opening
Saturday 30th August, SLWA
Contact: wapoets@yahoo.com.au

Poet's Corner
Saturday 30th August, 2 pm to 4.30 pm
Pages Cafe, State Library of WA
Contact: Frances - poetscornerwa@yahoo.com.au

OPENFACE 08 - Performance Poetry Action
Saturday 30th August 2008, Kaos Room at Blue Room
Contact: allan - allanboyd@optusnet.com.au
CLICK HERE FOR FLYER for this event.

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SUNDAY 31st AUGUST

Reconciliation workshop, Translation Workshop & Multicultural Reading
State Library of WA
Sunday 31st August, 10 am to 5 pm
Contact Peter: peter.jeffery@iinet.net.au or wapoets@yahoo.com.au

WAPI Poetry Reading, with special guests and open readings
Velvet Lounge, The Flying Scotsman
Sunday 31st August, 6 pm to 9.30 pm
Contact: Maureen - wapoets@yahoo.com.au

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MONDAY I SEPTEMBER

Haiku Wall at City of Perth Library
Monday 1st September to 13th September
City of Perth Library, 573 Hay Street, Perth
Contact Anna: 9461 3581, or anna.teasdale@cityofperth.wa.gov.au

Workshop: Sculpting in English with Janet Jackson
Monday 1st September, 11 am to 3 pm
KSP Writers' Centre, 11 Old York Rd, Greenmount
Hosted by Poets@KSP
Book with KSP 9294 1872, kspf@iinet.net.au

Haiku Workshop with Maureen Sexton
Monday 1st September, 1 pm to 3 pm
City of Perth Library, 573 Hay Street, Perth
Contact Anna: 9461 3581, or anna.teasdale@cityofperth.wa.gov.au

Walking on Water, Laneway Theatre, Perth
Monday 1st September, 7.30pm to 10pm
Contact: Jane Cornes: 0414 862 306, jcornes@iinet.net.au

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WEDNESDAY 3 SEPTEMBER

Poetry Session with Kevin Gillam
Wednesday 3rd September, 10 am to 12 noon
City of Perth Library, 573 Hay Street, Perth
Contact Anna, 9461 3581, or anna.teasdale@cityofperth.wa.gov.au

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THURSDAY 4 SEPTEMBER

Creative Connections Poetry and Art Exhibition
Thursday 4th, Friday 5th, Saturday 6th September
Including launch of book on Thursday
Galleria Shopping Centre, Morley
Contact: Maureen, 0435 024 616, wapoets@yahoo.com.au

Voicebox, FAWWA anthology readings
Thursday 4th September, 7.30 pm to 10 pm
La Tropicana Café, 177 High Street, Fremantle
Contact: Nandi Chinna - voiceboxfreo@yahoo.com.au

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FRIDAY 5 SEPTEMBER

Poetry Session with Evelyn Bach
Friday 5th September, 10 am to 11 am
City of Perth Library, 573 Hay Street, Perth
Contact Anna, 9461 3581, or anna.teasdale@cityofperth.wa.gov.au

Lunchlines at Edith Cowan University
12 noon to 1 pm

WA Bush Poets & Yarn Spinners Traditional Night - poems from the past
Friday 5th September
Bentley Park Auditorium, 26 Plantation Drive, Bentley
Contact: Brian Langley, 9361 3770 - braindot@tpg.com.au

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SUNDAY 7 SEPTEMBER

PCW Poetry Extravaganza
Sunday 7th September, Peter Cowan Writers Centre, Edith Cowan House
Edith Cowan University, Joondalup
Contact: 9301 2282 - cowan05@bigpond.com

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CONTACT WA POETS INC for more info...

WA POETS INC

WA Poets Inc is in full swing. A new committee has been formed and we are accepting new members. We have some very exciting events coming up in 2008, so keep an eye out on this website...

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Further information will be made available shortly on the website, about the future of The Word is Out Journal. We are not accepting subscriptions to the Word is Out Journal. We are however, publishing the exciting new creatrix poetry e-journal.

Please click here to go to creatrix.

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WA POETS INC AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:
- Organise an annual WA Spring Poetry Festival (a mini-festival alternate years)
- Develop online networks in the form of a web-database of WA poets
- Develop a resource base in the form of a web-site, including information on readings, competitions, opportunities, etc.
- Explore publishing opportunities for WA poets
- Work towards raising awareness of WA poets and poetry
- Work towards bringing poetry to the public and poets together

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WA Poets Inc. has a new and exciting Festival team. All members bring together their creative skills, love of the arts and many, their arts administration experience. The Festival team is dedicated and enthusiastic, wishing to build on the success of past festivals and to maintain current ties with Western Australia arts and government infrastructure. As administrators with new ideas, scope and vision, WA Poets Inc. is working towards a successful 2008 3 day Spring Poetry Festival.

By showcasing local, national and international poets, we believe that we can show the public the camaraderie that exists between Australian poets and their work in general.

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COMMITTEE STRUCTURE
A committee has been set up including:
Peter Jeffery - Coordinator
Andrew Burke - Co-coordinator
Maureen Sexton - Secretary
Nathan Hondros - Treasurer

Committee members:
Lucy Dougan
Veronica Lake

WA Spring Poetry Festival team members:
Peter Jeffery
Andrew Burke
Maureen Sexton
Veronica Lake
Nathan Hondros
Lucy Dougan
Afief Ismail Abdelrazig
allan boyd
Jen de Ness
Wings

WA Poets Inc contact: wapoets@yahoo.com.au
WA Poets Inc website: www.thewordisout.net.au

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WA POETS INC EVENTS IN 2008 (Including the WA Spring Poetry Festival and WA Poets Inc celebrates National Poetry Week)

Title: Creative Connections Poetry and Art Exhibition, in association with WA Poets Inc
Date: Thursday 10th, Friday 11th, Saturday 12th July
Time: Trading hours
Venue: Centro Warwick Shopping Centre
Poets: Tasha Adams, Andrew Burke, Saz Campbell, Coral Carter, Liana Christensen, Dr Sally Clarke, Sue Clennell, Peter Evans, Trisha Kotai Ewers, Jenny de Garis, Kevin Gillam, Peter Jeffery, Paula Jones, Christopher Konrad, Melanie Kwa, Deanne Leber, Mardi May, Julienne Miller, Scott-Patrick Mitchell, Val Neubecker, Maureen Sexton, Flora Smith, Cathy Szathmary, Bron Thomason, Michael Williams.
Enquiries: Maureen Sexton, 0435 024 616, maureensexton@bigpond.com
Cost: Free
Details: Creative Connections is made up of artworks created by differently abled artists and the poetry written to the artworks by WA poets. There will be a launch at 3pm on Thursday 10th July to coincide with filming by Community Television – more details to be announced soon.

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Title: Three Day WA Spring Poetry Festival - WA Poets Inc (the organisers of the WA Spring Poetry Festival) celebrate National Poetry Week 2008 with a three day festival
Theme: Space
Date: Friday 29th, Saturday 30th, and Sunday 31st August
Venue: Various venues, including State Library of WA, and Scots in Fremantle
Poets: Annamaria Weldon, Janet Jackson, Vivienne Glance, Jeremy Balius, Flora Smith, Afeif Ismail Abdelrazig, Kevin Gillam, and many others yet to be announced.
Enquiries: wapoets@yahoo.com.au
Details:
Friday morning: Visits to schools by poets
Friday afternoon – Students workshop and discussion at State Library of WA
Friday evening – de Ness and friends, in collaboration with WA Poets Inc celebrate National Poetry Week at Scots in Fremantle, Jen de Ness, jdeness@optusnet.com.au
Saturday morning – Grand opening with patron and guests at State Library of WA
Saturday afternoon – Poets Corner, Pages Café at State Library of WA
Saturday evening – Readings and possibly Poetry Slam, Venue TBA
Sunday – 10 am to 12 noon Reconciliation workshop, 1 pm to 3 pm Wings Translation workshop, 3.30 pm to 5.30 pm Readings with special guest poet and Perth poets – all at State Library of WA
Sunday evening – Multi-Cultural readings, Venue TBA

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Title: Haiku Competition and Haiku Wall - City of Perth Library celebrates National Poetry Week
Theme: TBA
Date: TBA
Venue: City of Perth Library
Enquiries: Anna, City of Perth Library, perth_library@cityofperth.wa.gov.au
Details: Coming soon

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Title: Poet's Corner celebrates National Poetry Week 2008
Theme: Space
Date: Saturday 30th August
Time: 2 pm to 4.30 pm
Venue: Pages Cafe, ground floor of the Alexander Building, State Library, Cultural Centre Perth (just over the bridge from the railway station)
Poets: TBA
Enquiries: Frances Macaulay Forde, poetscornerwa@yahoo.com.au.
Cost: Purchase a cup of coffee in the Cafe.
Details: TBA

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Title: Haiku Workshop - City of Perth Library celebrates National Poetry Week
Theme: Space
Date: Monday 1st September
Time: TBA
Venue: City of Perth Library
Enquiries: Maureen Sexton, 0435 024 616, maureensexton@bigpond.com and City of Perth Library, perth_library@cityofperth.wa.gov.au
Cost: Free
Details:

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Title: Walking on Water celebrates National Poetry Week 2008
Theme: Friends
Date: Monday 1st September
Time: We’re opening the doors at 7 pm and will start at 7.30 pm sharp.
Venue: The Laneway Theatre, Perth (The building is in the laneway that runs between Murray and Wellington streets, next to the Pier Street (carpark)
Poets: Kevin Gillam, Annamaria Weldon, Janet Jackson, ;plus open reading section
Enquiries: Jane Cornes, 0414 862 306, jcornes@iinet.net.au
Cost: $5 Waged, $3 Unwaged
Details: Tea & coffee provided, BYO mug. Bring nibbles & drinks to share if you like.

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Title: Exhibition of History of WA Poetry
Theme: TBA
Date: Monday 1st, Tuesday 2nd, Wednesday 3rd September
Time: TBA
Venue: TBA
Poets: TBA
Enquiries: wapoets@yahoo.com.au
Cost: TBA
Details: The exhibition will consist of books, newspapers, posters, etc. There will also be lunch-time readings from 12.30 to 1.30 on each of the days.

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Title: Westerly Centre Readings
Theme: TBA
Date: Wednesday 3rd September
Time: TBA
Venue: UWA
Poets: TBA
Enquiries: wapoets@yahoo.com.au
Cost: TBA
Details: TBA

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Title: Voicebox
Theme: TBA
Date: Thursday 4th September
Time: 7.30 pm to 10 pm
Venue: La Tropicana Café, 177 High Street, Fremantle
Poets: TBA
Enquiries: Nandi Chinna - 9331 1703, email: voiceboxfreo@yahoo.com.au
Cost: $5/$3
Details: TBA

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Title: Creative Connections Poetry and Art Exhibition, in association with WA Poets Inc, celebrates National Poetry Week 2008
Theme: I, eye
Date: Thursday 5th, Friday 6th, Saturday 7th September
Time: Trading hours
Venue: Galleria Shopping Centre, Morley
Poets: Tasha Adams, Andrew Burke, Saz Campbell, Coral Carter, Liana Christensen, Dr Sally Clarke, Sue Clennell, Peter Evans, Trisha Kotai Ewers, Jenny de Garis, Kevin Gillam, Peter Jeffery, Paula Jones, Christopher Konrad, Melanie Kwa, Deanne Leber, Mardi May, Julienne Miller, Scott-Patrick Mitchell, Val Neubecker, Maureen Sexton, Flora Smith, Cathy Szathmary, Bron Thomason, Michael Williams.
Enquiries: Maureen Sexton, 0435 024 616, maureensexton@bigpond.com
Cost: Free
Details: Creative Connections is made up of artworks created by differently abled artists and the poetry written to the artworks by WA poets.

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Title: Poetry of the Sacred
Theme: TBA Space:
Date: Sunday 7th September
Time: 2 pm to 4 pm
Venue: St John’s, Fremantle
Poets: TBA
Enquiries: wapoets@yahoo.com.au
Cost: TBA
Details: TBA

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Title: Poetry Film Festival
Theme: Space?
Date: Sunday 7th September
Time: 7.30 pm to 11 pm
Venue: TBA
Poets: TBA
Enquiries: wapoets@yahoo.com.au
Cost: TBA
Details: TBA

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CONTACT THE WAPI...

Robert Kennedy, a Sydney based poet wants to produce a book titled Poets
on Poetry. It’s to be a selection of 500 word statements from about 150
published poets throughout Australia; covering areas like, what poetry
means, how it works, how you came to poetry and what your hopes for poetry
are..
Connected to each poetry statement you can add one short poem only, and a
reference to the poet’s books, but only if relevant. Payment is not
envisaged at this point.
If you’d like to be involved, write your 500 word poetry statement and
attach your poem, then send it by December 1, 2008 - to Robert at
rk2000@bigpond.net.au

I will be doing a workshop on "Sculpting in English" at Tom Collins House on Saturday afternoon 12 July.

It will be about three hours long, and cheap! -- firm details when I have them.

Target audience: All poets willing to try new ideas. Creative prose writers wanting to have a go at poetry.

Objectives:
1. Participants will learn about expanding the boundaries of their poetries by both
reading and writing.
2. Participants will have opportunities to write in ways they may not have previously
tried.
3. Participants will come away with drafts or ideas for new poems.
4. Participants will learn ways to improve their poetry by editing.

If interested please contact FAWWA.
admin@fawwa.org.au
http://www.fawwa.org.au/
9384 4771

JUNE 08 - now online: Click here to read...

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Creatrix is the new name for our poetry online e-journal, previously known as Fresh Works, which is resuming after a short recess.

Creatrix will be published online in March, June, September and December each year.

To be considered for the June 2008 edition, your poems are to be received by Friday 23rd May 2008. All submissions to be sent by email.

We accept poetry up to 60 lines, or shorter poems preferred, open theme (no more than three poems per poet per issue). There is no guarantee your poem/s will be chosen.

At this stage, publication is for WA Poets Inc member poets only. Currently we cannot pay contributors, but your poetry will be showcased. We will accept prize winning or previously published work, with acknowledgements. Send poems as attachments either in .rtf or word .doc files.

Copyright of material in the e-journal remains with the individual contributors and cannot be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from the authors.

The editing team for Creatrix will be Peter Jeffery, Andrew Burke and Maureen Sexton. The next edition will be edited by Maureen Sexton.

Email to The Editor with the words "online submission" in the subject line. The email address is: wapoets@yahoo.com.au.

2008 CREATIVE CONNECTIONS ART AND POETRY EXHIBITION
This exhibition is supported by WA Poets Inc and Disability Services Commission of WA

There will be two exhibitions this year.
The first exhibition will be held on Thursday 10th, Friday 11th and Saturday 12th July 2008 at Centro Warwick Shopping Centre.
The second exhibition will be held in conjunction with National Poetry Week on Thursday 5th, Friday 6th and Saturday 7th September 2008 at a venue to be announced.

CREATIVE CONNECTIONS ART AND POETRY EXHIBITION

Art and poetry are important ways for people to express themselves creatively and we want to give differently-abled and abled artists and poets the opportunity to do this and connect with the community and each other!
This project came about after a group of community members and disability workers discussed the idea in 2006.
The aims of the project are:
• to demonstrate through creative pursuits, the diverse abilities and personalities of people who are differently-abled
• to enable differently-abled people, the community and community groups to connect with each other
The exhibition consists of:
• artworks created by differently-abled artists (mainly DSC hostel residents and clients)
• poems written to the artworks by local poets
• profiles and photos of the artists.
These are exhibited publicly and artworks and poems are for sale together. Creative Connections is a not for profit group.

For full details please go here...

Love Poetry Hate Racism - Celebrating diversity through poetry

All across the Globe throughout the month of April 2008

WINGS presents

Love Poetry Hate Racism in WA

Saturday 19th April

20 View Stree, North Perth

7 pm to 9 pm

Contact Afeif: afeif5@yahoo.com.au

April, 2008, will see as many as 50 cities all around the world organise Love Poetry Hate Racism events. These events will encompass everything from large scale events in big venues with feature poets, to Poetry in the Park with small groups of local readers, to local poetry groups turning over their monthly library readings to the topic of racism.

This is the second year Love Poetry Hate Racism events have been held around the world. In 2007, a group of poets based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, a city known at the time as the "race hate capital of Europe", decided to put out a call for poetry events to be held on the 20th April to provide a counter to the tendency to identify the day with intolerance, bigotry and the espousal of racist ideology because of its association with Enoch Powell’s "Rivers of Blood" speech. In this speech, delivered on the 20th April 1968, Powell suggested that people in Britain were being swamped by alien cultures.

The speech was littered with racist ideas and provided the backbone for groups who wished to pursue anti-immigrant ideologies over the years since the speech was delivered.

We wanted also to provide a counter to the idea that the mixing of cultures was something that would lead to disaster. Actually we believe that it is the cross-pollination of the ideas of different cultures which breathes new life into our futures.

This year we have commitments from Warsaw to New York, from Auckland to Amsterdam and from Birmingham to Belfast. In fact we are already better represented around the world than we were last year.

The events come at a time when racist ideas are being stirred up everywhere; In the US elections accompanying the rise of Barack Obama as a serious contender for the nomination as Democratic candidate, in the new immigration laws being put into place in Britain, in the attempts recently in Britain to give credence to Enoch Powell’s "Rivers of Blood" speech.
Of particular concern to us is the persecution of Muslims which has been raised to fever pitch lately in our region.

It looks possible that this year we may be welcoming for the first time this year poetry events which will run by poets from cities with a predominantly Muslim background.

Of course in each city where Love Poetry Hate Racism takes place there will be local issues which people will be seeking to address but our general approach will be the same. Love Poetry Hate Racism asks simply that people show respect to ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples and migrants and that we stand together to encourage diversity.

Our starting point is that the interaction of cultures is essential for the progression of Art and with poetry in particular being an art form which provides us with common ground wherever we happen to be, we also suggest that society benefits from this multicultural interaction. Anyone who wants to organise a poetry event using those simple principles is welcome to do so.

We are also open to the idea that some people would like to be part of the events but worry about the moniker. That is simple to deal with, call your event "Celebrating Diversity Through Poetry" – and just affiliate to LPHR.

This year the dates are flexible and events are being held in Galway, Ireland in early April and in Brisbane, Queensland in Australia on April 25th. That means there is a window of opportunity over 10 days.

You can organise your own event or allow for an already existing event to be part of Love Poetry Hate Racism by simply informing us that you wish to do that.

If you intend to be part of the events happening all over the world on the weekend of April 18-20 or during the period from April 11th through to April 25th please contact the following,

www.myspace.com/lovepoetryhateracism or chelleymclear@hotmail.com or gordonfrombelfastpoets@yahoo.co.uk.

Hello to WA poets, Event organisers and Writing centres,

National Poetry Week 2008 will be celebrated all around Australia from 29th August to 7th September.

If you would like to organise any events or include regular events in WA for this year's National Poetry Week, please contact the WA Co-ordinator, Maureen Sexton by email at: maureensexton@bigpond.com or sajwriter06@yahoo.com.au or by phone: 0435 024 616.

For more details about National Poetry Week, contact the National Co-ordinator, Jayne Fenton Keane: jfk@nationalpoetryweek.com or go to www.nationalpoetryweek.com

This year’s themes are: Screen; Shop; Suspect; Space; I, eye; Friend; Cast; Save; to be interpreted any way you like.

Events tentatively organised so far –

Title: WA Poets Inc (the organisers of the WA Spring Poetry Festival) celebrates National Poetry Week 2008 with a three day festival
Theme: TBA
Date: Friday 29th, Saturday 30th, and Sunday 31st August
Venue: TBA
Poets: TBA
Enquiries: Peter Jeffery, peter.jeffery@iinet.net.au, Andrew Burke, burkeandre@gmail.com
Details: TBA.

Title: Poet's Corner celebrates National Poetry Week 2008
Theme: TBA
Date: Saturday 30th August
Time: 2 pm to 4.30 pm
Venue: Pages Cafe, ground floor of the Alexander Building, State Library, Cultural Centre Perth (just over the bridge from the railway station)
Poets: TBA
Enquiries: Frances Macaulay Forde, poetscornerwa@yahoo.com.au.
Cost: Purchase a cup of coffee in the Cafe.
Details: TBA

Title: Walking on Water celebrates National Poetry Week 2008
Theme: TBA
Date: Monday 1st September
Time: We’re opening the doors at 7 pm and will start at 7.30 pm sharp.
Venue: The Laneway, off Murray St , Perth
Poets: TBA
Enquiries: Jane Cornes, 0414 862 306, jcornes@iinet.net.au
Cost: $5 Waged, $3 Unwaged
Details: Tea and coffee provided, but please bring your own mug.

Title: Creative Connections Poetry and Art Exhibition, in association with WA Poets Inc, celebrates National Poetry Week 2008
Theme: I, eye
Date: Thursday 5th, Friday 6th, Saturday 7th September
Time: TBA
Venue: TBA
Poets: TBA
Enquiries: Maureen Sexton, 0435 024 616, maureensexton@bigpond.com
Cost: Free
Details: TBA

Warm regards
Maureen Sexton
National Poetry Week WA Co-ordinator

From National Co-ordinator Jayne Fenton Keane:

National Poetry Week is in its 7th year. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to its growth and diversity. Join NPW 2008 to help create poetry events that will excite, stimulate or stun the public.

National Poetry Week seeks to foster imaginative partnerships with poets, audiences, communities, artists, students, bookstores and arts organisations.

Most events are organised on a voluntary basis with the goodwill of venue managers, volunteer coordinators, poets, organisations and individuals who share an interest in poetry. If you are passionate about poetry and the need to bring it alive in the streets and consciousness of the broader public you are invited to join the team of organisers for this year.

Lodge your interest now to set the wild language of poetry free in the world.

Online Submissions for Fresh Poetry December 2007 issue. Scroll down the page to read new works by WA Poets:

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David Barnes

Minutes in a Life

cream-coloured walls close in on sterile emptiness
a stainless steel sink and wool, forgotten.
the dishwasher’s mouth yawns open
wordlessness reaches out,
out to a watery sound and swirling.
the stepladder cries in the rain, forgotten.
trees, leaves, shed, stand naked
acceptance of winter's burden
while the ceiling fan rotates,
rotates above the scallop-boats in Mornington.
silently the picture speaks
crystal glasses wait for the sweet taste
of medium-dry sherry
the decanter sits quiet, aloof, above it all.
it is unavoidable that they are drawn together
all that’s required is acceptance
tick-tock, tick-tock, the mantle clock
minutes in a life.
I grumble in the driving wet,
as I do my chores, put dishes away.
while inside, the armchair awaits my comfort,
the taste of medium-dry
inevitably, the armchair sighs in comfort.

David Barnes

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Helen Bennett

Drought

Somewhere in the southern universe
rain has disappeared.
Even the palest flowers have flown.
This river can’t move through the bright fields,
can’t dampen a platypus’s young.
Boughs have fallen in, along with currawongs.
And the message reads dry bones of a dung-heap.
You hear the river cry in the darkness.
It takes a breath over trickling stones,
over endless white cracks where even
the lilies are ornaments in mud.
Insects work in the darkness,
so the owl is not alone.
Every year, now ten, the geese return
to the dung-heap,
to the bog’s soft heart,
to the cold stones
that run forever.

Helen Bennett

Still Life with Lemons

picked ripe, body soft
snug fitting hat on juicer –
two firm halves of breasts

friends in company
egalitarian fruit
all dressed in lemon

drinks in green houses
one, two, three, four twists and there’s
juice on the table

Helen Bennett

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Kevin Gillam

when Good Friday comes

mine is a fly-in, fly-out Christ,
sandals off in first class, no hard hat
on site, always home at Christmas

mine is a Festival Director Jesus,
putting lab rats on stage for a
slice of corporate sponsorship pie

mine is a bored-again Saviour,
levitating during power-point presentations,
feeding Nice biscuits to ants at morning tea

mine is a shock-jock Son,
devil’s advocate for the right cash offer,
delay button when Good Friday comes

Kevin Gillam

the forget

find the white, the forget. trace
its outline with finger. don’t
move. notice its trajectory,

how it seems to hint at all
directions, then more. sidle
closer such that one cheek might

rub then release – call this
accidental warmth, because,
although apparently radiating

heat, this is transference,
forget being but a knapsack
of guilt and remorse. try it on –

straps may not even need adjustment.
comfortable? should be, it’s yours

Kevin Gillam

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Janet Jackson

I am holding / alienation

I am holding
alienation

with a space at one end for my thumb
and a spike at the other for my hide
Its hull pressures my joints
I squeeze but it remains solid
I pick it up, I put it down
It is icy tiny gravel, abrasive
even on my tough skin

I am holding
alienation

Let's get really
cold

Janet Jackson

Songless

The shell at my ear whispers
of screaming things.
Miniature lifeforms drowning in waste
and seals in oilslicks
and whales speared songless

and shells bleached silent on laminex tables

Janet Jackson

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Paula Jones

New-Spun Skin

for Bella

I love what you’re turning into,
shifting the shape of your
new-spun skin,
watching with brown-seed eyes,
birds nest hair.
This is your unraveling.

I love the easy length of you,
the sudden song and flit of you.
How comfortably you hang
yourself on a wicker chair,
wear your wide smile.

I love the summer of your breath,
the cellophane crackle of thoughts,
the bravado of your long fingers.

And when you sleep I will
gather your closed-bud lids
like pebbles on soft sand.

Paula Jones

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Murray Jennings

AUTUMN WIND

Collars turned up,
finding things to say
along the old timber road
snaking between ancient karri.

Under a muffled moon
and silent stars
my father’s ghost
and me.

Autumn wind in our eyes,
things to say about guilt,
unrealised dreams,
but mostly,
things we built.

Getting them out of the way
before the whims of winter
make mush of the track

and our short, wonderful
time together.

Murray Jennings

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