It would appear I have been most slack in letting people know I’ll be appearing at the most marvellous Spinning Room!
What: The Spinning Room feat. Tim Hamilton
When: 8:00pm, 30th March
Where: ET Hotel, High St., Prahran
Why: Because the poetry is good! Because I’ll be featuring! Because poetry in Melbourne needs and loves your support!
I will be appearing in Speaker’s Corner, an event that is part of the Emerging Writer’s Festival.
It will be held in the Atrium of Federation Square on 24th of May, from 11am to 4pm.
The EWF’s Speakers Corner will be the major free public event for the 2009 Emerging Writers’ festival providing an opportunity for visitors to, and residents of, the City of Melbourne a chance to hear a variety of performance writers, experience and emerging present their works in a free forum. Inspired by the political soap boxing made famous in Hyde Park – London, Speakers Corner will combine spoken word, poetry, monologues, story telling, readings and opinion pieces in an innovative presentation of this work, breaking down the normal performer/ audience divide to a more dynamic blend of street theater and audience browsing.
Five soapboxes (podiums) will be set up within the atrium at Federation Square on the first Sunday of the Emerging Writers’ festival between 11 and 4 within which time the finest of Melbourne’s wordsmiths will take turns presenting their work to the passing public, trying to capture their attention and their imagination with their presentation of ideas, creativity and thoughts through their words. The public will drift between soap boxes either being captured by the performances or moving on to check out the next of the wordsmiths plying their trade.
Over the day up to 40 different writers will get a chance to present their work over five separate soap boxes providing a rare opportunity for these writers to present to new audiences as well as largely increase numbers of audience members they have performed to both outcomes which are core to the mission of the EWF.
So come along and see me and Maxine Clark, Cha-Ya Clancy, Santo Cazzatti, Michelle Dabrowski, Dragonfly, Meg Dunn, Crazy Elf, Julez, Anthony O’Sullivan, Marc Testart perform in public!
Reading: “All Of Us: The Collected Poems of Raymond Carver“
Listening: “Lua” – Amanda Palmer (Bright Eyes cover)
Eating: Pumpkin Lasagne
What: The Spinning Room! Hosted by Jon Garrett and Anthony O’Sullivan.
Who: Me!
Where: ET’s Hotel, 211 High St., Prahran
When: 8pm, Tuesday, 14th April
How: (…much?) Entry is free, but we do encourage the purchase of raffle tickets as the proceeds, as ever, go to the feature. Besides, the raffle prizes are good! There will be books and wine!
Why: Because I have new stuff! Because I have old stuff! Because the open stage is really good! Because the Spinning Room is a fantastic gig!
Reading: “The Yale Anthology of Twentieth Century French Poetry†– edited by Mary Ann Caws
Listening: “The Angels Want To Wear My Red Shoes†– Elvis Costello
I had the good fortune to attend the kick off for 2009 of Wordplay, the monthly gig hosted by Geoff Lemon which has now moved to the more spacious surrounds of the Dan O’Connell in Carlton. Given recent sad events it was also turned into a fundraiser for a poet who had suffered and lost in the recent bushfires.
We were entertained by the spiritual and thoughtful Simon Cox, Joelistics (musician and rap artist with TZU) got us moving, we were blown away by the picturesque story telling of Eleanor Jackson and beguiled at the end by the work of Kevin Brophy.
Go check out their website, listen to the mp3s of previous gigs, download a copy of the Wordplay mag that they’ve just launched. It’s all worth your time.
My first poetry feature of the year will be at Passionate Tongues!
What: Passionate Tongues! Hosted by Michael Reynolds.
Who: Me! I will be headlining with Ozlem Baro. This is her first feature (I believe). I have heard her read at Spinning Room, I suspect this won’t be her last.
Where: The Brunswick Hotel, 140 Sydney Rd, Brunswick (cnr. Weston Rd.)
When: 8pm, Monday, 2nd February
How: (…much?) Entry is free, but we do encourage the sale of raffle tickets as the proceeds get split between the features for the evening. Besides, the raffle prizes are good!
Why: Because I have new stuff! Because I have old stuff! Because Ozlem is really good! Because The Brunswick Hotel has bad album sleeves adorning their walls and good beer adorning their bar!
Reading: “Just Your Everyday Apocalypse†– Amelia Walker (which I got the last time I was at PT!!)
Listening: “Apparitions†– Matthew Good Band
Hello all,
Hmm, it has been a while since I posted last hasn’t it?
Never fear, I’m announcing a new feature gig!
Where : The Dan O’Connell, Cnr. Princes and Canning Sts. Carlton
When : 2pm, Saturday 28th June, 2008
I’m going to be making more noises about this later in the month, hope to see you there!
In the mean time, check out the Dan this week, Kevin Brophy will be the feature!
Come join Alex Skovron and I at the Eltham Courthouse!
Hosted by Helen Lucas, Alex and I will be featuring in the magnificent stone acoustics of the Eltham Courthouse.
When: Thursday, 21st February, 7:30 for an 8pm start.
Where: Eltham Courthouse, 728 Main Rd, Eltham (near the corner of Brougham St., about center in the map)
What: $5 entry, open mic, free tea, wine, coffee, biscuits and door prize.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to do the happy dance, then write frantically for approximately 5 weeks.
Listening: Matthew Good Band – Weapon
Reading: London Review of Books, January 3rd, 2008