A State of Poetry
Gold fire, blue glaze; thin tangle of cirrus thread;
No stir of air, no bird’s flight overhead.
The fleece of snow sweats crystal in the sun;
And secretly a thousand rivulets run
Sinking through lichened rocks, gurgling beneath.
From ‘Spider on the Snow’ by James McAuley
When a thought becomes so at home in one’s mind that a visit to it becomes as fitting as a glove, then it is time for that thought to become speech; and then of course, once that speech has become so familiar, the thought behind the words becomes an action. Spoken word is speech becoming action; and yes, it is sometimes terrifying, but that’s ok, because I’ve been told that no one really knows what they’re doing – we’re all just guessing, plotting some sort of intuitive path through the ever-changing foggy track of the future. We stumble blind, guessing at best, hoping for victory yet facing always the possibility of failure; and this – the discomfort, the unknown – surely, is what life is all about.
What a time it is for poetry in Tasmania! Having just had the inspiring Australian Poetry Slam! Hobart and Devonport heats; the start of spoken word radio on Edge Radio 99.3 FM (Silver Words Radio, the reinvigoration of the Sunday readings at the Republic Bar & Cafe; but now the annual Poets and Painters at the Bett Gallery is back with 32 painters and poets collaborating as a tribute to Dick Bett AM; there is a fantastic article by erstwhile Island contributor Rebecca Fitzgibbon which you can read here. The opening night will be MCd by Andrew Harper and opens this Friday 2nd August and runs until the 23, at the Bett Gallery, Elizabeth Street in North Hobart.
Silver Words Radio made its on-air debut last Saturday 27 July. The program featured local bands such as Guerilla Zingari (check them out on 9 and 16 August at the New Sydney), Christopher Coleman Collective ; and spoken word from John Trudell, Henry Rollins, Phatrhymes from the Flatline (formerly Elixir Scriptures), and of course Adonis Storr, the host, reading a Tasmanian poem – ‘In Northern Tasmania’ by James McAuley (to start the show and one of his own – ‘If you want’ – to finish.
This fortnight’s Silver Words VI – Axolotl! is really a tribute to Anne Morgan’s fantastic poem that took out the Hobart Heat of the APS last Friday 19 July at Frankies Empire. Axolotl’s are one of several Salamander’s in Mexico that undergo the process of neotony – this eliminates the adult life cycle; they remain immature throughout their entire lives, still able to reproduce, yet in the larval stage of their development. So basically the theme is staying young and encouraging that inner child to play, live and be heard.
This will be a massive weekend for poetry in Hobart!
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Tonight – we have Silver Words VI downstairs at Frankies Empire, Elizabeth St, 6.30-8.30pm.
Friday – is the opening night of Poets and Painters: A Tribute to Dick Betts AM, 6pm, and the opening of Silver Words regular Karina Castan’s exhibition in Jimmy’s Skate Shop.
Saturday – it’s the big day up north with Australian Poetry Slam! northern heat in Launceston, Fresh Cafe. Then Silver Words Radio returns this Saturday night from 6-8pm.
Sunday – is the First Sunday of the Month poetry readings at the Republic Bar & Cafe.