Monday, September 06, 2010

Jack's Aussie Adventure


[Harbour view]


So where have I just been? Yup, you guessed it. No matter how many times you've seen it before, it's still pretty tempting to take a snap of the Opera House.


[Meriton Apartments, Suite 4502]

Here's where we stayed.


[Sydney CBD]

& here's the view. Pretty cool, eh?


[Lisa Samuels, Ricci Van Elburg & Jen Crawford]

Don't they look glamorous?


[John Newton, Jeffrey Paparoa Holman, Michele Leggott]

Not that these three don't look pretty glam as well ...


[Performance Space, UTS Broadway Campus]

Setting up on the first full day of readings (September 1st)


[Home & Away 2010: A Trans Tasman Poetry Symposium]

Michele gets things underway.


[The Booktable]

Always important for me: some brilliant deals and swaps were done this time (as on previous occasions).


[Dave Mitchell]

[Michele & Dave]

[& a great big hug]

The presiding spirit of the occasion.


[Janet Charman, Vivienne Plumb, Selina Tusitala Marsh & David Howard]

The main business of the symposium consisted of four panels. Each time, four poets read and discussed some examples of their latest work (all of which had been made available in advance on the digital bridge). This is the final panel on day 2.


[Mark Fryer, Michele Leggott, Janet Charman & Michael Farrell]

After all that hard work, what better way to relax than with a ferry ride? Here we are on our way to Cockatoo Island on the last day of the proceedings.


[Mark Young & Martin Edmond]


[Amanda Stewart]



[Sydney Harbour Bridge]

A shot to match the ones I took of Auckland Harbour Bridge earlier this year.


[Michael Farrell & Janet Charman on Cockatoo Island]


[Prison Cells on Cockatoo Island]


[Circular Quay]


They sure made us feel welcome. But then it was time to say goodbye.

[Mark Fryer, Michele Leggott, Helen Sword, Lisa Samuels, Jen Crawford]


Zero's glad to have me back. I enjoyed myself a lot, but I'm happy to be home.


13 comments:

pb said...

Nice pics Jack

Dr Jack Ross said...

Thanks Pam

Richard said...

Jack - you neglected your cat for all those dodgy people?!

Good pictures as said.

I just read a book by John Newton. He goes around worrying obsessively about issues of postmodernism etc! (Even modernism is bit dubious for him I think, he avers from "ambiguity"..) His "essays" or trips to visit (say D H Lawrence's place in the US) involve musings about theories and issues that are more convoluted than those of his main "enemies" (Jacobson, Sassure (?), Derrida, et al)...he should stop worrying as most of us like myself - not your good self Jack - are completely baffled by all the theory!

But his book "Departure Lounge" was quite interesting and makes some good points (or always threatens to have great human interest anecdotes) ...good to see David Mitchel and others. And the other Dave and Jen and the others....

Dr Jack Ross said...

Dear Richard,

I fear you may have confused John Newton with John Needham, whose book The Departure Lounge you mention: a very different kettle of fish ...

btw, your name came up at the Sydney symposium plenary session, where Michael Farrell mentioned how impressed he'd been during his recent stay in New Zealand by brief magazine, and - in particular - with your own contributions to same (a few passages of which he read out to the assembled multitude: something about "lovely peanut butter"), so there you go. It seems that somebody's been reading us (or you, at any rate) after all ...

Anonymous said...

It looks like an interesting trip! I think Zero is an excellent name for a cat.

Dr Jack Ross said...

Dear Sarah,

I appreciate your comment, but I'm afraid that you're the first person to think so. Everyone else just goes silent when they hear our cat's name. I claim that it was inspired by the little circles of white fur on her sides, but they seem to think it's some attempt to undermine her self-confidence. Luckily Zero's pretty resilient in that respect.

Richard said...

yes John Needham - hmmm - the irony is that (googling I found an entry by a Jack Needham -apparently writing about John Newton! And I read all about John Newton's book about Baxter etc (thinking it was Needham!) and I am sure that Needham is also a keen Baxterian and went to Jerusalem so I was completely confused.

Now in learning chess "openings" (the 'starting part' of chess games - we have to (try to) learn many "lines" and we call this sort of thing a "transformation"...or getting one's lines mixed up...!! (It happens all the time...

I looked at Farrel and thought, slightly: "...he looks a bit like John Barth..." (I have only read his (B's) 'The End of the Road' - when studying under Boyd who kept asking us if any of us knew what the significance of (one character) fiddling with (a small model of) The Laocoon - now it has the Greek myth. sig. (//ling the three in the novel and the three slain in the Iliad); there was sculpture of it at the Auck. museum); and it is a famous critical book as you know, but still I don't know! I kind of sensed the answer...so must google!! more! (cheater!!)and I want to read more of his books I liked that so much ...) and " ... I wonder if he is related to Fiona Farrell, but he probably wont like what I write...." something like that.

That 'thing' was taken from EYELIGHT and shortened onto BRIEF - it was fragmented but it more or less followed what I had been reading - but at night I used to get up about midnight and open a jar of peanut butter and just eat it and eat it (a nervous action really)...my daughter was not happy when I confessed this crime as I lost weight via her system ..she is now doing a PhD in Health Science and Psych....and obesity etc is her area (so that pleasure thing I did ("Delicious peanut butter ..." repeated etc as part of the quotes,...or "samples") is incorporated in the ...well the time line so to speak of my reading ..a kind of diary that isn't quite a diary...);

But yes, good someone is reading the strange things in Brief.,it now has a great history,

I got ABHOTWW from the start I was very excited when Alan Loney started it...I also very excited when he said he was going to write his "The Erasure Tapes" (which I have - very interesting book)...
But his 'Side Tracks' or 'Missing Parts' has repetitions like that in it...so as it is also a kind of journal, or note book, I was perhaps influenced by his writing also.

Lisa Samuels at least heard me read part of the contribution to Brief at the meeting in Devonport. She seemed to like it..very sharp woman she is ... I mean very intelligent and bright she seems. (But not because she liked my reading or whatever!)

I didn't think much of what I had done to be honest! But as you say someone is looking at least...

Anonymous said...

Hi Jack - was just having coffee with Michele Leggott this morning - she told me all about the trip - i am envious. "Jack's Aussie Adventure" is a great title. cheers, sonja
ps we have a cat called Fish.

Dr Jack Ross said...

Thanks Sonja,

Looking forward to seeing you next Friday at the launch for Paula Green and Harry Ricketts' 99 Ways into NZ Poetry ...

Sensa said...

at last, a photo snap for all those names.

Dr Jack Ross said...

And for even more face-to-name info, you can check out Adrian Wiggin's rather more professional photos from the UTS evening reading at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiggo/sets/72157624742425089/

Jay said...

wow! love the pictures!Some adventure!!!

Sean Johnson said...

Australia is on my list of places to visit! Love the pictures! Since this was 3 years ago, I am looking forward to a more interesting visit!