Showing posts with label Paula Green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paula Green. Show all posts

Thursday, May 20, 2021

The Oceanic Feeling on Paula Green's NZ Poetry Shelf



Local poet and longtime poetry supporter Paula Green has just posted a series of readings by me from my latest poetry book on her blog the NZ Poetry Shelf:






Jack Ross reads four poems from The Oceanic Feeling, Salt & Greyboy Press, 2021:



Jack Ross works as a senior lecturer in creative writing at Massey University. He is the author of five poetry collections and eight works of fiction, most recently Ghost Stories (Lasavia Publishing, 2019) and The Oceanic Feeling (Salt & Greyboy Press, 2021). He blogs here.

Notes to The Oceanic Feeling



Thanks Paula!

Thursday, September 05, 2019

Tara McLeod: 8 Poems by New Zealand Poets (2019)




8 Poems by New Zealand Poets 2019
Designed by Tara McLeod (Auckland: The Pear Tree Press, 2019)

Yesterday I received my two author's copies of Tara McLeod's beautiful new chapbook 8 Poems by New Zealand Poets. It's the fourth in the series, earlier editions having appeared in 2014, 2017 and 2018:







Each book is billed as containing "8 new poems from contemporary NZ poets." It's quite a stellar list. To date the following poets have appeared in the series:

    2014:
  1. Riemke Ensing
  2. Brian Gregory
  3. David Gregory
  4. Judith Haswell
  5. David Howard
  6. Peter Olds
  7. Paul Thompson
  8. Denys Trussell

  9. 2017:
  10. Riemke Ensing
  11. Brian Gregory
  12. Judith Haswell
  13. John Mitchell
  14. Michael O’Leary
  15. Rachel Scott
  16. Paul Thompson
  17. Denys Trussell

  18. 2018:
  19. Glenn Colquhoun
  20. Riemke Ensing
  21. Brian Gregory
  22. Rachel McAlpine
  23. Daryl McLaren
  24. Karl Stead
  25. Paul Thompson
  26. Richard von Sturmer


Here's my own poem, 'The Oceanic Feeling,' from the latest volume:




And here's a list, in order, of all the poets included:

  1. Michele Leggott
  2. Elizabeth Brooke-Carr
  3. Alan Loney
  4. Michael Harlow
  5. Linda Gill
  6. Jack Ross
  7. Gregory O'Brien
  8. Paula Green
  9. Riemke Ensing


Pretty good company to keep, I'm sure you'll agree!




I guess what's most striking about the books is the inventiveness with which Tara has come up with a different design for every poem: with bold colours and variegated font choices to complement the mood of each of them.

I couldn't be happier with the Pasifika look of the title and layout of my own poem, and I'm sure all the other poets feel the same. When Tara showed me a proof of what he had in mind in his studio in Orewa, I was quite blown away. For someone as addicted as I am to handprinting and poetry posters and all those fascinating surrounds to the classic slim volume of verse, it was manna in the wilderness.

I won't disguise the fact: the books are expensive. If you live near a library with a good rare books or special collections section - and which of us doesn't? - you should be able to get your hands on a copy, though (albeit, probably, with white gloves on).

It's always a thrill to collaborate with a real artist, and it's nice to know that Tara is beginning to get the credit he deserves, with a major new book - Tara McLeod: A Typographer's Journey - on his work as a designer, printer and sculptor due out from Lesley Smith's Katsura Press later this year.



Oh, and why are there nine poets rather than eight in this particular volume? Through an act of kindness on the artist's part, actually. Elizabeth Brooke-Carr was going to be included in the 2020 volume, but the state of her health made it seem increasingly likely that she'd never live to see it.

Accordingly, Riemke Ensing offered to bow out to give space for Elizabeth in this book instead. Touched by this gesture, Tara decided to include Riemke's poem anyway - there's a note explaining the circumstances beside it.

Elizabeth Brooke-Carr died in her Dunedin home on the 3rd of September, 2019. I don't know if she was able to see her poem in print before she died, but at least the rest of us can.

Entitled 'All that remains is pressed flat,' it's a very moving account of a funeral. Was it Harold Bloom who remarked that elegy was the mode in which poets almost always succeed?



Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Sarah Broom Memorial Evening (11/6/13):


Poetry Live

The Thirsty Dog
corner of Howe St. & Karangahape Rd

Tuesday 11th June
from 8 pm onwards

Readings by:

Janet Charman
Paula Green
Siobhan Harvey
Jack Ross
& Michael Gleissner

Musician: Caitlin Smith

MC: Penny Sommervaille



[The Thirsty Dog]


You'll recall that I included a brief obituary for my friend Sarah Broom on this blog a short time ago. I'm very pleased to be able to report that Siobhan Harvey has organised an evening of readings and reminiscences about Sarah, to be held at Poetry Live (more venue details above) a week from today.

Here's the letter she sent us, filling us in on the details:
I'm writing with regard to Poetry Live on 11th June, the celebration evening for Sarah and her poems.

Poetry Live has enrolled a guest musician. There will be an open mic beginning the evening where poets can read a favourite poem by Sarah and/or a poem they've written. Then there'll be the guest slot. I will introduce each reader in this slot and invite them to the stage.

The readers are as follows: Michael Gleissner, Jack Ross, Siobhan Harvey, Paula Green and Janet Charman.

Given there are 5 of us in the slot, my suggestion is that we run to around 7 minutes each, and that we try to stick as closely to a maximum of 7 minutes. In your 7 minutes, my suggestion is to select and read a favourite poem by Sarah, a short poem by yourself and offer a memory of Sarah,

trust that sounds in order. I'll be in touch shortly with a start time for the evening.

kind regards

Siobhan


The musician has now been confirmed as the multi-talented Caitlin Smith. The session will be MC'ed by my good friend Penny Sommervaille.






[Sarah Broom: Gleam (2013)


[12/6/13]:

Just to say that the evening went off very well. Caitlin sang beautifully. Penny was an adroit and masterful MC. Siobhan, Michael, Paula and I all read our poems and shared our reminiscences of Sarah ...

The undoubted climax of the occasion, though, was Janet Charman's reading of a passage about performance poetry from the chapter called "The Tribes of Poetry" from Sarah's critical book Contemporary British and Irish Poetry - it was really inspiring!

We also heard the good news that Sarah's second poetry book Gleam (also published by AUP) will be launched on August 1st in Old Government House -- more details are available on the AUP website.






Sarah Broom (1972-2013)


Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Three September Launches:


[Paula Green & Harry Ricketts, 99 Ways into NZ Poetry]


TALKING POETRY:


Launch Event for
99 Ways into New Zealand Poetry

Auckland Central Public Library
Friday, 17th September
5.30-7.00 pm


Introduced by Paula Green & Harry Ricketts,
the book's authors,
ten poets will each have 3 to 5 minutes to chat informally
on the subject of poetry.

Here is the list:

Sarah Broom
Janet Charman
Murray Edmond
Anna Jackson
Michele Leggott
Selina Tusitala Marsh
Jack Ross
Robert Sullivan
Albert Wendt
Sonya Yelich








[Jack Ross, Kingdom of Alt]


Titus Books


DUAL BOOKLAUNCH

Thursday, September 23rd
at Alleluya Cafe, Karangahape Rd, Auckland.
6pm start


Alex Wild Jespersen
The Constant Losers


A novel of text-talk, musomania, mix tapes, student bars and library intrigues, The Constant Losers starts with a google search for 'boykrew fan club' and ends in a 'zine war'. The book's heroes are two students whose strange relationship begins in print and develops through a series of chaotic encounters.

Jack Ross
Kingdom of Alt


Is writing about staying on the sidelines, or getting involved - marginal observation, or "skyline operations" (Auden)? This book of short stories (plus one novella) offers a series of takes on the possibility of a truly engaged literature. Not all the conclusions it comes to are entirely pessimistic.

See you there

or

Order the books here



[Alex Wild Jespersen, The Constant Losers]





[Gabriel White & David Simmons, Stories of Tāmaki]


Wednesday 29 September
6:30pm

FREE Public Event

The premiere screening of
Gabriel White's new film
Stories of Tāmaki
with David Simmons


Academy Cinema
44 Lorne Street
city centre
(below Central City Library)
Auckland


This 50 minute film testifies to rich ancestral heritage of Tāmaki Makaurau, a landscape many take for granted.

NB: Stories of Tāmaki was funded by The Screen Innovation Fund and supported by The Auckland Heritage Festival 2010.



[Gabriel White]