nzepc six pack sound #02

Six Pack Sound

I have to say that I was pretty chuffed to see that the second set of "six pack" recordings was up on the nzepc. Why? Well, because one of them is by me, of course. But no, there are plenty of other reasons to feel excited by this initiative by the unfailingly inventive Michele Leggott, with her able collaborators Tim Page and Brian Flaherty.

Once again, the old jostles with the new, the "established" with the up-and-coming, in this interesting selection of six poets.

Last year it was Murray Edmond, Ya-Wen Ho, Alice Miller, Tessa Priest, Vaughan Rapatahana, and Steven Toussaint.

That is, admittedly, a pretty difficult act to follow, but this year Michele and co. have come up with Stephanie (the artist formerly known as Will) Christie, performance artists Makyla Curtis & Hannah Owen-Wright, Catalyst's Doc Drumheller, Fast-talking P.I. Selina Tusitala Marsh - me - and AUP poet Sam Sampson.

And there's some pretty trippy stuff up there by the various members of the gang. Go on, have a listen - you know you want to.

Jack Ross: Ice Road Trucker, designed by Daniel Fyles (2015)

My own selection is called "Ice Road Trucker," and is (I'm sorry to say) at least to some extent themed around my fascination with said reality show. Sorry about that. After America's Next Top Model, what's next?

Ice Road Truckers

There's lots of other crazy shit there, though, I promise you. Not to mention a few thoughts on mortality inspired by the recent death of my father.

The important point, though, is that I think this is another great idea from the nzepc. A small but instantly accessible selection of audio poems is a very useful thing for a writer to have. In many ways, it's the next step forward from our three Auckland University Press audio / text anthologies of New Zealand Poets in Performance.

NZ Poets in Performance Series (2006-8)

Lounge 47 Reading (Wednesday 21 October)

Lounge 47

The latest in the long series of LOUNGE readings in Old Government House, Auckland University.

Here are the details of the event:

LOUNGE 47


with readers:

Stu Bagby
Peter Bland
Roger Horrocks
Sophia Johnson
Michele Leggott
Bronwyn Lloyd
Vana Manasiadis
Elizabeth Morton
Lisa Samuels
Robert Sullivan

MC: Jack Ross

Wednesday 21st October, 5.30-7.00 pm

At Old Government House
Auckland University City Campus
corner of Princes St and Waterloo Quadrant

Free entry. Food and drinks for sale in the Buttery.
Information Michele Leggott, or 09 373 7599 ext. 87342

The LOUNGE readings are a continuing project of the New Zealand Electronic Poetry Centre (nzepc), Auckland University Press and Auckland University English, Drama and Writing Studies, in association with the Staff Common Room Club at Old Government House, and — in this case — Poetry NZ.

See you there!

There will be a number of giveaways during the evening: free copies of Tender Girl, by Lisa Samuels; A Clearer View of the Hinterland, by Jack Ross; and a voucher for a free copy of the unfortunately-not-yet-back-from-the-printer Poetry NZ Yearbook 2.

Old Government House

Jacket 2: Notes on NZ Poetry

Coromandel
[photograph: Simon Creasey]

First of all, a quick apology. Over the years I've tried to average about one post per fortnight, as those of you who've been kind enough to visit this blog on a regular basis will attest. Over the next few months I'll be lucky to achieve half that, as I have another gig which will be taking up a good deal of my time.

You recall, a few months ago, when I was asked to edit a selection of New Zealand poets for the US-based website Jacket2? No? Well, I was. You can read all about it here.

I guess they must have liked what I had to say, because I've received a follow-up invitation to write a commentary for them, in a section of their site devoted to poetry and poetics-related posts by a variety of guest writers. I suspect that it's more my status as a living breathing New Zealander that inspired the choice than any other personal qualities, as my subject matter is more or less restricted to "Notes on NZ Poetry."

Never mind. I'll just have to make it as interesting as I can.

My column - as I like to think of it - kicks off this weekend (on April Fool's Day - though fortunately the Americans, in a different time-zone, have attributed it to March 31st) with a brief account of the Short Takes on Long Poems" symposium I've just attended (see the post below for details).

I'll try and keep up my other regular blogging "duties" so far as I'm able, but please be patient with me. I know it doesn't really matter to anyone but me how many posts I manage to put up on this huge snake of a blog, but it's nice - sometimes - to fantasise about a huge cadre of devoted readers, eagerly devouring every word one sets down ...

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Pictures from a Symposium

[Shouldn't that be surge-black fissure?
Never mind. It goes with the blue & black of Michele's outfit, anyway ...]

I've just spent two days at a Poetry Symposium at Auckland University. It'd be hard to do justice here to all the myriad impressions and conversations that make up one's experience of such an event, so instead I've decided to put up a selection of the photos that Bronwyn and I took.

Hopefully they'll give you something of the atmosphere of the proceedings. For more impressions, you can visit my commentary site here:

[1] Approaches:

[Old Government House, in the university grounds, is a fantastic setting for a conference].

[Wellesley St Overpass]

[Old Government House]

[On the terrace]

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[2] The Booktable:

[Bronwyn looked after the booktable on the first day, Thursday 29th, Brett Cross on the Friday. Looking through all the books, cds, t-shirts and other things people bring is one of my favourite parts of these events - I doubt if I'm alone in that].

[Setting Up]

[Poets' books]

[Pania Press & Titus Books]

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[3] Participants:

[Some extremely distinguished guests came along. I wish we'd managed to get good photos of more of them, really: Bernadette Hall, Dinah Hawken, John Newton ... so many others.]

[Cilla McQueen]

[Stephanie Christie]

[Robert Sullivan & John Adams

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[4] The Symposium:

[There were 15 papers on the first day, and 6 on the second (mine among them). Everybody finished within their allotted time and there were no over-runs. That's pretty unprecedented - in my experience, at any rate - for  a poetry conference. Thanks to Michele Leggott, Robert Sullivan & Lisa Samuels, the three organisers - and all their fellow-chairs - for this extremely impressive achievement].

[Michele Leggott opens proceedings]

[John Tranter (at right) in conversation]

[Rachel Blau DuPlessis closes proceedings]

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[5] Lunch:

[The conference organisers prepared us a picnic lunch on the first day, and most of us chose to eat it out on the lawn - the weather was amazing on both days].

[Tim Page, Jack Ross, Michele Leggott & Olive the guide-dog]

[More brown-baggers]

[David Howard, Helen Rickerby & friend]

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[6] Waiheke:

On Friday, after Rachel Blau DuPlessis's eloquent summing-up (and Robert and John's spookily effective evocation of Governor George Grey, whose house this once was), most of us went off to Waiheke for the conference after-party: an attempt on the record for the world's longest beach poem].

[on the bus to Oneroa]

[Preparing the ground]

[Marshalling the troops]

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[7] The Beach Poem:

[And this is the beginning & end of what we came up with. You'll have to check on the nzepc if you want to see the rest of the poem, though].

[Begin]

[Anywhere]

[The End]

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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.