it’s all broken up into bits
isn’t it
and also full of pain
or, in the immortal words of marilyn monroe
it’s all make-believe, isn’t it?
but, who would be without it
stacks of it, loads of it
every kind of it
awake or in dreams
in life or even death
now
and/or later
Betty Collins
Adelaide’s oldest running open mic reading is proud to present Adelaide’s newest slam event: REBELSLAM!
When : Tues 9th. December.
Where : Tuxedo Cat, Rooftop 15-19 Synagogue Place, off East Rundle Street, Adelaide.
Time : 7.30 for 8.00 kick off.
Three 3 minute knockout rounds, one piece per round so be prepared. No props, no music, original work. Judges selected from the audience.
We need both competitors and audience members so come along and check out the future of performance poetry. It’s fast, it’s breakaway, it’s fun.
To all Friendly Streeters!
All through summer Friendly Street Poetry, in association with Transport SA, will be asking for short 3-4 line poems (on any subject). The purpose of this is to select the best poems that will be displayed in buses, trams and trains throughout the city! Winning entries will be selcted in February. Please give 2 copies of poems that you wish to be considered to Peach Howey-Lenixxh (aka Adam ‘the body’ Klimkiewicz) at Friendly Street meetings which are held on the first Tuesday of every month.
Good luck!”
Ken Bolton from the Experimental Arts Foundation, editor for Blue Dog and 2008 Convenor of Lee Marvin Readings was the judge of the New Poets 14 competition. He announced the winning manuscripts at the November Friendly St meeting. The three manuscripts are The Boy Full of Broken Promises by Rob Hardy; Airborne by Thom Sullivan and Snatching Time by Thames Valley (aka M.L.Emmett).
Ken said he was looking for “grace, intelligence and variety, and for bodies of work that showed mature conceptions of what poetry might be.” He thinks , “Too often people write varieties of stand-up comedy; alternatively poetry is thought to be a vehicle for a philosophical stance, where ‘philosophical’ means the poem should conclude on a note of rueful or amused stoicism as it announces ’silly old me’. He continued, “Typically, under both paradigms, not much of the poem’s thinking seems to have been done in the process of writing but is instead a prior conventional wisdom - so there is little surprise in the direction of the thinking. He was disappointed “that the entries seemed so unliterary - in that they showed little influence of other writing,” and “seemed not to see themselves as in dialogue with any particular tradition or lineage of writing.” He would like to see poets reading “deeply or widely, either would be good, both would be a bonus.” Although poets’ fear being influenced and losing independence Ken thinks the result “is most often that all these ‘uninfluenced’ poets resemble each other, a sort of styleless, ‘generic contemporary’ that changes very little from decade to decade.” Ken thinks that ” influence and immitation are a way to learn and develop and are a source of ideas and goals” .
Ken thought a “number of manuscripts rose above the ruck”. The three chosen Ken thought rose ‘highest’ and were ‘more sustained’. He briefly spoke about these three manuscripts. The poets were congratulated by the judge and the Friendly St community.
Friendly St Poets had a stall at the Festival on Sunday 9th November at Elder Park. It was a warm, sunny and breezy Adelaide afternoon. The stall was near to the Popeye landing and next to the ‘Soap Box’ so it was well positioned and under shade supplied by the organizers. We sold a variety of different books : Readers, New Poet & Single Poet volumes and even one Best of Friends. We had many enquiries about the meetings from the steady flow of passing people.
Mark C. Martin (mcm); Ivan Avalanche Rehorek, Colleen Sweeney and Maggie Emmett all helped with the stall. Juan Garrida and our beloved and old friend, Geoff Hastewell visited the stall. Geoff even managed to play us a couple of songs on an anti-war theme.
The organizers have said they have begun planning for next year so we have already requested a stall in 2009. Hope to see a few more of our readers on the mainstage next time.