Ready for more than nursery rhymes

My poem "Ready for more than nursery rhymes" is the opening poem in the beautiful "Quicksilver water - Oasis Women Poets" anthology which was launched yesterday at Hadley's Hotel in Hobart. I read at the event alongside many wonderful women, and what was very special to me, was that my daughter had her first poem published in the book and read it alongside me. Here is my poem.

Ready for more than nursery rhymes

Poetry,

I’ve kept my distance from you for three-and-a-half years

and that’s ok

because I was making new people –

two of them –

and really, life trumps poetry.

But without poetry,

life lacks some kind of empathic resonance,

percipience and depth,

so I am edging back to you

in between nappy changes and lullabies,

liquid Panadol and my own lonely pillow.

Poetry,

forgive me for snubbing you.

Remind me how to observe

more than the swollen gums of the next tooth,

more than the yearning for sleep-ins.

Come and save me

from the repetition of the weekly vacuum,

the dreaded bath-scrub, the urgent late-afternoon question

of what to cook.

I know some things, like these indescribable

love-blossomed smiles from my babies

are outside your scope of practice,

but I need you to rescue me from burnt meatballs,

temper tantrums at the kitchen gate

and this chasm between experience

and words.

Poetry, I’ve taken advantage of your patience.

Will you have me back?

- Susan Austin

Competitions and an agent

2021 was a big year for me and poetry. Since my last blog update in October, I was delighted that two more poems from my verse novel Dancing with Empty Prams, submitted as one entry under the title “The intimacy of needles; the poise of liquid nitrogen” were Commended on Sunday in the Woorilla Poetry Prize 2021. Judge Nathan Curnow commented: “This is an honest account of IVF treatment. It’s a long journey of a couple who are yearning for pregnancy, who are managing amid expectation and exhaustion. It’s finely handled; it’s a sensitive piece about hope, patience, absence and anticipation.” You can listen to the comments and hear Nathan read the poems (from the 1:42:30 mark on the replay of the live-stream video of the award presentation below.) https://www.facebook.com/woorillapoetryprize/videos/195652459334347

 

In November I was excited to announce that I signed a contract with a literary agent, Fiona Johnson from Beyond Words Literary Agency, to guide my verse novel manuscript Dancing with Empty Prams out into the world. https://www.beyondwordsagency.com/

And I was happy to round out the year with the news that one of my poems, “and then I catch myself”, received a Special Mention in the 2021 Colin and Norma Knight Memorial Poetry Award competition facilitated by the Fellowship of Australian Writers Tasmania. Judge Karen Witek (Knight) commented that my poem had a “Great title, descriptive imagery, reminiscent of some of Whitman’s thought processes." She also wrote: "I liked how the writer took us into their private world of short term escapism, a walk through mindfulness, memories and beauty.”

Undertow price reduced! Now only $18 with free postage.

I had the pleasure of walking to South Cape Bay on the southern edge of Tasmania a few weekends ago (see photos below). It was our family's first overnight bush walk. As we were walking along the spectacular cliff tops beside the ocean, my husband said it made him think about my poetry book, Undertow. The cover photo on Undertow shows me sitting up on those cliffs looking out to the great Southern Ocean, when I last went walking there with my friend Jenny.

If you haven't yet read Undertow, now would be a great time to get a copy, because I've reduced the price to $18 and will post it for you for free. Just click on the PayPal Buy Now button on the right hand side of the main page of this blog, enter your details and I will get it in the mail for you. Or if you're using a phone, find the Buy Undertow option in the drop-down blog menu. Thanks for your support!

Prizes, buses, workshops, interviews and publications - what a week!

A lot has been happening for me in the writing space lately. The Poetry in Motion project chose one of my poems to go up on a bus in Hobart. The project involves displaying 40 different short, 3-lined poems on 40 different buses around Hobart. My poem was inspired by the Dark MOFO Winter Feast, when we were able to sit around fire-pits, enjoy an amazing variety of food and drink and be grateful we were not in lock-down like other states. Let me know if you have spotted it!

I also found out on the weekend that I won First Prize and a Highly Commended in the Fellowship of Australian Writers Tasmania 2021 Poetry Prize! Both poems come from my yet-to-be-published verse novel, Dancing with Empty Prams.

Here are the comments made in the judge's report about my poems:

First Prize:  Reproduction, the ocean’s arc

This poem is so sad, and fascinating in its twin unfurling narratives and undercurrents of distance and complex envy/love. Its metaphors are perfectly matched to the emotional tone, and the poem is deft in its craft and so crisply rendered that it offers a direct window into an otherwise deeply private experience.  

Highly Commended: The dance of infertility:  Deeply, precisely raw, with a vivid narrative. Both sections build to the emotional reveals of their endings.  

On Tuesday I ran some workshops for Mental Health Week on the topic of Creative Writing for Mental Wellbeing. 

I was interviewed by Ryk Goddard on ABC Hobart radio about these workshops and my writing. It was early in the morning, first day back after holidays, so I wasn't firing on all cylinders, but hopefully inspired some people to pick up a pen and write when they are feeling stressed, anxious or down! You can listen to my 9 minute interview here: ABC radio interview.

And lastly, I am excited to share a new poem of mine, 'Sonnet for Lost Lasts', which has been published in Communion Literary Journal along with Esther Ottaway's beautiful 'Sonnet for fifteen' and my response to it. Check it out here 

My review also includes a link to Esther's brilliant new collection which I highly recommend. 

Who's my favourite poet?

When I was interviewed by Cameron Hindrum on City Park Radio on 28^th March this year, as part of the final session of the Tasmanian Poetry Festival, he asked me two questions which had me a little stumped. “Who are your three favourite poets?” and “If you could sit down for a cup of tea and a chat with any poet in the world, living or dead, who would you like it to be?” 

It was at this point that I realised that my two favourite poets, Gina Mercer and Jane Williams, were both Tasmanian, and both easy to catch up with. Who else would make my favourite poet lists? Afterwards I thought about Sharon Olds, Mary Oliver, Ada Limon and Hollie McNish. Not to mention Maya Angelou – wouldn’t it be amazing to sit down with her? 

While I tend to read a fair bit of poetry from here, there and everywhere, I mostly collect books from Tasmanian authors who I know, or whose launches I attend. When I came home I looked through my poetry collection to see how weighted it was towards Tasmanian writers. It turns out I own books (sometimes several different titles) written by thirty-five Tasmanian poets as well as seven collected anthologies of Tasmanian poetry. Books by twenty-eight poets from other parts of Australia were sitting in my bookcase, thirteen were from other countries and there were twenty-seven miscellaneous anthologies occupying space on my shelf.  

We have such a rich community of poets here in Tasmania that I often feel like I don’t need to look too much further afield. But I am relishing snatches of time I have to focus on poetry this year and maybe by the end of the year I will be better able to answer Cameron’s questions. Narrowing the list of poets down to three is going to be very hard though.  

Who are your favourite poets?

Stocking up and mindful writing

A few months ago I stocked up on more copies of Undertow, as I had almost depleted my supply. I can easily pop one in the post if you want to order one through this blog site, using PayPal. 

I also shouted myself a new journal last week, and it's so beautiful I almost don't want to write in it! 

I ran a workshop for the Women's Poetry Oasis in May. I guided participants in mindful writing exercises, including ones that focused on tuning into our different senses. We wrote poems using our senses of smell and hearing. I explained how tuning into our senses can be a way of grounding ourselves in the here and now as well as finding new potential and stimuli for our writing. Participants came up with some fabulous work - on the spot - including some very funny pieces in response to the scent of an orange and the sound of birds. It's always surprising what is produced and where you end up when you gather a group of poets together in one room. 

Tasmanian Poetry Festival, March 2021

It was three months ago, but better late than never ... I just wanted to write a note about my inspiring weekend at the Tasmanian Poetry Festival in Launceston in March 2021. So great to get to know the northern poetry community a bit better - they are a brilliant bunch. I was a last-minute inclusion in the program after another guest poet had to pull out. I missed the lead-up events and the launch but made it to all the Saturday and Sunday events and performed a set at each. I read some poems about climate change, domestic violence, infertility and parenting. A few poems were from my book Undertow but most were new ones, including from my verse novel manuscript.

I was in the company of some very talented poets, including Kim Nolan, Geoffrey Miller, Jane Williams, Joy Elizabeth and Rebecca Young. It was fabulous to be there when Kristen Lang launched Jane’s new book “points of recognition”, and over the weekend I was also lucky to be at the launches of Joy Elizabeth’s new book “Fragile Friday”, Nancy Corbett’s collection “The Longest Conversation” and Kristen Lang’s book “Earth Dwellers”, launched by Ralph Wessman from Walleah Press. I’m all stocked up and have been enjoying exploring the new work in these books since I came home.

Rebecca Young, a young woman from northern Tasmania, bravely performed some powerful poetry covering themes of trauma, sexual abuse and fraught family relationships. Geoffrey Miller impressed with his gentle style and subtle humour, and won over the crowd to win the coveted Launceston Poetry Cup. Colin Berry did a fabulous job of directing and MC’ing. There had been a lot of rain beforehand and I managed to fit in a walk along Cataract Gorge to witness the water thundering through. A very nourishing weekend.

Photos below of the festival guest poets, me reading at the Sunday session in the Albert Hall and some of the books I brought home to enjoy. More pics in the gallery tab of this blog.