Storytime

I must admit I like to have things planned...but a surprise (especially a good one) every now and then helps to liven things up. As does taking a risk, a chance, doing something you never thought you would do. This weekend I (and my other half) had the chance to MC and host a wedding. It was something I had never thought about, never considered...until we were asked. Asked by a gorgeous young couple, the best friends of our daughter and son-in-law. With a smile we of course said yes...then began to think what this meant. Basically it meant we were there to join in the celebration of their love. There were spreadsheets...dinner where we sat down and got down to basics (you mean you really want us to say this...and that?)...dress rehearsal...and of course the numerous rehearsals we did before the actual event. Our rehearsals, I must admit, were a bit ramshackle with much ad-libbing and being quite stupid. However the day dawned on a glorious day of sunshine and we dr...

 I do love the way children have such an imagination. To them, anything and everything is possible. They have no editors or critics. Their stories feature themselves as hero, naturally, sometimes mum or dad will make an appearance, sometimes a bestest ever friend...sometimes their pet. They live in the now, and the now is really quite amazing. One of my regular Storytimers loves superheroes. Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Hulk, Green Lantern. His favourite though is Spiderman. And he can tell me every episode he has watched...in minute detail. And this is what he did last week. His story went a bit like this....... so Spiderman came out of the house, but this wasn't the real Spiderman, this was the bad one, the black one, do you know the bad one? he's the one that isn't really Spiderman but looks just like him, except he's not, and he's bad..and he's black...which isn't what the real Spiderman looks like ...not the good one...and then when he ca...

I'm always in awe of those poets that get up on stage and just go for it. No piece of paper in their hand, no mobile phone or Ipad clutched tight. They simple burst with poetry. They have memorised their work and are now performing it. Not reading, not simply uttering words ...it is a performance. And it's always something amazing to see. Every now and then I like to give myself that challenge...to memorise a piece of poetry and recite it. I have asked various poets over the years how they do it...how they manage to remember their work...and it's by repetition.  No simple and quick format...it's by going over and over the poem. So that's what I do. I pick a poem, and this is very important, pick the right poem. Not every poem is a spoken word poem. And not every poem will be easily memorised. I find that it has to have a flow. If it starts here and abruptly goes there, then back tracks way over to the pre beginning....it's very hard to get it down. ...

What makes a winning poem? I recently went to the Hut Poetry, the last for the year, and they had a competition for the best two poems. A pair of judges sat and listened, deliberated then gave the decision. Bottles of wine were the prizes. As an audience member it was very interesting to compare what I considered were the best, and what were chosen. It reinforces that selecting a 'winner', in this case two, is so very subjective. It was not an easy job for the judges. There were so much good work on offer. And a huge variety in delivery and genre. There were light hearted narratives- there were reminisces of childhood- well observed poems that described everything from Uluru - to the simplicity of a man and his dog walking a street. In this case the detail was what grabbed the judges attention. These poems were more 'page' oriented works than delivered as spoken word. They forced you to listen...made you appreciate the wrangling of words. Often in spoken wor...

Went to the far reaches of Melbourne Thursday night, well not really, but sometimes after driving straight from work, it does feel that way. Where you ask? Yarra Glen. Love the vibe that Sandy Jeffs gets in her gig, the intimacy, the food and the damned good poets. This time it was... identical twins, Bronwen and Emily Manger. Perhaps that should read Emily and Bronwen Manger, as I don't know who was born first and what the etiquette is in listing twins.... They were great, as usual. Have seen them perform in various venues and I found it interesting to watch the way they worked. Each a counterfoil for the other, offering a balance of tone and mode but also presentation. (photos by Alex Ruschanow)  Presentation is sometimes so over looked, or even forgotten about. Many writers think that content alone will suffice, and it does, on the page. But when performing, it is presentation that can make or break a poem.  Can have the audience shuffling in their seats and t...

Last Saturday I went to one of the Autumn Authors  events run by the Dandenong Ranges. This was advertised as Emilie Zoey Baker and friends and being a big fan of Emilie's  decided it was time for another dose of inspiration. And inspirational it was. With Angie Hart, from Frente, and the Body Poet , Sabrina D'Angelo, Emilie gave the audience a great afternoon of poetry, song and...can I say mime? It was my first experience with the Body Poet, and it was amazing. Not only her ability to make us laugh, in fact one fellow was laughing so much that it was almost more entertaining to watch him instead of the show, almost....but what I loved was her ability to express herself. Without words. Yes she has a talent, and a face that has an almost rubber like consistency to express any emotion....she also knows how to work the audience. All three performers had that ability and it was great to see.  Working a room is an artform in itself...and unfortunately a lot of pe...

Last weekend I went to the Word Tree , a local spoken word event held in Upwey. This was special for a variety of reasons. Guest performers were Susan Hawthorne, Patrick Boyle and Max Kulessa....there was a small but select open stage for performers.....but the event had just turned eleven. Yes eleven. This is huge. Enormous. And frankly deserves cake at least... Over the years there have been changes. Names....Red Room, Noises from the Basement, Talking in the Library, The Word Tree.... there have been a variety of hosts and MC's.... change of venues.....and some of the most wonderful poets have made their way up to the hills to perform. Poet Marian Spires  began this gig all those years ago....and I was there from the beginning.  With Marian's support and encouragement this is where I began to read and dare I say 'perform' my work. At that stage I only wrote short story and my first reading was...let's say interesting to say the least. I read my short sto...

Deciding what to read at a venue that offers open mic...is a minefield. Is it a case of shutting your eyes and choosing the first few poems that you point at? I feel comfortable enough at a few venues ( Word Tree ...and Poetry in the Hut ) that I bravely venture with new work. Test the water (cliche I know) so to speak. Difficult to let new work fly....often I'm editing minutes before I get on stage ....often I'm editing as I read. And there are regulars that will tell me what they 'really' think- will offer up 'that was too long...you repeated yourself in the last stanza....or even...you had them.' But what to read at a venue that you have only visited a few times? How do you know what sort of audience you will have? Plan A is to always bring more poems than you intend to read. There is nothing worse than knowing you have time to read 3 poems, bring 3 poems then notice that the audience is not getting into any of them. Honestly, those are the times whe...

I went out Saturday afternoon (rush of music, something uplifting and demanding applause)- to the Word Tree in Upwey. I haven't managed a 'poetic' event for so long- mainly due to work- so it was wonderful to get out and about and listen to some wonderful poets. To come away whirling with concepts and images and the desire to put pen to paper. Always a good sign. Unfortunately the advertised feature poet couldn't make it but, Emilie Collyer stepped in. I must admit to being a tad biased, because I totally LOVE Emilie's work...she lures me from the first word. Her images captivate, her words can draw smiles (or blood, depending on the poem) It was a good afternoon of poetry. As one poet mentioned, a lot of work auto-biographical which does resonate with an audience. The part I found interesting - and difficult- was deciding what poems to bring to read. Should I bring a spoken word poem - one that relies heavily on stage presentation - on the ability of the ...

Last weekend, a cold and rainy spring Melbourne weekend, I decided to abandon the garden and dive into spoken word. Not that there is much to do this end of the woods, or hills, or ranges, whatever the case may be....but there are two gigs that I do get to as much as I can, when work and life doesn't intrude. Saturday was Stoppingallstations at Nunawading. It's a lovely venue and Carole is a very welcoming host. There is an open section (offering a wide range of great poetry) as well as a feature each month. This month it was Tiggy Johnson. Tiggy's first reading came from her newly released collection 'First Taste' - and although I know these poems quite well it's always great to hear them again, read with such style and I love watching people's reactions especially to poems such as Concluding and Solitaire. Her second set was new poetry, mostly inspired by her major camping trip with the family around most of Australia. I was very interested to hear...