Thanks to Hilary, Bel, Em, Lilian and guest artist Gareth Chin (accordion) for a wonderful multicultural mix of music at last night’s concert at Nexus Cabaret. The performance (as part of Adelaide’s Cabaret Fringe Festival which began last night) featured music from Syria, Macedonia, Norway, Sweden and Mexico, Zephyr’s own compositions and tango music by Astor Piazolla.
Zephyr Quartet never fails to amaze me – always stretching the boundaries and never content to settle into any one genre. Beautiful music.

Onlymeith has put together a very gothic and cinematic remix of my identical twins poem. Have a listen. As always, you need good headphones or speakers to appreciate the full dynamic range of his very professional production. All of my audio poems are archived – hit the audio button above for the whole collection.

Onlymeith is Carlos Clemente from Madrid. He also did a superb job with Aching Eyes. See more of onlymeith’s work HERE.

Muchas gracias, amigo. (OzBabelfish: : “Thanks a lot mate!”)

Thanks to Sandra Thibodeaux (Australia Poetry’s Poet in residence for 2011) for her challenging disturbing the poem workshop at the SA Writers Centre on Wednesday night. Sandra had us submit work to her weeks ahead of the session and challenged us to rewrite our own (and others’) poems in different voices, from alternate points of view, with improved endings and better titles. I especially appreciated the obvious time and thought that she’d put into all of our work in preparation for the night. If you get the opportunity to do this workshop, take it!

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(Thanks to poetsunion.com for the photo)

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“Butterflies float skyward like liberation…
… Cellos are the waists and childbearing hips of country girls.”
(from Tropeland. Surreal estate.)

I’m excited to have three poems published in the May 2011 edition of Mascara Literary Review –
Tropeland, Surreal estate, Poetry of the new millennium and Sluggish returns.
This is the second time I’ve been fortunate enough to appear in this excellent Australian/Asian online journal, with three poems also being published in 2008. This time I share publication with poets Anthony Lawrence, Michele Leggott, Andy Kissane, Marlene Marburg, Ashley Capes, Ali Jane Smith, Nicholas YB Wong, Mal McKimmie, Margaret Bradstock, Jennifer Compton, Judith Beveridge, Sue Lockwood, Anis Shivani, Brook Emery, Philip Hammial, Aidan Coleman, Sam Byfield, Tricia Dearborn, Peter Lach-Newinsky, Anna Ryan-Punch, Desh Balasubramaniam, Michael Sharkey, Alan Pejković, Jo Langdon and Sridala Swami.
There is also short fiction by Maria Takolander, Alan Gould, Rumjhum Biswas and Luke Johnson, a feature by Edwidge Danticat and translations and reviews by others.

Again I’m very thankful to have my work published in a high-calibre journal amongst such esteemed company.

I’ve added a new remix of my poem Jordy’s balloons to the audio page (above.) Thanks to onlymeith (aka Carlos Clemente from Madrid, Spain,) who used piano samples by Benjamin Orth from Germany to produce a beautiful version which to me is simultaneously sad and uplifting.