This poem was inspired by one of Fleassy Malay‘s pendemic writing prompts. The prompt was to write to 2020 as if it were a person. I’ve often struggled with personification in the past but this one actually came pretty easily.
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Feature Set at MSW Fresh Voices
I’m thrilled to be a feature poet at Melbourne Spoken Word presents Fresh Voices Online tomorrow night (Wednesday 23rd September).
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Pandemic Poem #41 / A Letter to Myself Now Lockdown Is Over
I don’t know who else needs to hear this but it’s okay if you enjoyed some parts of isolation. It’s okay if 2020 has given you gifts. It’s okay to be feeling like you’re in a better place now than you were at the start of the year.
Continue reading “Pandemic Poem #41 / A Letter to Myself Now Lockdown Is Over”Poetry Slam State Finals Here I Come
Last Wednesday night, in some god-awful wet and windy weather, I travelled to Geelong with my writer friend Zoe Werner. We both competed in the Australian Poetry Slam heat being held at the Geelong Regional Libraries.
It was a fantastic night of passionate poetry and I was very proud of myself for coming second! This means that I am off to compete at the Victorian Finals on Friday 4 October at the State Library, Melbourne.
A Wearer of Many Hats
I’ve often described myself as “a wearer of many hats – real and metaphorical”. You’ll often see me sporting a colourful woolen beret in winter, an orange felt hat in autumn and spring, and a broad-brimmed straw number in summer. I’m juggling parenting, paid work and creative projects, and I have multiple creative projects on the go at once. So I guess my description is pretty apt.
Why “I Didn’t Mean To Hurt You” Is Not an Apology.
I never used to listen to commercial radio, but now I have it on in the car, and sometimes while I do the dishes. I’m not completely averse to pop music anymore, however it does disturb me how so many modern love songs normalise disrespect, objectification and the notion that stalking is somehow an acceptable form of romance.
What disturbs me the most is that the songs on the radio are only a reflection of real attitudes to romance and dating. Attitudes I am unfortunately familiar with. Let me tell you what happened to me late last year.
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Flashback Friday – On The Same Frequency
Me, aged about 14 in the studio at Two State FM, Barham, March 2000
Bob McKinnon, Jason Nahrung, Zoe Werner & myself at Voice FM, Ballarat, May 2019. Photo by Pauline O’Shannessy Dowling.
I had such a good time recently on air on The Arts Program on 99.9 Voice FM as a guest presenter, that I’ll be doing it semi-regularly. Sitting in the studio is always a beautifully nostalgic place for me, because it takes me back to my formative years and reminds me of how connected I am to my parents.
As Pretty As Flowers And As Funny As A Clown – Thoughts on Mother’s Day.
In the past I’ve been very against Mother’s Day. The marketing machine dictating that mothers like all things fluffy, pink and scented annoys me. It’s a cop-out to give the woman who you should really know very well a off-the-shelf on a certain day of the year for doing a job and maintaining a relationship that she is obligated to.
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When Opportunity Knocks, I Answer.
I was right when I said that everything changes. I know I’d sworn never again to work with community theatre after being burnt twice. It seems I wasn’t the only one who had negative experiences and with a new broom comes sweeping changes. The new board of Ballarat National Theatre are open to creative risk, actively seeking new blood, and have a longer-term outlook. I’m excited to be a part of that. The opportunities to build more networks, to work with new people, to try new things as a director, to forge a reputation for professionalism and quality seem to now outweigh any potential conflict that might arise from working in community theatre.
