Australian Poetry Slam ‘09 – ACT heat
6 November 6:00-10:00pm
Foyer National Library of Australia
Parkes Place

As in previous years you’ll need to book a slot by calling the library on (02) 6262 1271.

For the benefit of those who haven’t attended an Australian Poetry Slam before, the rules are slightly different to the slams at The Front. The time limit is 2 minutes, not 3. Also, there will be five audience members judging you out of 10 with the highest and lowest scores disregarded. If there’s a draw (as there has been on the previous two occasions) we’ll get you to perform a second piece – so make sure you prepare for this possibility!

Meanwhile, you’ll be able to practice your pieces at the Halloween Slam next week:

Halloween Slam
30 October 7:30-11:30pm
The Front Gallery and Café
Wattle St, Lyneham

We’ll be doing some special fun things for this slam, including awarding a prize for the scariest poem of the night!

It’s possible that this month’s slam may be the last one at The Front for the year, given that the ACT heat is next month and December’s slam will take place at the National Museum of Australia (more on that later).

I’ll be gauging people’s interest in a November Front slam next Friday so speak up if you want it to happen! Note that if it does go ahead it will probably be quite a low-key event.

First up:

Getting Published: Secrets from the Writers & Editors!
Free Q&A panel featuring: Paul Magee, Jack Heath, Rachel Longhurst, Julia Winterflood, George Poulakis and Emily Stewart
16 May 2009 2:00-3:30pm
The Hub @ Civic Library
London Circuit, Civic

Then, at the end of the month:

‘Girls Own’ Poetry Slam
Ladies only performers – open audience!
Featuring music from Julia from the Deep Sea Sirens
29 May 2009 7:30-11:30pm
The Front Café and Gallery
Wattle St, Lyneham

A few weeks ago I had a request to publish the winners of the April slam, so here they are:

1. Seung Baek
2. Farida
3. Michael Klapdor

Stay tuned for some more interesting posts soon – I’ve got a bunch of cool things in my notes to let you know about.

E-news subscribers already know this but, for your benefit, the next slam:

Friday 24 April
7.30pm – 11.30pm
The Front Gallery and Café, Wattle St, Lyneham
Featuring new local band ‘ah, pandita!’

Hope your weekend is truly egg-cellent!

The next day, the always delightful Vanessa Berry led an excellent workshop on zine making, each of the participants creating a their own one page zine.

On the subject of zines (and there’ll be plenty of news about it to come) I wanted to let you know that Andrew Darragh (who designed the awesome zine fair poster), Gemma Nourse and myself are starting up a zine distro called Long Arm, which will be running out of Smiths Alternative Bookshop. More details available on the Facebook page.

Oh, and, by the way, my A Zine about Canberra is back in print with a lovely colour cover! I’m selling them for $3 (cheap!) and should be getting some stock to Sticky soon, if you’re down south. Also considering making a PDF available if people don’t want to pay for postage.

In other exciting news, Adam Hadley tells me a new poetry slam is starting up on the third Tuesday of the month at The Phoenix. It’s called BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT! (I kid you not) and apprently there’ll be cheap beer for poets. Yay! First slam on 21 April. More details to come.

I also hear Hadley is in need of young poets (25 and under) to perform at the National Folk Festival as part of hiJinx, in exchange for a day ticket. If you fit the bill then yank on Mr Hadley’s ear quick smart.

That’s it for now, except I was just listening to an interview with a Melbourne poet called Pi O in which he mentions a workers magazine called 9 to 5. I’d be interested if anyone knows anything about this publication – please let me know!

Two years later and Vignette Press is back with a brand new mook: The Death Mook: how do we die? This time it was edited by a lovely chap, Dion Kagan (who also contributed to The Sex Mook), and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

Check out the free sample of the mook.

Here’s the official blurb:

In a culture both death-denying and death-obsessed, The Death Mook creates a space for writers and artists to talk about death in creative and unorthodox ways. Thus, this collection of essays, stories, vignettes and illustrations contains some provocative, engaging, beautiful and downright crackpot perspectives.

If you happen to be in or anywhere near Melbourne, The Death Mook is being launched this week, Thursday 26 February at Dantes, 150 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy. Otherwise, you can order copies through Vignette Press or your local bookshop. Look out for my contribution – it’s an essay explaining why I love horror movies.

Speaking of which… don’t forget about the Benedict House poetry slam in Queanbeyan (more info in this post).

The first Traverse slam for 2009 will take place on the opening night of the Benedict House art:house festival – so, as well as the usual open mic and slam competition (with cash prizes!), there will also be a huge range of artwork to view and buy, including paintings, drawings, 3D artworks and photography.

Plus the wonderful Julia of the Deep Sea Sirens fame will be serenading us with delightful music!

Queanbeyan Poetry Slam
Benedict House
39 Isabella Street
Queanbeyan

23 January 2009
7.30-11.30pm – book your spot in the slam at 7.30pm.
$3 entry / free for performers (all proceeds go to Julia and the slam winners).

Check out who’s going to be there on Facebook.

Here are the details:

Canberra Zine Fair as part of SCRIBBLE: young writers, young readers festival
7 February 2009
Q2 Foyer
Gorman House Arts Centre
Ainslie Avenue, Braddon

Times are unconfirmed at the moment, but it’s most likely they’ll be like this year’s – i.e. doors open 9.30am and it wraps up in the early evening.

It’s entirely free to come a sell/trade your work (and we’re encouraging not just zinesters to be there – anyone who’s into self-publishing, DIY and etsy are welcome) but if you don’t have your own table the ACT Writers Centre are renting trestle tables at $10 per table (fits three people comfortably), payable on the day. Chairs will be free and plentiful.

Please send me a quick email if you’d like to book a spot!

There’s also a facebook event if you want to check out who’s going to be there (or at least claiming to be).

1. Adam Hadley*
2. Omar Musa
3. David Finnigan**/***

*Featuring best ever unplanned interruption EVER!
**Thanks for the name check!
***What’s with cranking up the bass when you’re talking about what happens when stuff goes wrong – it’s a damned conspiracy!

I am bitterly, bitterly disappointed that I won’t be going up to watch these fine lads duke it out with the other Australian Slam winners. I just didn’t get my act together in time, and now I’m swamped… speaking of which, check back very soon for exciting announcements for 2009!