The Ghost Poetry Project

You can find/order a copy of my latest book at Readings, Borders, Gleebooks, Fullers Bookshop, Collected Works... in fact you can order it in through any book store in Australia. Also directly through my publisher. Hope you enjoy it.

Publisher: Puncher and Wattmann: http://puncherandwattmann.com
ISBN: 978-1-92145018-1
Distributor: Inbooks

And come and listen to some of my tracks at myspace: www.myspace.com/ncurnow

ciao

Blog Battle (results)

The dust settles upon the carnage and now that you’ve returned to the scene of the battle you can’t help but ask: What crazed art took place here? What kind of reckless poets fought upon these streets, in this village square, across these terracotta rooves of ancientness? Surely they were mighty warriors who had some idea of what the whole point was.

And perhaps it is not to soon to tell tales of this fight or to tag this epic story with ‘legend’. Two poets clashed, one poet was triumphant, the dust settles, the carnage. Such carnage.

Now any lesser poet might cry “foul” but with the deepest respect I must concede to Derek Motion, the winner of the first ever Australian Poetry Blog Battle. All pageantry and honour to you, Derek. May you continue your wild journey of the blogosphere, defeating foes, spreading rumours and writing marvelous, marvelous poetry.

(As you may have suspected we are actually very good friends, and he doesn’t really owe me $20 bucks. Or does he? You should ask him. 'Cause he LOVES a good Chicko Roll. And then say something like: hey man, you’ve got dreadlocks.) http://typingspace.wordpress.com/

The King is dead. Long live the King.

So hasn’t it just been a passion-fuelled few weeks of poetry, ego and mayhem? Thanks to all of those who have supported our ridiculous competition, buying into our profound shallowness which has only served to highlight our sensationalistic, adversarial and self-destructive tendencies. Your comments have made us smile, laugh out loud and sometimes, well, a little bewildered. But we hope, that like us, you've had some fun. Perhaps we’ve even captured your hearts, imaginations and done untold wonders for Australian poetry.

Some of you have hinted that this is all just an elaborate way for me to ditch my blog. And I must confess, I have grown pretty tired of it. It began as a way of keeping you in touch with The Ghost Poetry Project, and now that the book is all done I feel it’s time to move on. I’m finding engagement a little exhausting these days and god knows my addiction to self-promotion is a bore. (Isn’t it handy that for every chapter of our lives that we close we can abandon a blog to go with it?)

Still, I wanted to give Derek a good fight and only ever wanted an invitation to be lead vocals in his band! There, I said it! Perhaps I’ve got his attention now!!!

So thanks to all those who left comments, who wrote poems/made portraits of us, and to those who followed Blog Eats Poet from day one (you know who you are). Thanks also to those who sat on the fence for the two of us and for those who refused to. Also to those who signed up to a Google account just to leave a comment. A special thanks to Adam Ford.

For me it’s back to the lab again, back to the company of concentration. And I plan to enjoy it for some time.

In Sarah Day’s poem Cat Bird she writes of how the cat, through the slow act of stalking actually becomes its surroundings, becomes invisible to the bird and in some way the bird itself. This is exactly what writing is for me. Through the infernal process of typing and deleting I somehow feel connected to the universe. It’s that point where I am painfully present, making small, hard decisions and yet absent from myself at the same time. This is the deep joy and mystery of creativity, when I am completely engaged, inspired, lost and invisible. Paul Auster says: when you truly enter a state of solitude, that is the moment you are not alone anymore.

So seriously. That’s it. (Not that I won’t be out there reading or performing for you again real soon… by all means keep the invites coming) but I’m done with this blog. That was the deal and I lost fair and square…

But now nobody said I couldn’t MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/ncurnow

;)

So check out some of my performance tracks. Some of them vintage.

Also let me leave you with two tracks that still serve as my favourite peptalks before I hit the stage. Two great lyricists who have written here about ambition, ego and the stakes of this crazy, crazy life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFYQQPAOz7Y

and of course…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dldtY9ZbqYs

Now let me hear your verse right where the horns are.

The View From Here

Hey please check out the first part of an interview with me at The View From Here:

http://www.viewfromheremagazine.com/

And listen to this amazing piece by Cate Kennedy, featured on the new Going Down Swining no. 29 cd.

http://www.indiefeedpp.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=548965&comments=on

News on the Blog Battle coming soon.

Sarah Day & Lorraine McGuigan

Very excited that two of my favourite poets are launching their latest books in Melbourne.

The work of Sarah Day has been a recent pleasure, with her new book Grass Notes (Brandl &Schlesinger) never being far from my hands. I only wish I had discovered her years ago, and have no excuse for that as she’s had such an extraordinary career. She writes of apples, rain and chickens and of a dead wombat on the side of the road with 'grey palms big and soft as a child's'. But the poem I keep coming back to is Cat Bird. A favourite of mine. So come along to Glenfern to hear her read. We might all take a bottle of champagne up onto the roof afterwards and watch the sun go down.

Launch of Grass Notes at Glenfern, 417 Inkerman Street, East St Kilda, Sunday, November 22nd at 4.30pm.

Where do I start with Lorraine McGuigan? A few years ago I read her first book What the Body Remembers and was completely over-awed. One of the finest example of life-writing I have ever come across, it is a raw, moving and deeply personal account. An inspiration from start to finish. And now we get a new collection… Wings of the Same Bird (Interactive Press).

BALLARAT LAUNCH: Dr Robyn Rowland AO
Date: Saturday, 5th December
Venue: The Ballroom, Portico Wine Bar,
203 Dana Street, Ballarat
Time: 1.30 - 3.30 pm

MELBOURNE LAUNCH:
Dr David Reiter, publisher Interactive Press
Date: Sunday, 6th December
Venue: The Hayden Raysmith Room,
Ross House, 4th Floor,
247 Flinders LaneTime: 2.00 pm

I hope you can make it along. These are two of my all time favourites and I may not be around much longer to tell you about them! Check out the Blog Battle below (as featured on Currajah) I’m losing!

Curnow vs Motion (Blog Battle)

Dear faithful blog reader

There was a time when writers would quietly stow themselves away and compete for space in prestigious journals by writing the best piece they could. Or they held up another writer as some kind of creative nemesis, a necessary yardstick for their own ambition/progress.

But now, thanks to the wonders of the blogosphere, we can go head-to-head in public smackdowns that immediately determine whose work has impact, relevance, appeal, musicality, sexuality, popularity, freshness, verbal vaporessence, grounding, counterbalancing and a well-developed ‘haunting yet transparent’ latency of meaning.

So thus I challenge poet Derek Motion to the first ever Australian Poetry Blog Battle!!!

For three-weeks we will be competing for comments (support or trash-talk), tallying them up in order to determine our own inter/national significance. Why? Because we’re very important pioneers in the Australian literary scene. Because we’re about ‘conversation’ and intellectual rigour. And while I don’t have anything against Derek personally (the only trouble is his personality) I do really REALLY want to bring him down. Plus he still owes me $20 bucks for a late-night six pack and Chicko Roll in Albury! Will he even acknowledge that... I don't think so.

This is how it goes:

The tally is of comments posted on our “Blog Battle” posts which remain up and open for three weeks (culminating in the Melb Four W launch). Thereby the competition shall be declared over and the winner annouced.

The poet who receives the most comments on their blog will bask in validation, knowing that it truly confirms their poetic worth, the relevance of their practice and their place in Australia’s literary canon.

In turn, the loser must abandon their blog FOREVER and go home crying to his momma. And with any luck it'll be Derek, with this taped over his mouth: http://ilovestickytape.blogspot.com/2009/10/poem-on-roll-charles-bainbridge.html

Now thems the stakes and the only rules. Oh, plus the variety of commenters will also be taken into account. So I’m calling for support from the big and little names in Australian literature, to the big and little names in Portland’s over 55 cross-stitching guild. If you’ve ever enjoyed my poetry but never bought a book… or if you bought a book but never enjoyed the poetry… I need you now. Talk it up. Send out the message. He was in the 'top 50 writing blogs' and in Best Aust Poems 09…

I’ve got my work cut out for me!

I know that in the past much of my blog has been about self-promotion. I know. And you might even think this Battle is a bit over-the-top too. But check out my last post about the Thar. I mean that’s good work, that’s contributing, and it’s a prime example of what you’re not gonna see anymore if I happen to get shut down in this vain (yet let’s not forget ‘groundbreaking’) maelstrom of words.

Plus I invented the Fb DanceTrain… I INVENTED it!!!

Oh and here’s a link to Derek’s blog: http://typingspace.wordpress.com/

Thar

So I received this anonymous postcard the other day which had a picture of a Thar on it. All that it said was:

Happy new home in Ballarat! This is not a bunyip, it is a Thar. I didn't even know there were such things.

Then yesterday I received an email from a Sydney poet in praise of The Ghost Poetry Project:

Bloody hell, I say, bloody hell! Just finished your book last night, and bloody hell it is good! Bloody hell. You have made a fine fine thing indeed, matey.

And little things like this are enough to keep one going.

Final Draft and Reeling and Writhing

Hey just a couple of new things out on The Ghost Poetry Project:

First, this interview from Benedict Taylor up at the Final Draft website of 2SER. But will it be enough for the good people at Gleebooks to get it in now on their shelves? hmm... we will see ;)

Check it out here:

http://finaldraft.podomatic.com/entry/eg/2009-09-21T18_50_19-07_00

And here we go... wow... my book's first official review by Genevieve Tucker here:

http://austlit.typepad.com/cfn/2009/09/curnow-nathan.html

Plus if that's not enough head over to Famous Reporter for the launch speech that Kevin Brophy delivered at Old Melbourne Gaol:

http://walleahpress.com.au/FR40Brophy.html

The Ghost Poetry Project

You can find/order a copy of my latest book through Readings, Collected Works, Gleebooks, Fullers Bookshop. In fact you can order it in through any book store in Australia. Also directly through my publisher. Hope you enjoy it.

Publisher: Puncher and Wattmann: http://puncherandwattmann.com
ISBN: 978-1-92145018-1
Distributor: Inbooks

Yay Paddy!

Off to Sydney tomorrow for my launch. But a big thanks to novelist Paddy O'Reilly before I go. Paddy kindly had me as her guest on her ABC Ballarat spot with Dominic Brine.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2009/09/02/2674300.htm?site=ballarat

Check out Paddy's website here. She's a superb storyteller and a new neighbour of mine. Ballarat, huh, what a town! http://www.paddyoreilly.com.au/

Now if you're looking for The Ghost Poetry Project head over to Readings. Carlton has already sold out of it (their 2 copies?) but it's on its way to other stores and you can always order it in. St Kilda store have me up on their "recommended reads" which is brilliant!

http://www.readings.com.au/product/9781921450181/ghost-poetry-project

Or go to 'Orders' at the website of my publisher Puncher and Wattmann: http://puncherandwattmann.com/

While you're there why not order Westering by Peter Kirkpatrick. He's doing the honours, launching my book in Sydney.

Okay freaks. The shout-outs are over for now. Hope to catch you all at a reading (either yours or mine) soon. Or else for a quiet beer.

Liner Notes/Sydney Launch

Well Liner Notes (Thriller) at the Melbourne Writers Festival last night was AMAZING (the best Liner Notes ever, perhaps the best MWF gig ever!) Major shoutouts to Rosemary Cameron, Steven Grimwade and the festival organisers for including it in the program. It's such a winning concept: pop culture/live music/spoken worders/comedians/novelists, all brought together to respond to a classic album. Sean M Whelan, you're not only a kick-arse poet but a big ideas man. Emilie Zoey Baker, you're a goddess of the stage and mic. Michael Nolan, you're SO super sharp I am in awe. You will all go down in legend!

So now I'm heading up to Sydney for the launch of The Ghost Poetry Project. Sept 5, 4-6pm at St Stephens church in Newtown. I'm looking forward to a relaxed avo gig there. No need to turns the lights out this time. Might even have a bit of a Q&A if we get a good turn out.

Then flying back home to Melbourne to read at Passionate Tongues for the Overload Poetry Festival with Cate Kennedy, Jennifer Compton and Miles Allinson, which is a really cool line up of established and emerging poets.

http://overloadpoetry.org/passionatetongues

Check out Cate's new novel here:

http://www.scribepublications.com.au/book/theworldbeneath

Then I have some Ballarat readings, a reading in Portland and the Tassie Poetry Festival in Launceston which looks like fun. And then, after that, everything should be pretty cruisey.

The Ghost Poetry Project on MWF blog

An interview with me about The Ghost Poetry Project is currently up on the MWF blog.
Thanks to Estelle Tang.

http://mwfblog.com.au/2009/08/25/interview-nathan-curnow/

Why not head over to Readings for a copy?

http://www.readings.com.au/

Flip Side (Thriller)

Well the Melbourne launch of The Ghost Poetry Project was INCREDIBLE! I am so lucky to have celebrated such a big chapter in my life with such friends, peers (and fans!) and in the city's dark heart: Old Melbourne Gaol. WOW! What a ride! The gaol was a spectacular venue and I got to tread the walkways, looking down on my audience as I performed, many of whom have played a major role in my development.

Check out a write up of the night at Angela Meyer's Literary Minded: http://blogs.crikey.com.au/literaryminded/

Check out pics at Sean M Whelan's: http://loveisthenewhate.blogspot.com/

And the night was made extra special by Kevin Brophy who said some very kind things to launch the book. Stay tune for his launch speech in Famous Reporter later on in the year. For now check out a poem of his here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/jan/05/poem-week-kevin-brophy-painters


Now the Sydney launch: Saturday, Sept 5, St Stephens, Newtown 4-6pm.

But before then it's Melbourne Writers Festival time and I'll be doing a couple of gigs this year, including reading some ghost poems at the Festival Club for Wordplay on August 23rd.
http://www.mwf.com.au/2009

Oh and then there is this small gig:

Bunyips only eat avocadoes

The Ghost Poetry Project is a unique approach to the paranormal, melding historical accounts with personal experience. A narrative of one extraordinary year it consists of around seven responses to each ‘haunted’ site, drawn together by ‘Bunyips only Eat Avocadoes’.

A father of four young children, poet Nathan Curnow became increasingly interested in how language works to both terrify and embolden us. This was most apparent when his daughter became afraid of bunyips, a fear that could not be relieved by any amount of her parents’ loving persuasion. After months of sleepless nights it was suddenly undone by the words of another child who told her that bunyips only eat avocadoes.

As a child Nathan Curnow experienced that same debilitating fear. He could barely breathe due to an overwhelming sense of terror. The Ghost Poetry Project is about returning to that place. It is an account of the ghosts he met, their stories and of what a poet can and cannot put to rest.

The ten haunted sites include:

The Chifley Suite (ACT), Old Adelaide Gaol (SA), Picton (NSW), Monte Cristo Homestead(NSW), Fremantle Arts Centre (WA), Richmond Bridge (TAS), Elvira The Haunted Hearse(NSW), Norfolk Island, The Quarantine Station (NSW), Port Arthur (TAS).

Book launch details below...

Front Cover

The Ghost Poetry Project

Melbourne launch: Friday, Aug 14, 6-7:30 pm at Old Melb Gaol. Launched by Kevin Brophy.

Sydney launch: Saturday, Sept 5, 4-6 pm at St Stephens in Newtown. Launched by Peter Kirkpatrick.

Crazy BIG Things

Crazy BIG things going on for me in the next couple months:

The Ghost Poetry Project

Melbourne launch: Friday, Aug 14, 6-7:30 pm at Old Melb Gaol. Launched by Kevin Brophy.

Sydney launch: Saturday, Sept 5, 4-6 pm at St Stephens in Newtown. Launched by Peter Kirkpatrick.

Wordplay

One of the best gigs going and I get to feature on August 13, the night before my Melbourne book launch. Following that I’ll be featuring for Wordplay at the upcoming Melbourne Writers Festival along with poets Ben Ezra, Chris Wallace Crabbe, Chloe Wilmott Jackson and Geoff Lemon.

http://www.wordplay.org.au/

Thriller (Liner Notes)

In more Melbourne Writers Festival news, I’m performing for THE hottest ticket in town, Liner Notes. And yep, we’re doing none other than MJ’s Thriller. So, yep, it's gonna be big!

For each Liner Notes event, novelists, poets, comedians, writers, hip hop artists and the like are assigned a track each from a much-loved album. They're invited to create a response to it in any way they see fit. All up, it makes for a great themed night, combining the best of literary, anecdotal and musical pleasures.

At the Toff in Town on Thursday, 27 August. Starring Linda Jaivin, Nick Earls and Josh Earl. Check the MWF website for more details soon.

ps. the track I’ve been entrusted with is Thriller! ARGGGH. I'm not worthy. I’ve booked in lessons this week to get some moves down.

Dog Chain 4-7-9-1 or How the Goose Broke Open
(working title)

While all of this rolls on, and thanks to the Australia Council, I’m writing my new play. I haven’t spoken much about it yet because… well, superstitious reasons I guess. But I’m attempting (in a pretty lame way) to say a bit more than usual in this post.

Based upon convict stories and escape myths it is an inspired mash up of characters such as the bushranger/escape artist, Martin Cash, and the cannibal, Alexander Pearce. It is a world of quarantine, paranoia, madness, love and dreams, separated by a chain of savage dogs.

Jeez, wish me luck. I'm exhausted just thinking about it all ;)

Surfer SA (stuff)

Okay. The Sydney dates for the launch of the The Ghost Poetry Project are now confirmed. So here are the full details again. My cover is coming soon (I promise).

Melbourne launch: Friday, Aug 14, 6-7:30 pm at Old Melb Gaol. Launched by Kevin Brophy.

Sydney launch: Saturday, Sept 5, 4-6 pm at St Stephens in Newtown. Launched by Peter Kirkpatrick.

I am SO chuffed to have Kevin Brophy and Peter Kirkpatrick doing the launch honours. Such support is truly humbling. Thanks guys!

Now I’ve just come home from performing at the Going Down Swinging launch up in Melbourne. It was a great night and had a top response to my work. The Sydney launch is tonight in fact, so I’m hoping it all goes well up there too.

While up in Melbourne I got to hang out with Daniel Ducrou. He's been a joy to meet. And a surfer from SA, wouldn't you know. We stayed up late workshopping titles for his forthcoming book with Text. So check out his link. He’s a cool dude.

http://www.danielducrou.com/

And a big shout out to Steven Amsterdam whose book Things We Didn’t See Coming (Sleepers Publishing) I’ve just had the pleasure of reading. Thanks Steven. I mean, wow!

http://www.stevenamsterdam.com/

Finally check out the submission guidelines for Four W this year. It’s closing soon and Four W have launches planned for Sydney, Wagga and Melbourne. So chances are you’ll be able to take your mum along to one.

http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/arts/humss/booranga/submission-guidelines.html

Stay tune now 'cause I’ll be posting the talk I did for the emerging Writers festival. The Art Vs Craft (bunny incident).

cheers

Made From the Matter of Stars

Below is a link to Made From the Matter of Stars, a performance piece I was commissioned to write for Going Down Swinging. This abridged version was part of a show titled Static that involved myself, Sean M Whelan and Alicia Sometimes.

It's up at IndieFeed for just a few days. So hope you like it.

http://www.indiefeedpp.libsyn.com/

The Ghost Poetry Project

Okay. So this is where we're at with the new book...

Will show you the cover soon. We're working on it now and so far it's lookin HOT.

Melbourne launch: Friday, Aug 14, 6-7:30 pm at Old Melb Gaol. Launched by Kevin Brophy.

Sydney launch: most likely the weekend of 5/6th Sept. Launched by Peter Kirkpatrick. (location still to come, but there's been talk of St Stephens in Newtown).


Ten night. Ten haunted locations. One terriyfing adventure aacross Australia.

From a gaol cell to a lunatic asylum to a night in a haunted hearse, The Ghost Poetry Project is one poet's attempt to find a language of guts and daring. A unique exploration of fear, courage and the power of mystery and myth.

Post EWF (bunny report)

After a panel session in the Yarra Room this bunny went to browse the EWF zine fair and hang out with his pal the wooden wombat. He had a great time in Melbourne and thinks the Emerging Writers Festival totally dacks on all others.

Poet Bunny RockStar

An invite to the coolest gig in town. We all hope to see you there.

So I'm just home from the Emerging Writers Festival in Melbourne. Um, I don't know what to say about it other than just wait for the pics. That might be best. This Poet-Bunny-RockStar is SO tired. It turns out that if you happen have to a giant bunny suit handy you can do good deeds like assisting with wedding photos. I gave a kiss to one beautiful bride on the steps of the Town Hall before heading inside for my session. Felt awesome! (thanks to Angela Meyer for the "poet bunny rockstar" tag. that's a keeper. I couldn't be happier with that.)

And another thing I learnt is that if you do have a bunny suit Jennifer Mills will always help zip you up. Check out her new book with UQP here... http://www.jenjen.com.au

Now pop Friday, August 14 in your diary for the launch of The Ghost Poetry Project at Old Melbourne Gaol. 6-7:30 pm. Launched by Kevin Brophy.

Ten nights. Ten haunted locations. One terrifying adventure across Australia.

From a gaol cell to a lunatic asylum to a night in a haunted hearse, The Ghost Poetry Project is one poet's attempt to find a language of guts and daring. A unique exploration of fear, courage and the power of mystery and myth.

Overland 195

Two of my poems from The Ghost Poetry Project (forthcoming in August with Puncher & Wattmann) are up at Overland 195.

These were inspired by my stay at the Quarantine Station, Spring Cove, Sydney. Check out my archives for pics.

http://web.overland.org.au/?page_id=1168

And here's an interview I did for the Skill Share Series with Tess Jager from Express Media...

http://www.expressmedia.org.au/content.php?content_id=504

My jeans still hug me

So here's a few things you might be interested in getting along to.

I'm running a workshop for Express Media on Performance Poetry, which is really cool. I get to talk about my favourite tracks and discuss a form that's been good to me/interested me for a long time.

www.expressmedia.org.au/events.php?content_id=496

Then come and see if I'm up to scratch the following weekend at the Emerging Writers Festival. I'll be in a debate/panel session at the Melbourne Town Hall. One titled Art vs Craft.

www.emergingwritersfestival.org.au/MTH.html

Whether you're ready for it or not I'm planning to bust out some John Laws poetry on ya.

My jeans

still hug me

but i'd rather

you did

And then I get to perform for real at the upcoming launch of Going Down Swinging #28, June 10 Northcote Soical Club. These nights are always BIG. And I'll be going unplugged with the piece they commisioned me to do for last year's Melbourne Writers Festival. Static is one of my faves. So I can't wait for this one. More news on this soon.

www.goingdownswinging.org.au/index.html

Gaol pics

With thanks to photographers Julie Millowick, Julie Hough and the Castlemaine State Festival

Zorro dog

Now don’t forget that Page Seventeen is currently open for submissions until June 30 so check the submission/competition guidelines carefully…

http://www.pageseventeen.com.au/news.html

I am fortunate enough to be judging the poetry competition this year, so I’m looking forward to reading some strong poems.

Also, Express Media in partnership with the Emerging Writers Festival, is presenting a mini workshop series in May. I’ll be running a workshop on performance poetry, alongside Lisa Dempster (Independent Publishing) and Ben Eltham (pitching)

http://expressmedia.org.au/workshops.php

And make sure to check out Lisa Dempster’s site, Unwakeable. At moment you’ll find pictures of her little dog dressed as Zorro. Just without the mask.

http://www.lisadempster.com.au/

Oh and I’m on a panel for the Emerging Writers Festival too…

Art vs. Craft?
One of our special Two Sides of the Coin debates where writers debate with themselves. Is it all about lyrical musings regardless of plot and structure, or can you put any old a pap down if the plot rocks? Obviously you need both…obviously. Obviously?

With Nathan Curnow, Kirk Marshall, & Elise Hurst
Hosted by Susan Hayes

12:30 Sunday the 31st of May
Yarra Room, Melbourne Town hall

The EWF program is being launched on the 23rd April.

Poetry Tough Talk

I’m after creative tough talk that incorporates poetry titles. Some examples, along with the author of the book…

If you don’t shut up I’m gonna kick you in the Magisterium!
(Joel Deane)

I’ll beat the Minorphysics out of you! (Paul Mitchell)

Meet my fists: Folly and Grief! (Jennifer Harrison)

That’s it, I’m going Atomic Ballet on you’re arse! (S K Kelen)

Let me serve you up some of my hot Kurri Kurri Book of the Dead! (Greg McLaren)

Ok. Time to bust out a little ManWolfMan (LK Holt)

Gaol gig was bonkers!

Just home from the Castlemaine State Festival. I had the pleasure of reading at the Old Gaol up there which was a perfect setting for ‘ghost poetry’. I featured with two blow-your-mind poets, Ian McBryde and Karen Knight, who just happened to blow my mind.

So I get up there, the lights go down and I start shouting at the audience who are surrounded by cells, sitting just beneath the gallows.

Who was there to shout back at me from the second storey?

The kick-arse-wonder-poet, Ross Gillett. This guy handled the call-and-response poem like the true professional he is, helping open my set to perfection. Ross is a total inspiration to me, and I’ve learnt so much from his lyrical poetry over the last few years. Thanks mate! You really do put the ‘la’ in Ballarat ;)

And was extra-chuffed too with the poets & peers who turned out to listen and support the evening. It makes me feel very encouraged and well, just plain gooey-ectoplasm-special. Ta. Ross Donlon, you rock!

So, the gig was friggin ace! You could have heard a pin drop (or a condemned man) through each of the readings. Now if anyone else has a gaol they want me to read at, just send me a line. The Ghost Poetry Project will be launched in August. Can't wait!

Check out one of my ghost poems here on Stylus, written about the 'haunted' Quarantine Station at Spring Cove. Friggin spooky!

http://www.styluspoetryjournal.com/main/master.asp?id=920

Now a big shout-out to my kiss-and-a-punch poetry star, Alicia Sometimes. Check out her super new book, Soundtrack, plus she’s working on a new spoken word spectacular at the Melbourne Planetarium. How cool will that be? Check out the details here…

http://www.aliciasometimes.com/page13.htm

So after all this festival action I had the pleasure of running into Australia’s Rummikub champion. Yes the game of Rummikub is played at the highest level, and before long she found herself on an all expenses paid trip to Holland to battle it out with the best… placing ninth in the world! Not bad for someone who’d only ever played the game once before. I am so in the wrong game!!! But with a bit of enthusiasm you too could be off to the next competition in Spain. Bizarre.

Poetry Thread

Hey

I hope you wanna check out this new thread of poems. From four exciting Aussie writers (and a new poem of mine at the end). I was chuffed just to be invited.

http://grahamnunn.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/guided-by-poets-queensland/

might see you at Castlemaine this weekend.

Speedos & Silver Bullets

Just back from another weekend in Melbourne.

I spent Friday night drinking Silver Bullets with the Dream Technologist. Turns out that neither of us are Werewolves.

Saturday morning and I was swimming laps at Brunswick pool in tight Speedos. I know, I don’t know how that ended up happening either. I haven’t worn Speedos since I was ten! But I slipped them on and loved every second of it.

Then I went and had a coffee with my friend and shit-hot director, Greg Carroll. He said:

Yeah I’ve known a lot of poets. I’ve looked after them. They’re all dead now. ;)

Next was a recording session for Going Down Swinging at RRR. It was great to catch up with my Melbourne posse who helped me lay down my 8 min track. Sean was on the studio floor belting the crap out of Lisa's leather handbag at my feet. I guess you'll just have to hear it. They even gave me some fashion tips before I went off to a wedding. They said: Nathan, no bandana! Which turned out to be good advice.

The wedding went well and I finally met Joel Deane, poet, novelist and the Premier’s speech writer. Joel and I have been published in a number of journals together, including in the Best Aust Poems 08. So we had a chat about the difference between poetry and political rhetoric (in which I think I said some dumb things) then we covered Peter Garrett, community groups and the bizarre world of Doncaster Shoppingtown.

Check out his blog here. http://joeldeane.blogspot.com/

Progress?

So here's a poem I didn't write but that was published with my name beneath it... in a literary hoax that I'm only just catching up on. How slow am I?

I guess this is the poetry equivalent of being 'punked'. But my main objection is that the hoax wasn't more creative... a computer came up with stuff and they just stuck names to it. So here is my first computer generated poem that i didn't even have to generate.

Progress

Right rights and left
.earrings
A glass
A shore
A delay
A delay

Glory

Serenity written inside hardihood
A kind of champaign
Confronted
Throwing
Singleness
Progress
High desires and
.sure places

Flash/Man's Head Exploding

Well I hope everyone has survived the heat. A few odds and ends for you to check out. Firstly, Flash, a UK journal has accepted one of my ghost poems… they like short short stories, up to 360 words. If it sounds like your kinda bag check it out here…

http://www.chester.ac.uk/flash.magazine/

I also did an interview about my forthcoming book The Ghost Poetry Project on ABC NT last night with Melanie Tait… I’ll post the link here soon.

Now my favourite pic at the moment is by super poet and artist, Miles Allinson. This is from the postcard work he does, titled Man’s Head Exploding…

Hope you liked my beach photos the other day. But the true photographer down here is Kirsten Jones. Check out these crazy-sick shots of Portland and stuff. I mean... unbelievable!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/huntingglee/sets/72157603869265704/

Finally, thanks to my friend Kat Cameron who read my poem, Those Adamant Shapes, recently at the local poetry group. Apparently what followed was an argument between group members about my lack of attendance. Does that means they liked the poem? Hmmm….

Literary Minded

Check out this link for an interview with Sean M Whelan and myself... by the incomparable Angela Meyer

http://blogs.crikey.com.au/literaryminded/2009/01/19/id-like-to-introduce-you-to-two-of-my-favourite-poets/

the book/the publisher... the relief

Just home from Sydney and my big news for 2009 is that The Ghost Poetry Project (working title) is being published later this year with Puncher & Wattman. That’s right, call it an exclusive. You heard it first here at Blog Eats Poet.

http://www.puncherandwattmann.com/

This is a big deal for me after terrifying myself at haunted sites and working so hard on the manuscript. David Musgrave and Greg McLaren are doing exciting stuff at P&W and I’m really happy to be with a publisher who values the importance of taking risks. So now I guess it’s time to organise a ‘reading tour’ for later on in the year. Some time from August. Full speed ahead.

While I was up in Sydney I also got to check out the first week of the Short and Sweet Play Festival at Newtown Theatre. My play Cable Car of Death was on among others by Tom Taylor and Bridgette Burton. A big thanks to the cast who did a great job: Lisa Fineberg as Kat, Matt Thomson as Ollie, Matt Zochling as Floyd and Johnny Cordukes as Harry Houdini. Check them out here.

http://kadmusarts.com/festivalphotos/images/82_CableCarofDeath014.jpg

Oh and i just finished devouring a book called The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Such a beautiful tale. LOVED it!

"When someone wants a sheep, it is proof that they exist."

"As if, instead of stars, I'd given you a string of little laughing bells..."

AND why not follow

http://www.timeoflight.blogspot.com/

written by poet Miles Allinson... 100 poems in 100 days... an experiment of the creative process... Miles is the true guerilla poet!