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.