National Poetry Week article

[Stephen Whiteside]

It wouldn't matter, Zondrae. Nobody would know if we were writing or not - that's the whole point, really. We could continue to write, and it wouldn't make any difference - as long as we SAID we were not writing. And if there were some public strike breakers, well that would provide more controversy, and more publicity - all grist to the mill!

[Heather]

What a great publicity stunt; fantastic idea Stephen. Oh the irony of it...

[Vic Jefferies]

Friend of mine, Jane Faulkner, wrote a very good (free verse would you believe) poem about a poet's strike some years ago.
Next time I see her I will ask her to post it here.

Vic

[David Campbell]

Neville, I followed up on your Poetica suggestion. Not sure if you listened to the one before the John Shaw Neilson episode, but it (dated Sep. 3) was devoted to poetry week. There were 19 poems read, some very interesting, but none of them were traditional verse. All were taken from recently published books/chapbooks.

And I couldn't resist the idea of a poets' strike, Stephen and Zondrae, but not in a particularly humorous sense. I'll post it in the poetry section.

Cheers
David

[Neville Briggs]

David, I missed the program on 3 September. Most of the programs are modernist style verse, but they do include other things. One of the most interesting was on 2 July this year called They Died Young, it featured famous poets who had died before their fortieth birthday. There were a few traditionalists there.

[Heather]

Were, Neville, were.

[Bob Pacey]

Look out Nev the moderators are correcting speach as well as deleting posts Now.


Was sounds so much better you Aussie you.


Bob

[Maureen K Clifford]

Another piece of not particularly well advertised media information here just in case anyone might be interested in the Melbourne area


http://www.overloadpoetry.org/

[Neville Briggs]

Fixed that Heather, that comes from recasting sentences without making sure you have recast the whole lot.

[Stephen Whiteside]

I'll attempt to write a humorous one.

The call went out wide.
"It's a matter of pride.
From the east to the west of Australia;
From the north to the south,
We will halt pen and mouth
To try to atone for the failure

"Of sheilas and blokes,
Teetotals and soaks,
To grant us our due recognition.
It couldn't be worse.
We're writers of verse,
But in an uncomfy position.

"We just love to write,
By day or by night.
We reckon we churn out great stuff.
Alas, by and large,
Your average Marge
Or Henry regard it as guff.

"Or don't think at all
Of our delicate scrawl
Which seems, on reflection, much worse.
It's thus not a shock
That they choose not to flock
To our readings, and fail to emburse

"Us all for our pain.
So we're feeling the strain,
Developing blisters and boils.
We'll go out on strike.
We'll see how they like
It when we desist from our toils."

(to be continued - doesn't feel very funny yet, but hopefully that will come later...)