Poets Union e-news for poets from 27 May

Dear Poets Union Members and Friends,

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POETRY, EVENTS, FESTIVALS AND READINGS
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In Sydney at the Q Theatre ‘Mash Up’
Don’t miss the world premiere of the Q Theatre Company’s brand new production.
MASH UP : Classic Poetry. Fresh Eyes.
Time: 8pm
Dates: Friday 28 and Saturday 29 May
+ 2pm - Saturday 29 May
Venue: Q Theatre
Address: 597 High Street Penrith, NSW
Price: $44 Adult
$39 Concession
$32 Groups (5 or more)

Featuring the poems of AB (Banjo) Paterson, Kenneth Slessor, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Judith Wright, Gwen Harwood, Peter Skrzynecki and Douglas Stewart
Three actors, a sound artist and a video artist take a fresh look at a selection of poems from seven of Australia’s most celebrated poets. The Q Theatre Company kick starts its producing arm with a new contemporary theatre work that captures the beauty and the pain of Australia’s poetic landscape.
From the eccentricity of ‘Mulga Bill’s Bicycle’, the majesty of 'Five Bells' and the scenic awe of ‘South of My Days’ to the shock of ‘Barn Owl’, the deep sadness of 'We Are Going' and the haunting spirit of ‘Ancestors’, join our artists on their unconventional expedition to reclaim Australian poetry for a new generation.

Producer by James Fischer, Directed by Katrina Douglas,
Film by David Gabriel, Design by Kate Shanahan

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Melbourne Emerging Writers’ Festival
and presentation of the Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets –
Date: Saturday 29th May.
A national prize held in honour of Australian poet Judith Wright has been awarded to Charles Sturt University (CSU) postgraduate student, Mr Derek Motion. The 2010 Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets, valued at $3 000, has been won by the poet and PhD student for his work, ‘forest hill’.
The successful poets will feature at a presentation event at the Melbourne Emerging Writers’ Festival on Saturday 29 May, alongside Keri Glastonbury and Gig Ryan (poetry editors of Overland and The Age respectively).
In addition to the prize money, Mr Motion’s poem will be published in the next issue of Overland, a quarterly e-bulletin about events, politics and literature. He will be presented the poetry award at the 2010 Emerging Writers’ Festival in the Melbourne Town Hall on Saturday 29 May.

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Perth Poetry Club: 29th May – Molly Hall from Margaret River
2-4 pm at the Moon Café
Guest poet this Sat. 29th May : Molly Hall
+
Plus open mike. Professional sound. Come listen and hang out with poetry lovers in the comfy back room of The Moon http://www.themoon.com.au/
Venue: The Moon Café,
Address: 323 William Street, Northbridge.
More info (yes, more!) : http://www.perthpoetryclub.com
Enquiries email: perthpoetryclub@gmail.com
Phone: Janet 0406 624 578

COMING UP AT PERTH POETRY CLUB:
5 June: ACR (any performance by this powerful woman is NOT TO BE MISSED)
12 June: philosophical lines: Jo Clarke + Jonothon Twist
19 June: SPECIAL DOUBLE FEATURE: Mad hatters from Melbourne: Randall Stephens & Steve Smart
26 June: Kevin Gillam (the much-loved cello-playing poet himself)
24 July: Kate Wilson
14 August: Andy Jackson
21 August: ANITPOET

Other poetry events coming up:
Sun 30 May: Fringe Gallery features Allan Boyd, Kevin Gillam & Janet Jackson.
7-10pm at 94 Bawdan St, Willagee. thefringegallery.blogspot.com

Have you seen our Perth Poetry Links ? Readings, groups, poets, journals, publishers... WA poetry. Perth Poetry club lineups until 12 June are now online at
http://perthpoetryslam.com/perthpoetryclub/node/71

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In Melbourne 31st May – La Mama Poetica for Reconciliation Week

Event: highlights from Richard Frankland, Tony Birch, Jen Jewel Brown and Luka Haralampou
Date: Monday, 31 May
Time: @ 8 pm
Venue: the Carlton Courthouse,
Address: 349 Drummond Street, Carlton
Entry: The usual bargain of $7 or $5 concession

As part of national Reconciliation Week, La Mama Poetica highlights the work of four great minds:
* Richard Frankland - playwright, filmmaker, writer & musician
* Tony Birch - author of fiction, essays & poetry
* Jen Jewel Brown - poet, journalist, activist & songwriter
* Luka Haralampou - hip-hop MC (Lesson MC), poet & actor
A wealth of wisdom, wit and surprise!

More info: Angela, Co-convenor of La Mama Poetica - Mob: 0408 196 507

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In Sydney – Tuesday 1st June, WordinHand @ The Friend in Hand with bush poet Greg North
WordinHand Goes Bush: On the evening of Tuesday June 1st award-winning Bush Poet Greg North comes to The Friend in Hand Hotel in Glebe to feature at their monthly poetry / spoken word event WordinHand. Greg will headline a dozen other keen poet performers, all spurred on by an enthusiastic and appreciative audience in a community night of hilarity and homespun truth.

Event Name: WordinHand at The Friend in Hand Hotel
Date: Tuesday 1st June
Time: 7:30 for 8:00 pm
Venue: @ The Friend in Hand Hotel
Address: 58 Cowper Street, Glebe
Entry by donation: $10/$5
Contact: Jack Peck
Telephone Number: 04 111 95 009
Email Address: jack@wordinhand.org
WordinHand Goes Bush with Greg North: Since his first performance in 2003 Greg has gone on to become the 2008 and 2009 male Bush Poetry Champion of Australia and is now a regular at many Bush Poetry events. Greg's quirky humour and obvious gift for entertaining are apparent whenever he takes the stage.
Greg also has a wonderful gift for accents, which makes him unique among bush verse entertainers. Have you heard Banjo Paterson's poem "The Man From Snowy River" performed in 14 different accents? Greg can do that for you. It has become a great crowd favourite wherever he goes. His "Fully Sick" mate, the granny, the tradesman, the touch footy kid and others could also make an appearance.

From humorous to serious, poignant to ridiculous you'll be taken on a memorable journey of dinkum Australian heritage. Greg's repertoire includes traditional poetry from Banjo Paterson, C J Dennis, John O'Brien, Thomas E Spencer and others, as well as modern works from Denis Kevans and Charlee Marshall plus Greg's original poems too.
WordinHand at The Friend in Hand is Sydney’s premier regular and enduring poetry / spoken word event, providing open mike opportunities for voices directly from the Sydney community plus a high-energy poetry slam every month in addition to a featured poet or two. First Tuesdays except January, 7:30 for 8:00 PM. Donation $10/$5. Slam Prize $50. The Friend in Hand Hotel, 58 Cowper Street Glebe 9660 2326.
For additional information contact: Jack Peck on 04 111 95 009 or jack@wordinhand.org

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PLAN TO BE PUBLISHED: two poetry workshops in June with poet Les Wicks
In Sydney at NSW Writers’ Centre
Date(s): Saturdays 5 & 12 June
Workshop: PLAN TO BE PUBLISHED with Les Wicks
Venue: at the NSW Writers’ Centre,
Address: Callan Park (off Balmain/Lilyfield Road), Rozelle NSW 2039
Time: 10am – 4pm
More details: http://www.nswwriterscentre.org.au/html/s02_article/article_view.asp?keyword=june2010
or Tel. (02) 9555 9757

One of the best known poetry workshop templates in Australia will be on offer in Sydney.
Be inspired! Be published!
“Exceptional, supporting yet challenging, showing (and earning) respect, a privilege to
attend this leader’s workshop”; “serendipity but fabulous”; “contributed very generously-¬ great value for money”; “I got more from two days with Les’ workshop than I did over a postgraduate year at university”

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In Hobart 6th June - The Republic Readings: guest poet Lyn Reeves
The Republic poetry readings are held in North Hobart, at The Republic Bar & Cafe, on the 1st Sunday of every month from 3-5pm.

Event: The Republic poetry reading – a Winter Open Reading with Literary Prizes
Guest Poet 6th June: Lyn Reeves
Date: Sunday 6th June
Time: 3.00 – 5.00 pm
Venue: The Republic Bar & Cafe
Address: 299 Elizabeth Street, Hobart.

Entry: free - book in on the day for the open mic
Conditions: 5 minute time limit, any genre, must be own work which has not won any prizes/competitions previously.
Prizes: 40 Degree South, Island, & Famous Reporter subscriptions, 3 TWC subscriptions, Hobart Bookshop voucher, book prizes…

About Lyn Reeves (guest poet 6th June): Lyn Reeves is the IP Picks 2010 winner for Best Poetry, and her manuscript Designs on the Body will be published later this year by Interactive Publications. Her most recent collection is the prize-winning four-women anthology Seasoned with Honey (Walleah Press 208). Lyn is the haiku editor for Famous Reporter and managing director of Pardalote Press.

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In Sydney from 6 June, Laureate Productions - ‘Love at the Bar’ (the season continues)

THE SEASON CONTINUES...'A Season of Love at the Bar' at Raval Bar from June 6:
If you missed 'Love at the Bar' at the Sydney Writers' Festival, there will be a further season at Raval, in the Macquarie Hotel, during Sundays in June

Event: Love at the Bar
Venue: RAVAL , upstairs at the Macquarie Hotel
Address: 1st Floor, Macquarie Hotel
42 Wentworth Avenue, SURRY HILLS NSW 2010
Tel. (02) 8262 8888

Date(s) : Sundays in June starting 6th June
Time: 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM
Tickets: $25 + bf
Bookings through Moshtix: http://www.moshtix.com.au/Event.aspx?id=37308&pLock=&vip=&skin=&ref=
About the RAVAL http://www.raval.com.au/index.html

Laureate Productions present the performance of Love At The Bar, premiered in May at the Sydney Writers Festival. The fifteen Australian poems about love in our new production are an intoxicating mix of familiar and new, hilarious and tragic, provocative and entertaining.
Featuring Kath Ellis from Sydneys Kathellism and Hubris, David Stephenson, frontman of contemporary folk band Waiting for Guinness and singer songwriter Kathleen Williamson.

The show developed from Sydney poet, Martin Langford's research into a selection of short-listed poems. "Ten of the poems are by women writers. New territories produce new ways of saying and the women had been quick to exploit this. With both men and women exploring love in searching, risky ways, the poetry of relationship was enjoying a particularly strong period and 'Love At The Bar' is an attempt to tap into that." - Martin Langford.

Composed by Ashley Chatto the poems are brought to music and song through the vocal talent and vibrant theatrics of Katherine Ellis, from Sydney Kathellism and Hubris, David Stephenson, front-man of contemporary folk band Waiting for Guinness and singer songwriter Kathleen Williamson. Set to the vivid pop-art imagery by JD Young.

Love At The Bar is mounted by Laureate Productions, a small Sydney, arts-company dedicated to the presentation of events based on poetry in a variety of innovative ways with an emphasis on contemporary Australian work. The bold and dynamic leadership of Angela Stretch in this new show is a vital step in Laureate Production's growing programs.

Poetry by: Julian Croft, MTC Cronin, Russel Erwin, John Forbes,Lesbia Harford, Kevin Hart, Gwen Harwood, Dorothy Hewett, John Jenkins, Kate Llewellyn, Geraldine McKenzie and Marcella Polain

Produced and Directed by: Angela Stretch
PLEASE NOTE: Raval is an intimate venue with limited seating. Entry is general admission, on a first come, first served basis. If you require seating, please arrive early. Doors open at 7.30pm.

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Poetry at The Gods: Tuesday 8th June - LK Holt (Melbourne) and 90th Birthday Tribute to Rosemary Dobson (Canberra)

In Canberra - Tues 8 June - Poetry at The Gods is the monthly reading at the Gods Café/ Bar and Restaurant at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.
The next reading features L.K. Holt (Melbourne), and a 90th Birthday Tribute to Rosemary Dobson (Canberra)

A group of friends and fellow poets will be reading a selection of her poems and it is hoped that Rosemary herself will be able to be there and deliver a short speech. Since 1994 and earlier Rosemary has been a strong supporter of the series (and poetry in Canberra generally). She has read for us several times over the years. Rosemary is also the last survivor of a group of great Australian poets who emerged during and just after World War II. The Canberra members of this group included her friends Judith Wright, David Campbell and A.D. Hope. The session will probably last about 40 minutes.

Young Melbourne poet, L.K. Holt will also read in the first half of the evening. LK Holt's first poetry collection, Man Wolf Man, won the 2009 Kenneth Slessor Prize. Her second collection, The Creature & Other Poems, has just been published. She is the publisher of John Leonard Press and editor of Blast: Poetry & Critical Writing.

Rosemary Dobson, one of Australia's most respected poets, turns 90 this year. Her works include Collected Poems (Angus & Robertson 1991) and Untold Lives and Later Poems (Brandl & Schlesinger, 2000)

Event : Poetry at The Gods
Venue: The Gods Café/Bar
Address: ANU Arts Centre (across the quadrangle from the Student Union near Sullivans Creek).
Date: Tues 8 June
Time: Patrons intending to eat please arrive by 6.30 to ensure that the readings can begin at 8pm.
Poetry: reading from 8.00 pm. Entry fee: $5.

Dinner: Light meals are available from 6pm.
Bookings: Please book directly by phoning the Gods Café/Bar Tel.6248 5538
Seating: is limited to 80 people.
To be sure of hearing a particular poet it is advisable to eat at the venue beforehand but ‘listening only’ 'non-eating' seats can also be booked.
Organiser Geoff Page - email Geoff if you want to join one of his tables at gpage40@bigpond.net.au

Poets for the rest of 2010:
Tues Jul 13 Dennis Wild (Adelaide), Mark O'Connor (Canberra), Adrian Caesar (Canberra)
Tues Jul 27 Dead Poets’ Dinner
Tues Aug 10 Andrew Lansdown (Perth), Michele Cahill (Sydney)
Tues Sep 14 Alan Wearne (Wollongong), Kate Llewellyn (Adelaide)
Tues Oct 12 Elizabeth Lawson (Canberra), Leon Trainor (Canberra), Jeremy Nelson (Braidwood)
Tues Nov 9 Andy Jackson (Melbourne), Harry Laing (Braidwood)
Tues Dec 14 joanne burns (Sydney), Robyn Rowland (Torquay, Victoria)

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Launch in Brunswick – among the regulars by Andy Jackson
get among the regulars with andy jackson! To be launched by Jennifer Harrison.

andy jackson invites you to help him celebrate the launch of his first poetry collection, among the regulars published by papertiger media’s imprint, soi 3 modern poets
among the regulars will be launched by jennifer harrison, with the launch hosted by the incomparable maurice mcnamara

Date: friday 11 june 2010,
Time: 5:30 pm for a 6:00 pm start
Venue: Brunswick Bound,
Address: 361 Sydney Road, Brunswick, Melbourne
complimentary wine + fingerfoods

rsvp: to andyjackson71@gmail.com or (03) 9381 4019 by wednesday 09 june 2010 at the latest
for more info and to pre-order copies of among the regulars visit www.papertigermedia.com
signed copies available at the launch

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12th June The Little Red Writing Workshop with Mark Tredinnick
First of a series of Writing Workshops in the Southern Highlands with Mark Tredinnick

Event: THE LITTLE RED WRITING WORKSHOP
Date: 12 June, 2010
Places are limited so bookings are essential.
Inquiries and registrations: writingworkshops@bigpond.com

About The Little Red Writing Workshop - based on Mark's bestseller, The Little Red Writing Book, for everyone who writes and wants to do it better.

About Mark Tredinnick is an experienced and much-loved teacher; as ever, the workshops will blend inspiration, technical instruction, exercises and readings. He runs all the workshops from the cowshed, outside Bowral, where he writes.

25–27 June, MASTERCLASS—an inspiring weekend intensive that allows writers to explore new techniques of imagination and composition, recharge their creativity and make some progress on a manuscript—poetry, non-fiction or fiction.

3 July and 30 October, A LITTLE BIT OF GRAMMAR IS A DANGEROUS THING—a short course in grammar for writers who'd like to know more about the inner life of sentences. Based on Mark's The Little Green Grammar Book.

17 July–25 September, THE COWSHED CLASS—a long-haul writing workshop. We meet every second Saturday for three months (six day-long sessions). The classes cater for writers of every level, but especially those with some writing experience and a manuscript in progress or in waiting.

19–21 November, POETRY IN THE COWSHED—a gentle crash course in poetic forms and techniques for beginning poets and poets looking for inspiration.

Mark Tredinnick is an experienced and much-loved teacher; as ever, the workshops will blend inspiration, technical instruction, exercises and readings. He runs all the workshops from the cowshed, outside Bowral, where he writes.

Places are limited so bookings are essential.
Inquiries and registrations: writingworkshops@bigpond.com

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In Sydney – Peter Porter tribute 17th June
Event: A CELEBRATION OF PETER PORTER AND HIS POETRY
Date: 17th June
Time: 6-8pm,
Venue: Dixon Room, Mitchell Library,
Address: Macquarie Street, Sydney
All Welcome!

This is an informal event but if you had a special connection with Peter and would like to speak briefly or if you would like to read a favourite poem of Peter's please email Brook Emery at brookemery[at]yahoo.com or phone Brook (02) 9664 1362; 0410 406 149 to help with the management of time.

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In Melbourne – the conversation heats up at the Wheeler Centre
The conversation heats up at the Wheeler Centre - June to August programme

The Wheeler Centre’s second programme is overflowing with writers, thinkers and discussions to keep the City of Literature humming this winter. There are great international guests like Ayaan Hirsi Ali (29 July), Bret Easton Ellis (13 August) and Fatima Bhutto (3 August) plus fascinating Australians David Marr (16 June), Kate Jennings (20 July), John Birmingham (14 July) and many more…

There’ll be celebrations of all kinds; from a tribute to one of Australia’s finest poets Peter Porter (25 June) to a literary and theatrical salute of Chekhov (2 July) on the anniversary of his death, plus a week dedicated to literary Love and Lust (6-9 July).

Programme two also shines a light on Australia’s cultural industries with the inaugural State of the Arts Lecture (3 August) and Critical Failure (6-10 September), a week exploring arts criticism in all its forms – books, film, theatre and visual arts.

Wheeler Centre favourites Lunchbox/Soapbox, Debut Mondays, the Writer’s Mix Tape, Reading on Vocation and Ethically Speaking return with new faces, fresh voices and hot topics. Coming up:
• Former Supreme Court judge Ken Crispin;
• Age columnist Monica Dux;
• Acclaimed novelist Richard Flanagan;
• Comedian, performer and writer Tim Ferguson;
• First-time authors Vivienne Kelly, Joel Magarey, Dan Ducrou, Tess Evans and Jon Bauer;
• Plus the reading habits of captains of industry, scientists and filmmakers;
• And in-depth examinations of sporting and medical ethics.

Full programme available upon request or available at www.wheelercentre.com

From now until the end of August, the Wheeler Centre will continue to add exciting new events and big name writers to their programme, bringing the City of Literature to life. Stay in touch via our website and newsletter.

The majority of events are free, held at the Wheeler Centre and start at 6:15 pm.
Bookings recommended for all events except Lunchbox/Soapbox and Debut Mondays.
For bookings, tickets and other details visit wheelercentre.com

The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
For all media enquiries contact: Anna Lensky
t: +61 3 9094 7806 m: +61 425 766 780 e: anna.lensky@wheelercentre.com
The Wheeler Centre - A Victorian Government initiative and the centrepiece of Melbourne's designation as a UNESCO City of Literature.

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Poets Union monthly poetry reading at Brett Whiteley Studio – guest poet + open mic. Sunday 27th June 2.00-3.30 pm

Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills on Sunday 26th June
Sunday: 27 June 2 pm – guest poet + open mic.
Date: Sunday 27 June 2010
Time: 2.00 -3.30 pm (4th Sunday of every month)
Guest poet: Brook Emery
Venue: Brett Whiteley Studio
Address: 2 Raper Street,
Surry Hills (off Devonshire Street, via Esther Street and Esther Lane)
Entry: Free entry. Open Mic included.

The Poets Union thanks the Brett Whiteley Studio staff and the Art Gallery of NSW for their support and we thank Rosnay wines for their wonderful wine and sponsorship.

Convenor: Angela Stretch for Poets Union Inc.
Enquiries for 2010 : 0438 898 578

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In Sydney July 25– Ron Pretty’s collection ‘Postcards from the Centre’ will be launched by Brook Emery

Event: the launch of Ron Pretty’s seventh book of poetry, ‘Postcards from the Centre’
Launch: will be launched by Brook Emery
Venue: at the ‘Friend in Hand Hotel’,
Address: 58 Cowper Street, Glebe
Date: Sunday, July 25.
Time: 2.30pm for 3.00pm.
Entry: Free entry. All welcome.

“Here is a poet who knows about boxing, drinking cheap reds, the way music works on us, that it’s our doubts that bring us alive, and how hair might fall on a pillow. Ron Pretty is one of Australian poetry’s most admired figures and his generous new book reminds us of all the reasons for this.”
– Kevin Brophy

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Byron Bay Writers Festival 6th- 8th August
Admission to the Festival on a weekend pass covering Friday 6 August to Sunday 8 August.

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COMPETITIONS AND SUBMISSION DEADLINES
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Congratulations to Jordie Albiston, winner of the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry. Winners of the NSW Premier’s Literature Awards have been announced. Visit http://www.pla.nsw.gov.au/

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2010 Poets Union Members’ Anthology

Members: $25 per page.
Due date NOW EXTENDED to 21st May. Members, previously published poems accepted.

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Shoalhaven Literary Award (2010 for poetry)
submissions due 28 May.
The Shoalhaven Literary Award for 2010 is now open.
Judge: This year it is for poetry and our judge will be Kate Llewellyn.
Prizes: The first prize is $1000 plus a two-week residency at Bundanon, Arthur Boyd’s gift to the nation on the beautiful Shoalhaven River,
+ four second prizes of $200 and highly commended and commended as nominated by the judge.
The closing date is 28th May 2010 and winners will be contacted after 25th September 2010.
Members please get any information you require from www.fawnswshoalhaven.org.au and download an entry form from http://www.fawnswshoalhaven.org.au/Our_Competitions/our_competitions.html

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2010 PRESSPRESS CHAPBOOK AWARD (POETRY) due 31 May

The PressPress Chapbook Award is for an original manuscript of poetry between 20-40pp.
The winning manuscript will receive $600 and chapbook publication with PressPress. The Award will be announced in July 2010 on the PressPress site.
The manuscript must be unpublished and not on offer to another publisher in Australia or elsewhere (except that individual poems can be already taken or on offer to journals, sites or anthologies where you keep the copyright).
Have a look at the website to see what sort of thing we've done in the past and what the judges said last year.
Entry conditions and form from the website.
W: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~writerslink/PressPress/PressPress_Award_conditions.html

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2010 Blake Poetry Prize
Submissions invited and due 11 June .
The 2010 Blake Poetry Prize presented by the NSW Writers’ Centre and Blake Society is now open for entries. This national award, generously supported by Leichhardt Council, offers a cash prize of $5,000 for a new poem that best explores the religious or spiritual.

The prize is non-sectarian and encourages Australian poets to write a new work of up to 100 lines displaying a critical awareness of issues relating to the religious or spiritual. Poems sympathetic to those concepts are also equally welcome.

Entries must be received by 5.00pm, Friday 11 June 2010 and the winner will be announced on Thursday 2 September 2010. Entry forms and more information are available at www.nswwriterscentre.org.au

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Poets Union 2010 Youth Fellowships
- applications due 29 June
The Poets Union, in conjunction with the Australian Poetry Centre, is pleased to announce the return of these outstanding Fellowships, offering one Young Poets Fellowship in 2010 for a poet between the ages of 19 and 30.

The Fellows will receive:
1. A mentorship with an experienced poet – the choice to be made
in consultation with the incoming Fellow.
2. The publication and launch of a chapbook.
3. Publication on the Poetry Australia website.
4. The opportunity to present work at a Poetry Australia reading.

Some money may be available for assistance with travel costs, where necessary.
In return, fellows are asked to write one review-article on the work of a poet of their choice for publication in a Poetry Australia outlet, as a way of encouraging poets to contribute towards the critical discourse in Australian verse.

The purpose of the Fellowship is to enable an outstanding young poet to further develop his or her skills with input from an experienced mentor, and to provide opportunities for publication at the beginning of their careers. It is designed for young poets who have already made significant progress in the development of their writing, but who have yet to make the final steps towards full publication.

Closing Date for applications is 29th June, 2010. The Fellow will be notified in August, and the announcement made public at the Australian Poetry Festival (Sep 3/4/5). In most cases, mentorships will continue into 2011. See the Poets Union website for more details and an entry form.

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Poets Union 2010 Poetry Prize – entry is open to all and due 30th June. Members $10 per entry, non-members $15 per entry.

Please download the entry forms from the Poets Union website www.poetsunion.com
The Poets Union Poetry Prize 2010 - First Prize: $3000
Plus
Up to Five Short-Listed Poems @ $100 Each.
Winner to be announced at the Australian Poetry Festival 5 September 2010.

Conditions of Entry
• The prize will be awarded for a single poem of no more than 100 lines.
• Entries must be typed on single-sided A4 paper. Manuscripts will not be returned. Faxed or emailed entries will not be accepted.
• Previously published or prize-winning poems are ineligible. Entries should not be on offer to other publications.
• 3 copies of the poem must be submitted. The title of the poem should appear on each page but the poets name must NOT appear anywhere on the manuscript.
• Multiple entries may be submitted but each entry must be accompanied by a separate entry form. Additional entry forms are available on the Poets Union website: www.poetsunion.com or by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the Poets Union.
• Each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee of $15 ($10 for financial members of the Poets Union).
• Cheques should be made payable to The Poets Union Inc and posted to The Poets Union, PO Box 755, Potts Point, NSW 1335. Clearly mark the envelope ‘Poetry Prize’. Alternatively, credit card details can be supplied on the entry form.
• The closing date for entries is 30 June 2010. Late entries will not be accepted.
• Entrants must reside in Australia or be Australian citizens living overseas.
• Committee members or staff of the Poets Union are not eligible to enter.
• The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Results, the winning poem, and short-listed poems will be posted on the Poets Union website after 5 September 2010 and appear in the journal Five Bells. Should you require a hard copy of the results and/or a receipt please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope, clearly marked ‘Receipt and/or Results’.
Presented in collaboration with the Australian Poetry Centre

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Science Made Marvellous – submissions invited and due 30 June
the Poets Union joins National Science Week

The Poets Union invites submissions of poems to Science Made Marvellous, a collaborative national poetry and science project involving State, Territory and regional poetry and writing organizations for National Science Week in 2010.
Poets are asked to submit poems that take up science matters in the fields of Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Physics, scientific discoveries, scientists or any other scientific thing you can think of.

Submit up to five poems, as either text or as audio
for consideration for an anthology of four chap books and an audio program.

Selection: The poems selected will be available both as a book and as downloadable PDF and audio file from the Poets Union, APC and partners websites. Successful submissions will be notified in mid July.
Launch: The selected poems will be launched at a series of events coordinated in each state and territory in National Science Week, 14-22 August, 2010.
Deadline: The deadlines for submission is 30 June 2010.

Guidelines for Submission:
1. Pre-published poems accepted - poems may be previously published.
2. Up to five poems submitted as text should be emailed as a single word document attachment to their email.
3. Email the poems - the emails should have the subject heading : Science Made Marvellous submission + Your Name
4. In the body of the email: Contact details, the title of the poems, acknowledgements from previous publication where relevant and a 25 word biographical note should be included in the body of the email. Where a poem is available as an audio recording please indicate this in the covering email.
5. Send by email: Submissions should be emailed to: ScienceMadeMarvellous@gmail.com
6. Or send by mail : Submissions + (on a separate sheet) your contact details, the title of the poems, acknowledgements from previous publication where relevant and a 25 word biographical note should be included. Address to ‘Science Made Marvellous Submission’ , Poets Union Inc, PO Box 755, Potts Point, NSW, 1335.
7. Successful submissions will be notified in mid July, 2010.
8. The ‘Science Made Marvellous’ project will be launched at National Science Week, 14-22 August, 2010
Now entering its thirteenth year, National Science Week has well and truly cemented itself as Australia’s largest festival, with last year’s calendar offering over 1,000 events throughout Australia, reaching an audience of over a million people.

In 2010, National Science Week events are expected to be held right throughout Australia from Dubbo, Davenport, Darwin and everywhere in between, offering an array of activities with everything from science festivals, music and comedy shows, interactive hands-on displays, open days and online activities.

The festival is proudly supported by the Australian Government, as well as partners CSIRO, Australian Science Teachers Association and the ABC.

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The Kitchen Table Poets 'ALL POETRY' Competition - Closing date June 30 2010,
No entry form required
A competition for all genres of original, unpublished poetry, 14- 40 lines.
Written in English.
And not to have won a cash prize in any other competition.
Send two copies of each poem.
First Prize:$150. Second Prize:$80 Third prize $50.
Entry Fee $6 per poem. Cheques or money orders made out to All Poetry.
No names on the manuscript. Instead please use a cover sheet showing name of author, poem, address, phone, (e-mail.)
Feedback comments will be forwarded to thirty or more entrants - Include sae for this and/or results: (optional)
Entrants must be 18yrs or over.
Entries to : All Poetry, PO Box 3268, NORTH NOWRA NSW 2541
Each winner to receive a copy of Tangents a collection of poetry written by The Kitchen Table Poets, cover drawing by Robert Dickerson.
Conducted and judged by members of The Kitchen Table Poets, Shoalhaven.
More information: Irene 02 4421 8267 , e-mail iwilkie@shoal.net.au
See Arts Rush Magazine Shoalhaven www.artsrush.com.au (Poetry News)

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Australian Poetry Centre (APC)/RMIT Poet-in-Residence 2010/2011
APC & RMIT Poet-in-Residence
The Writing Program, School of Media and Communication, RMIT, and the Australian Poetry Centre are pleased to announce a poetry residency in 2010/2011.
The Poet-in-Residence will be engaged for a two-month and will provide mentorship, contribute to publications, speak at literary or poetry-related public events, contribute to the poetry community locally, nationally and internationally, deliver personal and public outcomes of the residence and become ambassadors for poetry and the project.
For more information and application details, download this form or go to the APC website.

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THE REASON-BRISBANE POETRY PRIZE submissions due 2nd July

7th Reason-Brisbane Poetry Prize – open to budding and established writers across Australia.
Open theme.
Prizes: 1st $1500, 2nd $500, 3rd $300.
Judge: Ross Gillett, multi-award winning poet, will judge the entries
Closing date: 2 July
Winners: winners will be announced at the morning poetry event of Words in Winter, Daylesford on 14 August.
For guidelines send a SSAE to Rules, PO Box 545, Daylesford, VIC 3460.
Sheila Hollingworth, Competition Organiser.

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‘The Nib’: CAL Waverley Library Award for Literature
Nominations due by 9 July – fiction and non-fiction.
The 2010 'The Nib': CAL Waverley Library Award for Literature which recognises excellence in research. The Award's major sponsor, Copyright Agency Limited's Cultural Fund , provides a winner's prize of $20,000 + trophy and all shortlisted authors receive the Alex Buzo Shortlist Prize.
All genres of writing including fiction and non fiction, published between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2010, are eligible. The closing date for nominations is 9 July 2010.
If you would like additional information about the Award, please have a look at the website www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/library/award or contact Denis Moore , Project Officer,
'The Nib': CAL Waverley Library Award for Literature Waverley Library
32-48 Denison Street, Bondi Junction NSW 2022
Telephone (02) 9386 7709 ( usually Mon & Thur )

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Scanlon Prize – submissions invited and due 1st August
THE 2010 SCANLON PRIZE FOR INDIGENOUS POETRY
The Scanlon Prize for Indigenous Poetry, the Poets Union biennial prize for the best published collection of poems in English by an Indigenous Australian writer, is once again being offered in 2010. The prize was initiated in 2004 as The Brencorp Prize for Poetry and is administered by the Poets Union with the aim of encouraging Indigenous writers in Australia and thereby making their art more widely known.
Previous winners have been Alexander ‘Sandy’ Brown, Ngarla 'Songs' (trans. by Brian Geytensbeek); Dr Anita Heiss, 'I'm Not Racist, But....' and Yvette Holt, 'Anonymous Premonition'.

Prize: This year the monetary value of the prize has been enhanced to $2,000
Entries may be submitted by either the author or the publisher
Fee: notice that there is no entry fee and no entry form.
Eligibility: The published collection of poetry by an Indigenous writer may be in the form of a book or chapbook, and two copies of the volume should be sent to the Poets Union.
Announcement: The winning entry will be announced at the Australian Poetry Festival 3-5 Sept.
The decision by the judge(s) is final and no correspondence about the choice can be entered into.

Submissions due: 1 August, 2010.
Please send 2 copies of the publication to:
Scanlon Prize,
Poets Union Inc,
PO Box 755,
Potts Point, NSW 1335.

THERE IS NO ENTRY FORM, however please include a covering letter with contact details of the poet and the publisher along with 2 copies of the publication.
Note: the 2 copies will not be able to be returned to the senders.

Further enquiries to: Cathy Bray, Office Administrator at the Poets Union. Tel.: (02)9357-6602 (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) or
Email: info@poetsunion.com with Subject : Scanlon Prize
See also details on the Poets Union website of the 2008 winning entry from Yvette Holt.

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QLD Poetry Festival
to be run from 27-29 August 2010
The Queensland Poetry Festival invites proposals from poets and other performers and artists interested in being part of the 14th annual festival in 2010. QPF 2010 runs from 27-29 August and will be held at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in Brisbane.
QPF would like to hear from both individuals and groups for performances at the festival and for other projects in association with the festival. While all projects should have a relationship to poetic language, we encourage applications from artists wishing to explore the relationship between poetry and other art forms. An expression of interest form is now available for download from www.queenslandpoetryfestival.com.
For further information please email info@queenslandpoetryfestival.com
Graham Nunn - Chair, QLD Poetry Festival

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Sentences Annual Literary Competition 2010
The Bridge Foundation is a charity based in Sale and advocates for prisoners, and their families on release.
SENTENCES ANNUAL LITERARY COMPETITION 2010 - entries are invited in the following sections:
SECTION 1 OPEN SHORT STORY Limit 2,500 words
SECTION 2 OPEN POETRY Limit 40 lines

All entries to be previously unpublished work.
PRIZES : lst - $175 2nd - $100 3rd - $75
Entry fees $5 for one entry $12 for three entries

No entry form necessary. Separate cover sheet with name and address please.
Winners notified by mail. Results published on our website www.bridgefoundation.net.au
Entries to : The Bridge Foundation, P O Box 9279, Sale, Victoria 3850
Closing date : August 31st, 2010

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The Nature Conservancy Australia - NATURE WRITING PRIZE
A Biennial national prize of $5000
NATURE WRITING PRIZE – entries close 30 September
Inaugural winner published in indigo journal
Judges: literary journalist, Sally Blakeley and poet and nature writer, Mark Tredinnick.
Entries Close: 30 September 2010
The prize will be awarded for an essay between 3000 and 5000 words set within an Australia landscape and exploring the author's sense of 'place'.

Founded in 1951, and with more than 1 million members worldwide, The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and water for nature and people. Working in partnership with Australian conservation organizations, Indigenous landholders and government, TNC Australia programs include the biodiversity rich Godwin Link in WA, Central Australian deserts and Northern Australian grasslands.

indigo journal is dedicated to promoting Western Australian writers and their writing.
Find out more by visiting www.indigojournal.org.au

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Islet on-line magazine
call for submissions to a new on-line magazine www.islet.com.au from Island...
Are you an emerging writer or visual artist?
Island magazine is very pleased to call for submissions to islet, its new online publishing space.
Islet publishes a free, quarterly collection of small works by emerging writers and visual artists.
For pay rates, maximum word lengths, and detailed submission guidelines, please visit the website: www.islet.com.au
Check out the current issue www.islet.com.au and pop in to our Conversation page while you’re there!

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2010 Mary Gilmore Poetry Prize
Entries are invited for the 2010 Mary Gilmore Poetry Prize.
The Prize is awarded every two years by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature (ASAL) for the best first book of poetry published by an Australian in the preceding two years – in this case the calendar years 2008 and 2009.
This is a prestigious poetry prize which has helped the careers of many now well-known poets, including Jan Owen, Judith Beveridge, Alison Croggon, Lucy Dougan, and David McCooey; the prize also draws attention to their publishers. ASAL will meet the cost of the winning poet attending and providing a reading of his or her work at its conference to be held in early July 2010.
Eligible publishers or poets are asked to submit three copies of each eligible book to:
Dennis Haskell, English & Cultural Studies (M202), University of Western Australia
35 Stirling Highway, CRAWLEY WA 6009
Any queries about the prize can be sent to Dennis Haskell at the above address or dhaskell@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

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Mascara Literary Review (Mascara Poetry has expanded! )
Submissions invited to Mascara Literary Review
Mascara Poetry has recently expanded into Mascara Literary Review and is now accepting submissions of short fiction and essays (as well as poetry).
We also have a new website: www.mascarareview.com
Mascara Literary Review is an online literary journal particularly interested in the work of contemporary Asian (as well as Australian and Indigenous) writers.
We are able to pay: $75 for two or more poems, $50 for reviews and essays.
For full submission details visit: www.mascarareview.com/submissions.html

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Cordite Poetry Review
Submissions now open for Cordite Poetry Review. Writing haikus, snryus or other ultra-short poems?
Submissions are now open for the 31st issue of Cordite – EPIC.
Details available at www.cordite.org.au

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The Margaret Reid Poetry Contest
- re-opened on November 15! Call for submissions to Margaret Reid Poetry Contest.

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Jazz and Poetry section of annotated discography on jazz and literature
- Submissions invited
From PU member Peter JF Newton :
I am nearing completion of the jazz & poetry section of a three-part annotated discography on jazz & literature which I expect to publish next year. The scope of this section includes recitation accompanied by jazz in any of its many varieties, poems converted to jazz vocal performances and instrumental compositions inspired by the work of individual poets. The emphasis here is on poetry with jazz and improv music as I know them; I have no wish to stray into the world of rock, rap, hip-hop and so on because they are well beyond my domain of competence.
I have adequate access to the world literature for this type of work and am in touch with a number of major overseas jazz poets working in this field, so I am looking specifically for Australian and New Zealand information which sadly seems to escape the literature.
The details sought are as follows: Band or artist name, recording dates and locations, identification of poets and composers, accompanying musicians and their instruments (including the voice), poem or song titles, type of recording medium together with recording company names, catalogue numbers, and album titles. A reference point for accessibility to these products would be a useful addition.
The recording medium can be any type of modality and of commercial, private or archival provenance.
Details should be sent to me (Peter Newton) as Chair, NSW Jazz Archive Inc., 30 Boorea St, Blaxland, NSW 2774.
E-mail jpnewton@tpg.com.au Tel: (02) 4739-1715.
All advice received will be acknowledged in the book when it appears.
Best regards, Peter J.F. Newton.


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e-zines and e-anthologies for poets
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Jacket Magazine – Number 39
now available http://jacketmagazine.com/39/index.shtml

Visit our 900-page current issue: [»»] Jacket 39 at http://jacketmagazine.com/39/index.shtml
Feature: Ron Silliman
Feature: Nathaniel Tarn
Feature: Bob Perelman
Feature: Douglas Barbour
Sister Sites: Vincent Katz on «Vanitas» magazine
Interview: James Sherry
Interview and poems: Bob Arnold
Mark Silverberg: The New York School Poets and the Neo-avant-garde: Introduction: “A Lot of Guys Who Know All About Bricks”
Feature: Rewriting Canonical Australian Poems
Poems: Bob Arnold, Aaron Belz, Vincent Katz, Robert VanderMolen Reviews of books by Rae Armantrout, Eric Baus, Miles Champion, Kevin Davies, Carla Harryman, Larry Price, Susan Howe and Simon Pettet stoat portraits…

And for news about Jacket's exciting future, see the homepage at http://jacketmagazine.com/00/home.shtml
Editors: John Tranter, Pam Brown

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POETICA – ABC Radio National. Saturdays and Thursdays
Australia-wide Poetry program- Saturdays at 3.05 pm and repeated Thursdays at 3.05 pm
May program:
29th Australian Haiku 2 – the haiku and the senryu in contemporary Australian poetry.

POETICA is presented by BRENT CLOUGH and MIKE LADD - For further details please contact the producers of Poetica: Mike Ladd (08) 8343 4928 Krystyna Kubiak (08) 8343 4271
Or visit the Poetica website at www.abc.net.au/rn/arts/poetica/

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FROM THIS BROKEN HILL http://brokenhill.tripod.com/BrokenHill.htm
Meuse Press has released an e-anthology titled “From This Broken Hill” – a unique combination of writing from some of the country’s top writers (past & present) combined with a dazzling array of photography. A place of near mythic proportions, this city deep in the outback. A mine that put the money into Melbourne. Arts hub while simultaneously isolated by distance.
But in some ways Broken Hill was the experiment that became multicultural Australia – it had the country’s first mosque, many communities continue to thrive within its boundaries. The rough heart of Unionism still stands strong. People escape to this city, others escape a childhood there. It has its horrors and highlights, once there you’ll never forget.
Read an excerpt from a Napoleon Bonaparte set in the city, read the view back from leading poet Rae Desmond Jones who grew up there and wonder at the mining waste turned into a thing of beauty surrounded by red soil. Edited by Barbara De Franceschi, Marvis Sofield and Les Wicks.
Supported by Broken Hill Regional Writers’ Centre, Broken Hill City Council, Countrylink & ArtsNSW Available at http://brokenhill.tripod.com/BrokenHill.htm

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Islet Magazine
–new online publishing www.islet.com.au
Are you an emerging writer or visual artist?
Island magazine is very pleased to call for submissions to lslet, its new online publishing space.
Islet publishes a free, quarterly collection of small works by emerging writers and visual artists.

For pay rates, maximum word lengths, and detailed submission guidelines, please visit the website: www.islet.com.au .
Check out the current issue and pop in to our Conversation page while you’re there!

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Guide to Sydney Beaches - http://sydneybeaches.tripod.com/guide.htm
Guide to Sydney Beaches – a driftwood concept. A new web anthology saunters the sand with some of Australia’s leading poets.
Guide to Sydney Beaches - http://sydneybeaches.tripod.com/guide.htm - is aimed at an audience that may not normally access this artform.
This is a driftwood concept – people seeking information about a certain beach stumble across this collection & discover fine Aust poetry. 20 great beaches, 30 superb poets. Hit numbers indicate it is already a huge success. This will increase as we move into Spring. The anthology is from Meuse Press, edited by PU member Les Wicks.

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Melaleuca – monthly e-zine of Australian poetry
MELALEUCA is a free e-zine of Australian poetry, delivered monthly
through your email in-box. For submissions and subscriptions, contact
the editor, Phillip A. Ellis, at phillip.a.ellis@gmail.com

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Folk Odyssey – The Magazine http://www.folkclub.com/folkodyssey/
As you browse Folk Odyssey – the Magazine, you will discover that several sections offer an invitation for you to contribute your work to this enterprise. You may do this in the form of:
-a Letter to the Editor, -an article for Features,
-information for Event Horizon,
-photographs for FolkShot Gallery,
-poetry
-autobiography for Poet in Profile
-a story for StoryBoard.

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Longlines e-anthology
Now up on the Poets Union website www.poetsunion.com : the 2008 Longlines e-anthology (from the 2008 Australian Poetry Festival is now up on the Poets Union website. The 2008 Longlines Fellows were:
Ali Cobby-Eckermann, Helen Hagemann, Kimberley Mann and Andrew Slattery.
What is Longlines? In 2008, the Australian Poetry Centre, together with the Varuna Writers’ Centre, devised a fellowship for poets who lived more than 100 kilometres outside Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Canberra. Four Fellows were invited to spend a week at Varuna workshopping their poetry with Ron Pretty. The manuscripts were then published in a series which effectively became a continuation of the Five Islands New Poets collections.
The New Poets Series 2009, comprises:
- little bit long time by Ali Cobby Eckermann
- Evangelyne & other poems by Helen Hagemann
- Awake During Anaesthetic by Kimberley Mann
- Canyon by Andrew Slattery

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PIFF - Poetry in Film Festival
launched – INVITATION TO JOIN THEIR MAILING LIST
PIFF (Poetry in Film Festival) is officially launched. Invitation from the APC (Australian Poetry Centre in Melbourne) to join their mailing list for the Poetry in Film Festival. Click here to subscribe to their mailing list www.poetryinfilmfestival.com.au

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POETRY LAB BY EMAIL With Julie Chevalier (10CHEV4)
Course dates: Thurs. 29 April – Thurs. 9 September
Full price: $450
Venue: on-line course
Enquiries: NSW Writers’ Centre Phone (02) 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au

Want to write poetry but can’t make it to a course or workshop? Need individual feedback on your work without leaving the house? Join widely published poet and teacher Julie Chevalier for an online, interactive poetry writing course.
This course is suitable for someone who is interested in writing contemporary poetry and has reliable email. It fills the gap between working through exercises in a book (although books are recommended) and working with a mentor. It enables people who are unable to access courses and workshops because of isolation, time or distance to receive personal feedback to improve their poems. Students are offered the opportunity to contact each other. HSC students are welcome.

Enquiries: NSW Writers’ Centre
Phone (02) 9555 9757 Fax (02) 9818 1327
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
Website: www.nswwriterscentre.org.au

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Knopf’s National Poetry Month http://poem-a-day.knopfdoubleday.com/
Every year in celebration of National Poetry Month, Knopf Poetry offers a free poem—along with bonus features like beautiful broadsides, audio clips, and signed books—each day during the month of April through our Poem-a-Day emails. You can still visit the site and download the poems and recordings... http://poem-a-day.knopfdoubleday.com/


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OTHER NEWS FOR POETS
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Congratulations to Jordie Albiston winner of the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry (NSW Premier’s Award for Literature)
for her collection ‘the sonnet according to ‘m’
Jordie Albiston lives in Melbourne, where she was born in 1961. She is a poet whose work frequently reflects historical research. Australian composer Andrée Greenwell has adapted two of her books (Botany Bay Document, 1996 - retitled Dreaming Transportation - and The Hanging of Jean Lee, 1998) for music-theatre: both enjoyed seasons at the Sydney Opera House. Nervous Arcs won the Mary Gilmore Award for a first book of Australian poetry in 1995, and was also shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Prize. Her fourth collection, The Fall, was shortlisted for Premier's Prizes in Victoria, NSW and Queensland. Here fifth, Vertigoa cantata was published by John Leonard Press, in 2007. She holds a PhD in literature.
The letter ‘m' is emblematic of recurrence and precipitousness in these poems. They emerge with the wantonness of sensations in everyday life. In this case three lives: maternal grandmother, paternal great-great grandmother and the poet. Jordie Albiston, with characteristic delicacy and zest, limns these very different women as perspectives to each other.
Recurrence is intrinsic to sonnets. They are patterned internally, and are often paroxysmal: a perfect form and formation for poems which worry the distinction between the fatal and the banal. The sequence tells what happens when you admit the existential into everyday life, in small or large doses. The results can be desolate, or sublime. And comedic as well: Albiston knows how to play between darkness and send-up, when it comes to an arduous and animating tension between body and mind.
The Sonnet According to 'M' is published by John Leonard Press
Jordie Albiston, the sonnet according to ‘m'

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Derek Motion - winner of the Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets for his work “forest hill”
07 Apr 2010 : A national prize held in honour of Australian poet Judith Wright has been awarded to Charles Sturt University (CSU) postgraduate student, Mr Derek Motion. The 2010 Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets, valued at $3 000, has been won by the poet and PhD student for his work, ‘forest hill’.
The successful poets will feature at a presentation event at the Melbourne Emerging Writers’ Festival on Saturday 29 May, alongside Keri Glastonbury and Gig Ryan (poetry editors of Overland and The Age respectively).
In addition to the prize money, Mr Motion’s poem will be published in the next issue of Overland, a quarterly e-bulletin about events, politics and literature. He will be presented the poetry award at the 2010 Emerging Writers’ Festival in the Melbourne Town Hall on Saturday 29 May.

Commenting on the winning entries including Mr Motion’s work, judge Dr Keri Glastonbury found, “…this loose-knit community is where a lot of the energy and action in Australian poetry is, and I look forward to seeing these poets release first books”.
Mr David Gilbey, Senior Lecturer in English at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga said, “I'm delighted at Derek's continuing success in the lists of Australian letters. Derek's poetry is concentrated, allusive, multi-faceted, drawing on literary traditions and contemporary cultural and technological practices. It is also finely human and wittily self-facing - a pleasure to read.
“Like Judith Wright's poetry, Derek combines metaphysical, personal and social concerns. He richly deserves this award and it's a mark of the modernity and integrity of the judging that his poetry has been recognised.”

Mr Motion named his poem ‘forest hill' after the area on the outskirts of Wagga Wagga where he spent some of his early years and where went to primary school.
“In particular I think I was concerned with locating imagery surrounding the time when you start to become who you are; a kind of site of individuation and thinking about what this means for the adult me,” Mr Motion said.

It is not the first time the CSU postgraduate student has had his work honoured at the national level.
In October 2009, Mr Motion received an Australia Council 2010 Emerging Writers’ and Illustrators’ Initiative Grant, valued at $15 000. Read more here.

Mr Motion is doing his PhD through the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga. His research focuses on his own poetry in the context of Australian poets, Christopher Brennan (1870-1932) and Michael Dransfield (1948-1973).
Living in Wagga Wagga with his young family, Mr Motion is also Director of the Booranga Writers’ Centre at CSU.

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Jean Kent WINNER of The Dorothy Porter Poetry Prize
Congratulations to PU member Jean Kent. Meanjin is delighted to announce that the inaugural winner of the Dorothy Porter Poetry Prize for 2009 is Jean Kent, for her poem ‘The Polish Guitarist’s First Paris Concert’ (Vol 68/4).
The prize was run this year as a tribute to much-loved Australian poet, Dorothy Porter, and her legacy of work, and is co-sponsored by Porter’s agent, Jenny Darling & Associates. Kent’s poem was chosen by judges Andrea Goldsmith and Kristin Henry out of all the poems accepted for publication in Meanjin throughout 2009. She was presented with a $1,000 cash prize at an awards ceremony to be held at Gleebooks in Sydney on Saturday 14 November at 4pm. The event featured readings from Porter’s most recent collection, The Bee Hut, which was published by Black Inc. in September 2009. ‘The Polish Guitarist’s First Paris Concert’ will also be published in the forthcoming December edition of Meanjin. Jean Kent has released three books of poetry, including Verandahs, which was recently republished by Picaro Press in its Art Box Series. Her fourth collection, Travelling with the Wrong Phrase Books, was highly commended for the 2008 Alec Bolton Prize. She lives at Lake Macquarie in NSW. Meanjin is pleased to announce that the Dorothy Porter Prize will run again in 2010

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Christine Paice WINNER of The Josephine Ulrick Poetry Prize 2009
Congratulations to Christine Paice poet and long term member of the Poets Union who was the winner of the 2009 Josephine Ulrick Poetry prize with her poem The Ministry Of Going In. Sorry we are so late in acknowledging it Christine – it’s wonderful news! A copy of the poem is on the Poets Union Website under Festivals and Competitions and has been published in the latest issue of the Poets Union journal, Five Bells.

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Lucy Holt WINNER of the 2009 Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry
Congratulations to Lucy Holt - The 2009 NSW Premiers Literary Awards were announced at the Sydney Writers Festival.
Congratulations to Lucy Holt on her receipt of the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry for her collection ‘Man Wolf Man’. Lucy was a 2004 Poets Union ‘Australian Young Poets Fellowship’ holder and was mentored by the Poets Union. In 2005 the Poets Union published a chapbook of Lucy’s poems ‘Stories of A Bird’. The Poets Union is committed to raising funds to develop our mentoring, Poetry Fellowships, Poetry Scholarships, Residencies and Prizes. The full list of winners of The NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and more information about the awards can be found here: http://www.pla.nsw.gov.au/

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Emma Jones WINNER Best First Collection, FORWARD PRIZE for her collection ‘The Striped World’
Congratulations to Australian poet, Emma Jones. Emma Jones's The Striped World, inspired by her home country of Australia, was named winner of the £5,000 best first collection prize. Hart called her "an ambitious and intriguing new voice" whose poems "are both elliptical and visionary – inhabiting a parallel world of strange disjointed images within which we nevertheless find echoes of familiar experience".
+
and congratulations to Forward Prize Winner: Don Paterson Scottish poet Don Paterson has triumphed over one of the strongest poetry shortlists in years to take the Forward prize for best collection with Rain. Paterson, 45, beat a line-up of acclaimed poets including Peter Porter, Sharon Olds and Glyn Maxwell to win the £10,000 award for Rain, a continuation of his personal and philosophical exploration of the world around him.

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Congratulations to Jean Valentine - Jean Valentine has been selected as the recipient of the 2009 Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets.
The $100,000 prize recognizes outstanding and proven mastery in the art of poetry.
and to Harryette Mullen Harryette Mullen has been selected as the recipient of the 2009 Academy Fellowship. The Fellowship is awarded to a poet for distinguished poetic achievement and provides a stipend of $25,000. The Academy’s Board of Chancellors, a body of sixteen eminent poets, selects the Wallace Stevens Award and Academy Fellowship recipients. Who says poetry isn’t profitable? Full story is here: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/21013

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VOICEWORKS MAGAZINE
TURNED 21 - The Words We Found: the best writing from 21 years of Voiceworks magazine.
Edited by Lisa Dempster, The Words We Found: the best writing from 21 years of Voiceworks magazine is Express Media’s coming-of-age anthology and, like all good 21st celebrations, it’s a fierce, flirtatious and furious record of our life so far.

The Words We Found available through all good bookshops and online at www.expressmedia.org.au http://www.expressmedia.org.au/ Extract rights are also available. For all media enquiries, please contact Bel Schenk, Artistic Director on 0431 054 190 artisticdirector@expressmedia.org.au

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Best wishes,
Cathy Bray
for Brook Emery and the Poets Union committee,
Poets Union Inc,
PO Box 755,
POTTS POINT NSW 1335

Tel. (02) 9357 6602 (Tuesdays & Wednesdays)
Email: info@poetsunion.com
Please visit the Poets Union website: www.poetsunion.com and our new blog: www.poetsunioninc.blogspot.com