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N E W S : Poets from NORTH . EAST . WEST . SOUTH

Poetry Sydney 0 Comments
Wednesday 22 NOVEMBER 2023

TICK'S UPLINK > N O W

Steven Durbach AKA Sid Slege, at a production meeting @Knox.live.

Poetry Sydney and Macquarie University are thrilled to present N E W S : Poets from the North . East . West . South; poetry with new directions.

The program is a collaborative venture that utilises innovations in communications, language, the capacities, and resources of Macquarie University and The Knox Street Bar.  Rooted in mutual respect and openness, these partnerships have been roundly embraced by the curatorial team responsible for each of the compass events. 

The events are staged in a live streaming venue, Knox.live, at the Knox Street Bar in Chippendale.  Curated by Dr Michelle Hamadache, Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Literature and Language, Macquarie University.

Ambitious in scope, engaging in diverse media poetry from performance, video poetry and animation.  The events in equal parts will stage provocative and playful work that challenges and emotionally resonates.  

Each event will be held live at Knox.live and also live-streamed. Poetry pod-parties are encouraged to tune-in and share-in the live-stream across the country and internationally.

This project would not exist without the poets.  Above all we wish to acknowledge and commend all participating, who have championed the opportunity to showcase their work with rigour and ingenuity.

In order of stage appearance: Steven Durbach AKA Sid Sledge / Pip Smith / Marth Jetis / DATSON HUGHES / Rico Craig / Rose Kennedy / Gareth Jenkins / Nandini / Writers @ Macquarie University / Western Sydney film-makers

Pip Smith was named a 2018 Best Young Novelist by the SMH/ The Age for her debut novel Half Wild (A&U, 2017), and won the inaugural Helen Ann Bell award for her first collection of poetry, Too Close for Comfort (SUP, 2013). Her children’s picture books, Theodore the Unsure and To Greenland! are published by Scholastic Australia, and she occasionally has new poetry and short fiction published in Australian literary journals. Link: pipsmith.net
Rico Craig is a writer, award-winning poet and workshop facilitator whose work melds the narrative, lyrical and cinematic. His poetry has been awarded prizes or shortlisted for the Montreal Poetry Prize, Val Vallis Prize, Newcastle Poetry Prize, Dorothy Porter Poetry Prize and University of Canberra Poetry Prize. Bone Ink (UWAP), his first poetry collection, was winner of the 2017 Anne Elder Award and shortlisted for the Kenneth Slessor Poetry Prize 2018. Since 2012 he has worked as Storyteller-in-Chief at the Story Factory, designing and facilitating creative writing programs for young people, and teacher development programs for adults. His most recent collections Our Tongues Are Songs (2021) and Nekhau (2022) are published by Recent Work Press.
Aspiring novelist Rose Kennedy is an emerging Sydney writer of contemporary memoir, short stories, and spoken word poetry. Rose is an unflinchingly devoted syrupy-storyteller, coffee-spiller and anecdote-excavator from all corners of her loud and hungry life. Although she has backpacked the world, she finds her home on the page.
Steven Durbach AKA Sid Sledge: Sid's Nervous System Interacting with the Scientists at CSIRO. Performing a Machine to Reach for Longing: Words are another matter and are not indifferent to other words.

Steven Durbach, aka Sid Sledge worked as a scientist doing genetic research on bacteria and viruses from 1995-2008 before turning to art fulltime. Upon emigrating to Australia, he worked as an artist drawing on his knowledge and insights from the study of evolutionary theory to see what story that could tell in the arts. His principle media are drawing; kinetic sculpture and drawing animation. He has recently taken on a more research-based performative approach where during installations, performances and residencies, primarily at science institutions and other non-art spaces, he uses an experimental approach to engage the audience and evolve his work. 

He has held several solo exhibitions including in 2016 at the Bondi Pavilion Gallery (Schrodinger’s Bird) and the Willoughby council’s Incinerator Art Space in 2021 (Wobbly Machine). The former was in collaboration with UNSW’s Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technologies (now Silicon Quantum Computing). He Has worked with several scientific organizations and scientists with a long-standing relationship with CSIRO’s Lindfield Hub. Part of his mission is to present work at science institutions and in science contexts such as recently in (2022) where he held a performance of art walking into science at Top Ryde Library as part of National Science Week exploring the interfaith of art and science he has hosted online CSIRO supported encounters between Australian artist and scientists in an attempt to understand or find common ground between these two cultural entities. Link: http://www.sidsledge.com/

DATSON HUGHES is a collaboration between sound artist, poet, songwriter and musician Geoffrey Datson and Annette Hughes, author, songwriter, musician and cultural producer. Our joint practice emerges from long immersion in Australian visual, musical and literary culture, selecting and combining forms to produce multi-disciplinary multi-media work. While our individual careers reach back into the late seventies, our collaboration is relatively recent, with our strongest work emergent in the last ten years. DATSON HUGHES  has been touring solidly up and down East Coast, Australia and since 2018, spending two 6 month stretches in Europe touring and collaborating and participating in various artist in residence projects. We geared up for our 3rd European tour when Covid descended  cancelling all our 2020 projects. Now based back in Sydney, we are performing again, working towards the release of their latest studio album, Now and Forever. Link: https://www.datsonhughes.com/

NOR TH
E  A  S  T
W  E  S T
SOU TH
2  0  2  4

SAVE the AUGUST DATE 
Saturday, 31 August 2024

SAVE the NOVEMBER DATE Thursday, 7 November 2024

AUGUST POETS PERFORMING ~

Toby Davidson is a poet and Australian poetry scholar living on Darkinjung Country on the Central Coast and teaching on Dharug Country at Macquarie University. His most recent collection is Four Oceans (Puncher and Wattman, 2020) and his latest critical book is Good for the Soul: John Curtin’s Life with Poetry (UWA Publishing, 2021). He is a former judge of the Mary Gilmore Poetry Prize and his work has been published in Australian and international journals and anthologies.
Bruna Gomes is an Australian-Brazilian novelist and poet. She is the author of the YA novel How to Disappear and the poetry collection Triple Citizenship. Bruna has been a writer-in-residence at The Museum of Loss and Renewal, Italy, and Buinho, Portugal. She has writing published in various literary journals.
Jo Langdon lives and writes on unceded Wadawurrung land. Her latest poetry collection, Glass Life, was published by Five Islands Press in 2018. She was also a 2018 Elizabeth Kostova Foundation fiction writing fellow. Her recent work appears in journals including Cordite, Griffith Review, Island, Overland, Rabbit and Westerly.
Anju Jha has published her debut collection of poetry, Specks of Epiphanies, on Amazon. She is studying a Master of Creative Writing at Macquarie University in Sydney. Her short story, ‘Spring Sonata’, will appear shortly in Flash Fiction Magazine. Additionally, her poem, ‘Breaking The Walls of Silence’ has been published in Meniscus Literary Journal (Volume 11, Issue 1 2023). Find her on Instagram: @poems_by_anju.jha
Oscar Douglas is a performer and student from Gosford. He studies literature at Macquarie University, but is trying to move back toward performing after a long time of giving it up. His biggest influences are Mitski, Idles, David Bowie and The Mountain Goats. He mainly performs covers, but is hoping to start with original material in the future.”
Pooja Mittal Biswas is the author of nine books of fiction, poetry and non-fiction. Her ninth book, a collection of poetry titled Hunger and Predation, was published by Cordite Books in early 2023. She has been reviewed and interviewed in The Age, The Australian and ABC Radio National’s The Book Show, and has been anthologised in both The Best Australian Poems and The Best Australian Poetry. Pooja has written for Writer’s Digest and has been widely published in literary journals such as Meanjin, Overland, Cordite, TEXT, Hecate and Jacket. Pooja is currently pursuing a PhD in English and Creative Writing from the University of Sydney, where she is also an Associate Lecturer/Postgraduate Teaching Fellow. She has previously been invited to speak at the Emerging Writers’ Festival and the National Young Writers’ Festival.

PAST NEWS

All right reserved. Apart from fair dealing permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this recording may be reproduced, or transmitted without prior permission. No poem in this livestream event recording may be reproduced without permission of the copyright owner. Views expressed in the livestream event recording by individual poets are not necessarily those of the publishers.

Thursday 4 May 2023

MAY WE PLEASE INTRODUCE THE POETS

Abbas Ali is a poet from Sydney with a fascination for the ocean, the lonely, the silent and science. The works of this young poet focus on topics of love, childhood, family and gender, and mingle motifs of music and anatomy with wildlife and colour. This young poet has one rule and one rule only when it comes to poetry. Complete and utter honesty.
Stuart Barnes is the author of two poetry collections: Like to the Lark (Upswell Publishing, 2023) and Glasshouses (UQP, 2016), winner of the 2015 Arts Queensland Thomas Shapcott Prize, commended for the 2016 Anne Elder Award and shortlisted for the 2017 Mary Gilmore Award. His work has been widely published, including in The Anthology of Australian Prose Poetry, Best of Australian Poems 2022, The Montreal Poetry Prize Anthology 2020, The Moth and POETRY (Chicago). Stuart’s ‘Sestina after B. Carlisle’ won the 2021/22 Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize. He lives and writes on Darumbal country, Rockhampton, and tweets and grams as @StuartABarnes.
Originally from the west of Ireland and living in Sydney, Anne Casey is author of five poetry collections. A journalist and legal author for 30 years, her work is widely published internationally, ranking in The Irish Times' Most Read. Anne has won literary awards in Ireland, Australia, the UK, Canada, Hong Kong, Lebanon, India and the USA, most recently American Writers Review 2021, the iWoman Global Award for Literature and the Henry Lawson Prize 2022. She received an Australian Government scholarship and a bursary for her PhD in archival poetics at the University of Technology Sydney where she researches and teaches. anne-casey.com @1annecasey
Hale Isil Cosar is a Sydney based teacher and poet. Her first volume of poetry, ‘Hijabi in Jeans’ was published by Guillotine Press in 2018. Her poems have been published in several anthologies and journals
Gareth Cowley is a Sydney based poet and multi-disciplinary artist who has exhibited at several galleries and also commissioned pieces as a sculptor, painter and illustrator. He is currently studying at Macquarie University to become a teacher librarian and is also working on his first collection of poetry.
Jake Goetz's poetry and writing have appeared in numerous places, including Overland, Rabbit, Best Australian Poems 2021, TEXT, Island, Southerly, Cordite, Plumwood Mountain, Past Simple (US), Minarets (NZ), and The Sun Herald. His first book, meditations with passing water (Rabbit Poets Series, 2018), a long poem about the Maiwar (Brisbane River), was shortlisted for the QLD Premier’s Award in 2019. His second book, Unplanned Encounters: Poems 2015-2020, was recently published with Apothecary Archive. He is currently completing a PhD in Writing at the Writing & Society Research Centre (Western Sydney University) and is the Reviews Editor at Plumwood Mountain.
Nandini Kathuria is an Indian poet and writer with two national anthologies to her name and a self-published Zine. Fascinated by the power of vocal metaphors, Nandini found an inclination towards spoken word where she went on to receive multiple accolades for her work. A panel judge for the international Reedsy weekly writing competition, she is currently pursuing Master of Media and Communication and Master of Creative Industries full-time from Macquarie University.
Artist statement from Deniz Demirel.
“I am from Sydney Australia. My interests are in making future fictional films horror and mystery themed, non-fiction nature, interactive graphic design, and immersive technology. I am a passionate filmmaker that does everything from the heart I like creating works that leaves a lasting impression and enjoy researching and learning.” 

Ajok Theip Dor is a South Sudanese journalist and filmmaker in Sydney, Australia. With cinematic interests in making art from various genres that inspire and exhibit diversity and rarely discussed subjects. Inspired by the works of Michaela Cole, Issa Rae, and Quinta Brunson, she has a strong desire to make a diverse spectrum of film genres in the future, including documentaries, mockumentaries, horror, sci-fi, and fantasy.  She is making strides in her pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Industries, majoring in Journalism at Western Sydney University.

Ajok Theip Dor

Kaelan Angelois an aspiring filmmaker from western Sydney, I’ve always been inspired by hearing peoples’ stories. Whilst I’m still figuring my future path out, I aim to explore unique human experiences and the connections and choices we make throughout our lives. 

PAST NEWS

N O R T H

All right reserved. Apart from fair dealing permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this recording may be reproduced, or transmitted without prior permission. No poem in this livestream event recording may be reproduced without permission of the copyright owner. Views expressed in the livestream event recording by individual poets are not necessarily those of the publishers.

David Adès is the author of Mapping the World, Afloat in Light and the chapbook Only the Questions Are Eternal. David won the Wirra Wirra Vineyards Short Story Prize 2005 and the University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor’s International Poetry Prize 2014. Mapping the World was commended for the FAW Anne Elder Award 2008. David’s poems have been twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize and shortlisted for several other prizes in Australia, the U.S. and Israel. He is Convenor of the Poets’ Corner monthly poetry reading and now podcast series produced by WestWords.
Afeif Ismail is an award-winning multilingual Australian -Sudanese writer. He is an internationally published poet and playwright, with extracts from his work translated into English, German, Spanish and Swedish. His work in Australia has been recognized nationally by winning awards and nominations. In addition, his collections of essays, short stories and poetry in Arabic have had international critical acclaim.
Magdalena Ball is a novelist, poet, reviewer and interviewer who grew up on Lenape (Lenapehoking) land in the US, and currently lives and writes on Awabakal land. She is Managing Editor of Compulsive Reader, and her work has been widely published in literary journals such as Meanjin, Cordite, and Westerly, along with many anthologies, and is the author of a number of fiction and poetry books, most recently The Density of Compact Bone published by Ginninderra Press in 2021. A new poetry book, Bobish, is forthcoming in Feb 2023 from Puncher & Wattmann.
Oscar Douglas is a performer and student from Gosford. He studies literature at Macquarie University, but is trying to move back toward performing after a long time of giving it up. His biggest influences are Mitski, Idles, David Bowie and The Mountain Goats. He mainly performs covers, but is hoping to start with original material in the future.”
Willo Drummond is a queer poet who lives and writes on Dharug and Gundungurra land. Her poetry can be found in Cordite Poetry Review, Australian Poetry Journal, The Canberra Times, anthologies published by Australian Poetry, Hunter Writers Centre, Recent Work Press, and elsewhere. Willo has been the recipient of a Career Development Grant from the Australia Council for the Arts (2020), runner-up in the Tom Collins Poetry Prize (2021), and shortlisted for the Val Vallis Award (2022). She teaches creative writing at Macquarie University and her debut poetry collection is forthcoming with Puncher and Wattmann in 2023.
Emily Duff is a budding writer from Sydney who finds her inspiration in new experiences and travel. She is a writer of poetry and short stories with a focus on romance and social-political themes. Her poem 'Six Progressive Responses to Feminism' was short-listed for the Whitlam Institute's What Matters? Writing Competition in 2019, and 'Killing the Monsters' was long-listed for the Macquarie University Future Leaders Prize in 2022.
Priyasha Janhavi is a Sydney-based poet and writer. An avid traveller, she traverses the world for artefacts of identity to preserve in her verse. She recently completed a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing at Macquarie University, and placed third for the 2022 Future Leaders Writing Prize.
Gareth Jenkin's first poetry book, Recipes for the Disaster, won the 2019 Anne Elder award. His poetry short-films have screened at festivals around the world and he exhibits text-based art and multimedia installations. In 2020 Gareth founded the archive and small press Apothecary Archive where he archives and publishes all manner of things experimental and creative. In 2021 he took over one of Australia’s longest running poetry publishers, Five Islands Press. For the last 16 years Gareth has been building The Atomic Book—an online digital archive of the work of Australia’s greatest Outlier artist, Anthony Mannix. His next book, The Inclination Compass, a multimedia poetic narrative will be out in July 2023 with Puncher and Wattmann.
Mark Mordue is a journalist, writer and poet. He’s the author of the biography Boy on Fire – The Young Nick Cave and the travel memoir Dastgah: Diary of a Headtrip. Over the last decade Mark has established a reputation for the immediacy of his poetry and image-making published online, weaving an existential map of his movements across Sydney’s Inner West and the south coast. His first poetry collection was called Darlinghurst Funeral Rites. His most recent was Via Us – Poems From Inside the Corona.
Kavita Nandan was born in New Delhi, grew up in Fiji and lives in Sydney. She tutors in Creative Writing at Macquarie University. Kavita’s book of poems, Return to what Remains, was released in October. She is also the author of Home after Dark, a novel about the search for home in the aftermath of the Fijian military coups of 1987. She is the editor of Stolen Worlds: Fiji-Indian Fragments, the co-editor of Unfinished Journeys: India File from Canberra and Writing the Pacific.
Alec James Wright is a Sydney based poet and screenwriter who lives on Darug land. He writes about themes of unity, uprising, modernity, and catharsis, finding inspiration for his work through ekphrasis and connecting with the natural world. In 2022, he was longlisted for the Future Leaders Writing Prize.

SAVE the DATES

2024 Calendar:
Thursday, 2 May
Thursday, 1 August
Thursday, 7 November

 

2023 Calendar:
Thursday 4 May
Thursday 3 August 
Wednesday 22 November

 

2022 Calendar:
Wednesday, 30 November

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