'I write as much crap as anyone,' says SHARON OLDS

 

Read a good interview of SHARON OLDS at

http://www.divedapper.com/interview/sharon-olds/

ALL ABOARD

I step on the plane
           and turn my will
and my life
           over to the care
of the pilot

as I did five years ago
           on the theatre table
with a squad of
           surgeons sharpening
their blades.

Big moments of trust in life!

Moonlight shines off
           the starboard wing.

~

Coltrane plays
            in the clouds
adding to
            the turbulence
plane flying
            straight through
cloud white fleece -
            clashing cymbals ...

I edit on
           a Qantas napkin


ANDREW BURKE

Basil Bunting Poetry Prize is now open.

Poetry anthology Bareknuckle has Howl at its heart - Reviewed by Geoff Page

 

 

The advent of a new Australian literary magazine is almost always welcome. Well-established journals such as Meanjin, Southerly, Westerly and Island have managed to survive for decades (sometimes half a century or more) but always with difficulty. Others such as Quadrant, Overland and Griffith Review, ­despite their overriding social and political concerns, have provided ­important venues for emerging (and vanishing) poets and fiction writers. It is easy to smile at Frank Moorhouse’s jibe that “Meanjin” is an Aboriginal word meaning “rejected by The New Yorker” but the annoying truth of it does not make Meanjin and its cohorts any less important.

 

 

READ ON AT http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/poetry-anthology-bareknuckle-has-howl-at-its-heart/news-story/ae8d9d9450cad77a9449f1641e3a9535

Sounds of the Winter by WALT WHITMAN

                                    

Sounds of the winter too, Sunshine upon the mountains—many a distant strain From cheery railroad train—from nearer field, barn, house The whispering air—even the mute crops, garner’d apples, corn, Children’s and women’s tones—rhythm of many a farmer and of flail, And old man’s garrulous lips among the rest, Think not we give out        yet, Forth from these snowy hairs we keep up yet the lilt.

Hispirits Christmas Gift to You

Bob Dylan Reads “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/12/23/bob-dylan-reads-twas-the-night-before-christmas/

 

I Love it!

Merry Christmas to All

Queens University Seamus Heaney Scholasrhips

‌ Newsflash: £10,000 and £5,000 scholarships available for an international student to undertake the MA Housed in the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry at Queen’s University, Belfast, the MA in Poetry is the only one of its kind in the British Isles. Students can choose to follow either a creative or a critical pathway in the MA, or they can choose a combination of the two. Leading critics in the fields of Irish, British and American poetry join some of Ireland’s most distinguished poets to deliver a stimulating and enriching programme. The course is perfect groundwork for further postgraduate study at MFA or PhD level in either critical or creative fields. A £10,000 scholarship is available for an International Student beginning 2016-17, £5,000 for a home or EU student. Deadline 1 June 2016 MA in Poetry Scholarships

ANTHOLOGY - AFTER GALLIPOLI/ ÇANAKKALE

This is a call for poems for a project that will bring Turkish, Australian and New Zealand poets together to respond to the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign of 1915. This tragic offensive led to mutual suffering. One hundred years later, Turks, Australians and New Zealanders find they have much in common. In each case the bloody campaign proved to be nation and myth-making, with powerful implications for a national sense of identity today. The aim of the project is to encourage a conversation across cultures and languages that will culminate in the publication of a bilingual collection of English-language and Turkish-language poems loosely themed around the Gallipoli/ Çanakkale centenary commemorations.

 

Send poems (maximum 2) to all 3 the Australasian editors – Kit Kelen KitKelen@gmail.com,  Robyn Rowland bysea@bigpond.com & Les Wicks leswicks@hotmail.com by April 2 . Turkish poets can contact them for details of contributing to the Turkish component.

Call for Submissions: SOUTHERLY'S Writing and Disabilities issue

Southerly | 18 Dec, 2015 | News |

For its second number in 2016, Southerly will be producing an issue, co-edited by David Brooks and Andy Jackson, on Writing and Disability, and we are seeking contributions in all our usual fields – poetry, short fiction, essay, review, memoir, etc. Both physical and psychological disability will be considered – visible and invisible – and disability will be interpreted widely within these areas. The co-editors do not wish to limit contributions in any way. They do note, however, that the area of writing and disability is significantly under-theorised, especially in the Australian context, and hope that this publication might make some contribution in this area.

 

Deadline: June 30th 2016

 

Submit: Via our submissions portal here

 

Announcing the Winner of the Whitmore Press MS Prize 2015

Dear poet,

 

Thanks very much for entering this year’s Whitmore Press Manuscript Prize.

 

For those of you not  already familiar with this news following postings on our website and social media ...

 

The shortlisted poets in this year’s Whitmore Press Manuscript Prize were:

 

Broede Carmody

Steve Evans

Adam Ford

Rachael Wenona Guy

Carmen Leigh Keates

Carolyn Leach-Paholski

Ray Liversidge

Roberta Lowing

Juliana Qian (Lia Incognita)

Jane Williams

 

Following much anguish (and a delay for which we thank everyone for their patience), we are very pleased to announce that the winner of the Whitmore Press Manuscript Prize for 2015 is Carmen Leigh Keates.

 

We were impressed with the imaginative explorations of Carmen’s poems set in northern Europe – poems in which ancient ruins and contemporary museum alike are part of a disturbing yet subtly lyrical personal archaeology of place and space. Congratulations Carmen!

 

A collection of Carmen’s poems will be published by Whitmore Press in the second half of 2016.

 

We again thank all who submitted to this year’s prize, and in particular congratulate those who reached the shortlist and made our final decision an engrossingly difficult one.

 

 

Release of Breaking the Days by Jill Jones

 

As many of you would know, renowned poet, critic and novelist Alison Croggon launched Breaking the Days by Jill Jones in Melbourne in November.

 

Jill was the co-winner, with Tracy Ryan, of the 2014 Whitmore Press Manuscript Prize, and the publication of Breaking the Days was the result of that win. Our thanks to all who came to the launch and made it a happy celebration. We will post Alison’s launch speech on the Whitmore Press website early in the new year.

 

For those who couldn’t make the launch but would like a copy of Jill’s – or of Tracy’s – collection,  you can order online from the Whitmore Press titles page

Santa and Slaughter

Seasons Greetings

NEWS FROM PARIS CLIMATE CONTROL TALKS

Dear Andrew, PHEW! My hands are still tingling as I type after the room erupted in applause when the gavel came down to finalise a global agreement on climate change. There’s an incredible atmosphere here. The agreement is far from perfect - these things never are - but it is so, so much better than any of us thought it would be. I remember being in this same situation five years ago at the Copenhagen negotiations: instead of cheering, there were many tears in the room. Tim, Lesley and I are here in Paris and we wanted to bring you in on the agreement, so we recorded this video for you. We’ll also keep updating the webpage with more analysis of the agreement. See the video here. As I’m typing, the South African delegation are taking the microphone as the first nation to respond. They picked a quote from their own Nelson Mandela that really summed up the moment. "I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended." Each one of us is only a small part in moments like these - but together, our Climate Council community (that's you) has been able to have an impact on climate change by continuing to provide independent, expert information to the global media and public. There’s a lot more to do, but I hope you too will enjoy resting a moment and to look back on the distance we’ve come! With hope Amanda and the Climate Council Team.

Celebrate The Lyrical Leunig

	THE SONG COMPANY CELEBRATES LEUNIG

To ring out the old year and ring in the new, The Song Company present twelve new songs, one for each month, based on the words and work of iconic Australian cartoonist, philosopher and author Michael Leunig. Twelve composers, including Robert Davidson, Lyle Chan and Kate Neal have collaborated with The Song Company to create a unique celebration of this wry observer of life. Thursday 17 December, 8pm >>more BUY A PRINT TODAY http://leunig.com.au/shop/shop/prints-detail

Opportunities from West Australian Poetry Inc Newsletter

The Tom Collins Poetry Prize

The Tom Collins Poetry Prize is an annual competition inaugurated by FAWWA in 1975 in memory of Australian author Joseph Furphy (1843 - 1912) who wrote as Tom Collins. Number of Lines: Maximum 60 lines per poem.Closing Date: 15th December 2015 .Send in with a copy of your poetry submissions to Fellowship of Australian Writers WA to FAWWA Competition SecretaryPO Box 6180Swanbourne WA 6910 or Email
to fellowshipaustralianwriterswa@gmail.com

 

Short and Twisted

Short and Twisted, an anthology of short stories and poetry with a twist at the end, is seeking submissions of short fiction up to 2,000 words, poetry and images for the 2016 issue. Deadline Thursday 31 December 2015.

http://www.celapenepress.com.au/short_and_twisted.html

 

Adelaide Plains Poets Inc Poetry Competition 2015/16
Submissions are now open for the Adelaide Plains Poets Inc Poetry Competition. This year's theme is 'Transitions.' Poems must be no longer than 60 lines. There is an open class section for over 18 years old and junior classes for primary and secondary school students. Prizes are awarded for first, second and third places. Closing 29 January 2016 http://www.carolyn-poeticpause.blogspot.com.au/

 

Eyre Writers Literary Awards 2016

Eyre Writers Inc. invites you to enter their annual Literary Awards, open to all Australian citizens. There are awards for following categories: Tom Black Memorial Award for a rhyming poem on any theme, limit 50 lines; Eyre Writers Award for a non-rhyming poem on any theme, limit 50 lines; Eyre Travel Short Story Award for a short story on any theme, limit 1500 words; Land and Sea Award for fact, fiction, or essay, on an Australian rural or maritime theme, limit 1500 words. First Place in each category receives a cash prize. Closing 31 January 2016

http://www.eyrewriters.com/Competitions/competitions.html

 

Banjo Paterson Australian Poetry Competition 2016

The Rotary Club of Orange is launching the Banjo Paterson Australian Poetry Competition for 2016. This competition is open to all poets to recite their original poetry on Saturday 20 February as a signature event during the 2016 Banjo Paterson Australian Poetry Festival in Orange NSW.

Closing 12 February 2016

http://www.rotarycluboforange.org.au/pages/events.php

 

Griffith University Josephine Ulrick Literature & Poetry Prizes

Among the richest poetry and short story prizes in the world, the Griffith University Josephine Ulrick prizes in 2016 are worth $30,000 in total prize money. Literature Prize for a short story up to 2000 words: first prize $10,000. Poetry Prize for a poem up to 100 lines: first prize $10,000.

Deadline: 12 February 2016 https://www.griffith.edu.au/humanities-languages/school-humanities/news-

and-events/josephine-ulrick-prizes/poetry-prize-entry-form

 

Sonnet Competition

The Shakespeare Club of Western Australia is sponsoring a sonnet-writing competition. Write your own sonnet is open to secondary students and adults. We invite all poets, amateur and professional, experienced or first-timers, to exercise their imaginations in a 14-line poem in the Shakespearean pattern. Writers may choose any theme with a Western Australian link. Your sonnet can be comic, serious, satirical, romantic or what you will. Prizes will be awarded in both categories. First: $300; second: $200; third: $100. All entries must be received by 1st March 2016 All information relating to competition rules and guidelines is available at:

http://perthshakespeareclub.blogspot.com.au/p/blog-page.html

 

2016 Ethel Webb Bundell Literary Awards now open
The Society of Women Writers WA has launched the 2016 Ethel Webb Bundell Literary Awards for poetry and short stories. There is no set theme and both categories are open to all writers. Poems may be in any style, up to 100 lines. Short stories are not to exceed 4,000 words. The closing date for entries is 31 March 2016 Guidelines and entry forms are available from the Society's website www.swwofwa.com For further information, call 0415 840 031, or email swwofwa@gmail.com

 

Call for submissions : Las Americas

Azuria is an independent journal published by Geelong Writers inc. in the early months of each year. .You are invited to submit essays, poems and short stories in response to the theme LAS AMERICAS for the next edition. Let us (re)discover and translate poets from Québec & México & Chile, find tales of travelling through the Andes and Mayan jungles, conduct interviews with American writers living in Geelong. Let us write about how we consider those ancient and new societies, and their literatures, and especially their impact upon our lives, and read accounts from the other side of the Pacific Ocean. Submissions should be sent by e-mail to geelongwriters@gmail.com& cc: tedreilly100@hotmail.com with the annotation “Submission_Surname_Azuria#5” [i.e., your surname] in the subject line. Please attach work as an MSWORD *.doc or *.docx file, and any images should be set in JPG format. Address the e-mail to: The Editorial Group / Azuria / Geelong Writers inc., including a concise 50 - 70 word literary biography, along with contact and postal information in the body of the e-mail.

 

MacGuffin - digital literature platform
MacGuffin hosts short stories and poetry in text and audio form. Anyone can upload a poem or short story, so long as they also upload a reading along with the text. This doesn't have to be professionally recorded (and in fact, many of our favourite poems and stories on MacGuffin have a homemade feel - recorded on a smartphone, with birdsong in the background, or a dog barking somewhere). https://macguffin.io/signup/?next=/

Call for Submissions P3
P3 (Poetry. Plays. Prose) aims to showcase the creative writing of Western Australians of all ages and backgrounds. Our team aims to adopt an all- inclusive approach. We would like to see work from writers at all levels. P3 is currently 100% privately funded, with advertising revenue subsidising publication costs. Kim Sanders Pty Ltd Publishing is calling for original creative writing submissions up to 4000 words in length for their quarterly publication. An annual prize pool worth $2,000. Kim Sanders Pty Ltd Publishing Mobile: 0428 166 515 Post: PO Box 1594, Wangara WA
6065 Email: wajm@jazi.net

SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED FOR 2016 VICTORIAN PREMIER’S LITERARY AWARDS

Media Contact: Karen Kissane 0428 657 076 | karen.kissane@minstaff.vic.gov.au

Monday, 7 December, 2015


 Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley has kicked off a summer of diverse reading, announcing the 21 works that have been shortlisted for the 2016 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards.

The works comprise some of the best fiction, non-fiction, drama, poetry and writing for young adults produced in Australia in the past 12 months.

The shortlist ranges from a portrait of two of Australia’s most prominent art patrons to a science-fiction/fantasy that follows the story of a family from 2016 to 2057.

There is the young adult tale of an Aboriginal girl taken from her family in Northern Australia, poems exploring the ways the past intrudes on the present, gritty theatre works exploring secrets, damaged lives and crime, and a look into a writer’s lifelong obsession with horse racing.

Author Miles Allinson has been shortlisted in the fiction category for his first novel Fever of Animals. The nomination caps off a significant year for the novelist. In 2014, Allinson received the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript for the story, which went on to be published by Scribe.

The winners of the five award categories – fiction, non-fiction, drama, poetry and writing for young adults – each receive a prize of $25,000, and go on to contest the Victorian Prize for Literature. Worth a further $100,000, the Victorian Prize for Literature is Australia’s single richest literary prize.



The public are encouraged to participate in the Awards by voting for their favorite shortlisted work. The winner of the $2,000 People’s Choice Award will be named alongside the main category winners on Thursday 28 January 2016.

The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards were established by the then Labor Government in 1985 to honour literary achievement by Australian writers. The Awards are administered by the Wheeler Centre on behalf of the Premier of Victoria.

The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards include two further Awards: the Unpublished Manuscript Award, which is presented as part of the Emerging Writers’ Festival in May each year, and the biennial Award for Indigenous Writing, which will be announced in September 2016.

To vote for the People’s Choice Award, please visit wheelercentre.com. The full shortlist is attached.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley:

"The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards showcase the strength and diversity of Australian literature, celebrating our most exciting stories and story tellers."

"These stories do what great literature does best: they allow us to reflect on the past, or explore an imagined future. The shortlist showcases the best local literature from the past year and provides us with plenty of fantastic summer reading."


"This year’s shortlist includes some of our country’s best known writers alongside emerging voices. The Andrews Labor Government congratulates all authors on making the shortlist." Media Contact: Karen Kissane 0428 657 076 | karen.kissane@minstaff.vic.gov.au



2016 VICTORIAN PREMIER’S LITERARY AWARDS SHORTLIST

PRIZE FOR FICTION

 Fever of Animals by Miles Allinson (Scribe Publications) – Brunswick, Vic

 The Other Side of the World by Stephanie Bishop (Hachette) – Springwood, NSW

 Clade by James Bradley (Penguin) – Darlington, NSW

 Forever Young by Steven Carroll (HarperCollins) – Brunswick East, Vic

 The World Without Us by Mireille Juchau (Bloomsbury) – Earlwood, NSW

 The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood (Allen & Unwin) – Marrickville, NSW

Highly commended: Six Bedrooms by Tegan Bennett Daylight (Random House Australia), The Mothers by Rod Jones (Text Publishing) and Black Rock White City by A.S. Patrić(Transit Lounge Publishing)



PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION

 Modern Love: The Lives of John and Sunday Reed by Lesley Harding and Kendrah Morgan (MUP) – North Fitzroy, Vic, and Fitzroy, Vic

 Thea Astley: Inventing Her Own Weather by Karen Lamb (UQP) – Dulwich Hill, NSW

 Australia’s Second Chance by George Megalogenis (Penguin) – North Caulfield, Vic

 Second Half First by Drusilla Modjeska (Knopf) – Birchgrove, NSW

 Something for the Pain by Gerald Murnane (Text Publishing) – Goroke, Vic

 Mannix by Brenda Niall (Text Publishing) – Deepdene, Vic

Highly commended: Good Muslim Boy by Osamah Sami (Hardie Grant Books) and Small Acts of Disappearance by Fiona Wright (Giramondo Publishing)



PRIZE FOR DRAMA

 Mortido by Angela Betzien (Currency Press) – St Peters, NSW

 Broken by Mary Anne Butler (Currency Press) – Rapid Creek, NT

 SHIT by Patricia Cornelius (Melbourne Theatre Company) – Thornbury, Vic

Highly commended: I am a Miracle by Declan Greene



PRIZE FOR POETRY

 The Guardians by Lucy Dougan (Giramondo Publishing) – East Victoria Park, Vic

 Crankhandle by Alan Loney (Cordite) – Malvern East, Vic

 The Subject of Feeling by Peter Rose (UWA Publishing) – Melbourne, Vic

Highly commended: Happiness by Martin Harrison (UWA Publishing)



PRIZE FOR WRITING FOR YOUNG ADULTS

 Sister Heart by Sally Morgan (Fremantle Press) – Bicton, WA

 A Single Stone by Meg McKinlay (Walker Books Australia) – Hamilton Hill, WA

 Welcome to Orphancorp by Marlee Jane Ward (Xoum Publishing) – Brunswick West, Vic

Highly commended: Illuminae by Aimee Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Allen & Unwin) and Becoming Kirrali Lewis by Jane Harrison (Magabala Books)



For images and interview requests, contact Kate Blackwood, Publicist, the Wheeler Centre E: kate.blackwood@wheelercentre.com T: 03 9094 7806

larf

2016 Newcastle Short Story Award

Newcastle Short Story AwardEntries accepted from Australian residents
Up to 2000 words
$15 entry fee
closes midnight 31st January 2016

ENTER HERE

Prizes

​First Prize $2000 Second Prize  $1000 - awarded by Leah Jay 2 x Highly Commended Awards: $500 each ​- awarded by Tower Cinemas

Woolworths 12,000 Pokies People

 

Woolworths' poker machines use deceptive design tricks to con Australians into addiction, but their executives are doing their best to ignore the revelations.

That's why GetUp members caused a stir last week at the Woolworths Annual General Meeting. We got our special 'Woolworths: Gambling with Lives' Green Bags into the hands of shareholders and delivered our 51,000-strong petition to Woolworths' Company Secretary.

And in response? Not a peep.

Woolworths trades daily on its supposed family values, while its 12,000 poker machines devastate Australian families. And now, despite 51,000 Australians calling out this hypocrisy, Woolworths is refusing to front up.

But Woolworths just copped a hiding from cranky shareholders and journalists last week over its growing loss of customers. So the last thing they need right now is thousands of disgruntled shoppers flooding customer service, demanding answers about their questionable poker machine investments.

Click here to write to Woolworths now and get some answers.

Frog wisdom via haiku

UTQ Call for Papers

 University of Toronto Quarterly

 Call for Papers

Acclaimed as one of the finest journals focused on the humanities, the
< http://bit.ly/utqonline> University of Toronto Quarterly (UTQ) publishes
interdisciplinary articles and review essays of international repute. This
interdisciplinary approach provides a depth and quality to the journal that
attracts both general readers and specialists from across the humanities.



The  <http://bit.ly/utqonline> University of Toronto Quarterly welcomes
contributions in all areas of the humanities – literature, philosophy, fine
arts, music, the history of ideas, cultural studies, and so on. It favours
articles that appeal to a scholarly readership beyond the specialists in the
field of the given submission.

UTQ is especially interested in submissions for special issues or special
sections on the following topics:



-  Representations of urban life in Canada
-  Literature and the media in an age of global fear (terrorism,
environmental disaster, economic crisis)
-  The return of formalism in literary studies
-  Religion and secularism
-  The state of the humanities in Canada



Submissions should be no more than 10,000 words inclusive of notes and works
cited. Submissions should be sent in either Microsoft Word DOC or RTF format
to  utq@chass.utoronto.ca> utq@chass.utoronto.ca.


For more information on UTQ’s house style and editorial policies, please see
here -  <http://bit.ly/utqsubmit> http://bit.ly/utqsubmit - or visit the
journal’s website: http://bit.ly/utqonline

Overland Poetry Prize CLOSES 6th December

Last chance to enter the Poetry Prize! Calling all newly established poets, emerging poets and aspiring poets – the Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets is closing this weekend! A first prize of $6000 plus publication in Overland is up for grabs. Poems of no more than 80 lines may be submitted by any writers from Australia and New Zealand who have had no more than one solo collection of their work commercially published. This year, the prize will be co-judged by Overland's outgoing poetry editor Peter Minter as well as our incoming poetry editor Toby Fitch. Hurry! Entries close 11.59 pm, Sunday 6 December 2015. This annual competition is proudly supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation.