Before the Sirocco – launch ahoy!

Well it’s finally done: the 2008 NZPS anthology Before the Sirocco is now officially out of my hands. I’ve even submitted my expenses claim.

It’s been an interesting task. Certainly much easier this time around – you always forget just how much donkey-work there is. Things like checking names and addresses, entering data onto lists. Printing. Posting. The actual editing part only takes up a fraction of the total time required.

For those of you who follow such things, I’ve been interviewed by Helen Lowe for Bending Air ~ Voices in Poetry about the anthology. It’s due to be broadcast on Saturday (1st November 2008) on Plains FM96.9 and may be available later as a podcast.

The book is officially launched in Wellington on Saturday 8th November 2008 at Turnbull House (6 pm). It will be good to put names to faces – there are a lot of people I’ve corresponded with for years, but have never met face to face. (Normal for writers, I suspect.) It should be fun, but feels a little like going back to school to speak at an assembly …