I've been asked to judge a sonnet competition for the South Island Writer's Association, which should be fun. But being asked got me thinking about what exactly makes a sonnet. Where are the borders, the limits? I covered this briefly with my Polytech class (with varying amounts of success). We had a look at sonnets …
Dorothy Porter dies
Just heard this morning – Australian poet Dorothy Porter died yesterday. Complications from breast cancer. She was only 54. I heard her read once, at the Christchurch Literary Festival. It was electrifying. She had strong, dark wit, and her poems bristled with energy. I can still remember the wicked smile she had on her …
Jubilation, joy and undeserved good fortune
At last, I'm allowed to tell people. I won the inaugural Kathleen Grattan Award for Poetry! I actually found out about it a week ago, but was sworn to secrecy (with words like "embargoed" and "trappist") until the official announcement was made on Radio National yesterday afternoon. I still can't quite believe it. Joy, delight, …
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After the Launch
Back from the launch of Before the Sirocco in Wellington. It was a good night – heaps of people turned up, and included a large junior contingent from Christchurch. (Well done everyone!) Met lots of people who's names and poems I've been familiar with for the last few years, and generally had a ball. …
NaNoWriMo: a mad (but brilliant) idea
November is National Novel Writing Month. The idea is simple – you have from November 1st to November 30th to write a 50,000 word novel from scratch. Straight through. Why do something like this? Or, as their FAQ puts it: If I'm just writing 50,000 words of crap, why bother? Why not just write a …
A Dark Feathered Art 