Five years ago today that the earth decided it was time for a change, and went off exloring the surrounding areas. Five years since sleepy, flat, boring Canterbury became an altogether too exciting place to try and and do anything like "settle". Five years since phrases like "terra firma" (I can't be the only person …
Two years on … and on … and on …
So here we are, the second anniversary of the quake that broke my city. Two years. Seems like much less. And much more. Talking to other people, one of the things that is really clear is how fuzzy the memories of life pre-quake have become. I remember having lunch at the Strip occasionally, and how …
Anniversaries; delayed commemoration of, and associated excuses
Yesterday was the second anniversary of the first earthquake. I had planned to blog about it on the day, but, Mother Nature having a very highly tuned sense of irony, there was a particularly exciting thunder storm that spent the afternoon tethered to Southbridge. We had lightning, we had thunder, we had hail. We even …
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Poetry, judgement, and the Oh God of Earthquakes
On Thursday night I was at the monthly meeting of the South Island Writers' Association, to present the results of the Jean Ruddenklau Poetry Trophy for 2012. It was the first time I'd managed to deliver judgement in person, and was an … interesting experience. The competition itself was quite tricky to judge. Usually you …
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Venues; the continuing disappearance of
Like Good Comedy, it would seem that the secret of running poetry workshops in Christchurch is ... timing. Yes indeedy, hot on the metaphorical heels of my adding the forthcoming Formal Poetry workshop to the sidebar list, comes the news that yet another venue has fallen to the ongoing trauma of the earthquakes. For those …