ABC Radio interview and other novelties

Cicerone Journal ABC Radio interview
My friend Nancy and me following our interview with ABC Radio. Happily, our interview was of higher quality than my selfie-taking abilities…

Some exciting news this month! To recap:

ABC Radio interview

My friend Nancy and I were invited to speak with ABC Radio Canberra about our literary initiative Cicerone Journal. A recording of our interview with radio host Paula Kruger can be found here.

Going on the radio was a great opportunity to share more information about the journal and to reach out to people who might not have heard about us before. It was also good fun to chat with someone like Paula, who was as friendly as she was switched on.

Being passionate about this field, I really enjoyed talking about issues such as the motivations and challenges involved in starting a literary journal; the question of how to access funding and create new opportunities for others; and why literary publications are more valuable than ever in a world where media is frequently being homogenised and centralised. So in short: many thanks again to ABC Radio for having us – we were thrilled to be there!

Poetry collection
Believe it or not, this is a poetry collection!

Poetry Collection – first draft complete!

The heading says it all. In July, I decided to see how many poems I actually had that could be grouped together to create a logical progression and/or explore a single broad theme (in this case, Australian culture). Happily, by early August, I’d compiled the first draft of an original poetry collection!

This poetry collection is still very much in the editing stage – being a first draft, it can barely crawl yet, let alone walk or run. And yes, it spent a lot of time lying deconstructed on the floor. But it is alive! And seeing as my poetry is increasingly finding homes in journals and magazines here and there, I am tentatively optimistic that one day this collection will be bound by more than just a bulldog clip. One can dream, anyway!

Canberra Writers Festival event ‘Why Speeches Matter’, held in the Senate Chamber of Old Parliament House.

Canberra Writers Festival

This month also saw me reviewing several events at the Canberra Writers Festival on behalf of local publication New Territory. It was great fun being sent along to the festival and the sessions I attended were insightful and thought-provoking.

My reviews should be posted online soon, and I’ll share them on this website. If you’re curious, be sure to check back in and keep your eyes peeled!