Like so many of us, I’ve been thinking a lot about Mary Oliver since her recent death. Remembering how important and influential she has been to me both in terms of the craft of poetry itself and its necessary basis in a grounded perception of the world. Her work has achieved what I think the best of poetry can only sometimes do – to make us, the readers, sit up and take greater note of the extra-ordinariness of life which is embedded within the fabric of the everyday, to take ownership of the ‘one wild and precious life’ which we have, perhaps even to become better people.

A couple of poems, and lines from poems, have been coming back to mind. In particular, ‘Work,’ from White Pine (1994), for me, expresses so simply and yet effectively this balance between being in the world, open to seeing a pond, ‘catching the rain/on its broad back,’ and the ethical labour of poetry, what it might craft with ‘the linen of words/and the pins of punctuation.’

Have a listen: ‘Work,’ by Mary Oliver

Here’s me reading my Lake Mungo Series – as part of Plumwood Mountain’s epic poetry protest against the Adani Mine: Poets Speaking up to Adani 30 Oct 2017

May we listen to and care for all our world heritage areas.

Lake Mungo Series for Plumwood Mountain

I’m so thrilled to see another great review of Unexpected Clearing come out this week, in the wonderful journal of literature and creative writing, Text. Thanks to Dominique Hecq and Text journal.

Check it out – and let me know what you think.

http://www.textjournal.com.au/oct16/hecq_rev.htm

Thanks T Wilson and Marlboro College for the opportunity to read my poetry for staff, students and community at the Apple Tree last night. Wonderful to read for such a responsive audience!

I hope to see some of you again at the Brattleboro Literary Festival where I am reading on sunday October 16, 10-30 at 118 Elliot St. http://brattleboroliteraryfestival.org/

Plumwood Mountain review by Phillip Hall

I was really pleased to see this review of my recent book Unexpected Clearing (UWAP 2016) in Plumwood Mountain this week. Phillip Hall does a fantastic job of responding both to my book at to Robyn Rowland’s new collection also.

Always fantastic to hear that readers are responding to poems!!

I was really pleased today to read this review of Unexpected Clearing in Cordite. Great to know the poems are being read and thought about 🙂

Cordite review of Unexpected Clearing

Source: Drowned Boy

I know we have all been struggling with the images of loss and horror this week – and with a sense of needing to take action. Here is a poem for Aylan, and how his death has made me feel.

Drowned Boy