Poetry

Overload Day 9 – Poetry Slam Grand Final

This was the 2010 Overload Poetry Slam Grand Final – three rounds, eighteen performers, a hell of a lot of shouting, clapping, drum-rolling, laughing, nodding, mind-blowing. There was debate about scores, there was begging for the tech guy to stick around so the event could wrap up. And WHAT a wrap up!

Eighteen performers competed in the first round, six in the second, and four in the third. The third round (originally of three performers) grew to four due to a mis-read of scores, with a 0.1 difference resulting in an extra competitor. 0.1! That’s how close the night was.

The final round of four performers featured Joel McKerrow, Luka Haralampou, Steve Smart and Graham Colin. These men are THE best Melbourne has to offer, and this means we have a hell of a lot to be proud of.

Steve Smart balances on the line between sardonic wit and a raging inferno of intensity. He understands, in a way that is just so spot-on when it’s appropriate for the wit, and when for the intensity. He jams these things up against each other like tetris blocks, there’s just no gap at all. His self-deprecating humour doesn’t make the audience squirm, and he plays the cynic perfectly. Steve Smart is a brand unto himself, and he knows how to play it. Somehow, he manages to always keep it fresh, and last night was no exception. He placed fourth with a score of 81.29.

If you’ve ever read anything Beat, you’ll recognize Graham Colin instantly. He’s the dapper fellow, one of any of those dapper-writing-fellows from the Beat Generation, and he performs that way too. The way Graham moves, the way Graham performs, it’s all jazz. In the second round, Graham performed a piece that began and was punctuated by scatting, and he scatted incredibly well. He spoke about making love to artists, and I believed every bouncing, scatting, jazzy word. Graham placed third with a score of 81.46.

Joel McKerrow towers over the audience but never appears too big. Never appears forceful, but always urgent. He bounces on the balls of his feet, his arms flying out in all directions to help deliver the words from his mouth, across space, to your eager ears. His words work through him, and his poems have life. Joel placed second, with a total score of 82.11.

First place winner – Luka Haralampou… Knocked.My.Fucking.Socks.Off. You know a piece is good when the audience starts whooping and clapping midway through the piece in agreement. You know it’s good when people jump to their feet at the end and clap with their hands above their heads. Luka is a slam poet and hip-hop artist. He works the two together, his slam runs along with a true hip-hop bounce, and he stands his ground in his words. Luka’s subject matter is concerned with understanding, with growing. I think that’s something that speaks to us all, so apart from 10/10 execution, Luka’s words are just plain beautiful.

Slam master IQ said to the audience early in the evening; “It’s your job to influence the judges… yell at them” – and yell we did. After a while all the whooping started to feel like “Hallelujah!”, and with IQ getting all ministerial up the front, proclaiming things loud and proud, the whole thing got the profound feeling of a revival.

This is the kind of revival I can get behind.

And for a revival of last night’s finalists, come down to the Grace Darling in Collingwood tonight from 7.30pm for the closing event for Overload, where they’ll have a feature spot, wrapping up the massive 10-day event.

All images © Danny Presser 2010

19/09/2010 4

Overload Day 7 – Melbourne Poetry Map Launch

Spring Street isn’t usually my side of town. The suits are scary. The steps at Parliament (both the landmark and the station) are so steep I want to vomit on something. The venues all have dress-codes. Despite all of this, last night I made my way down the lane way of Meyers Place to Loop Bar for the launch of the Melbourne Poetry Map: Audio Graffiti. Impossible bar to find. We stood outside for a good few minutes trying to decide if we were at the right place – there’s a severe lack of signage here. Randall Stephens’ hat was the only thing to give it away.

Turns out that more people than the venue could comfortably fit had the same idea. We piled in on top of each other, spooning strangers. It was worth it. Partly for the opportunity to spoon people I didn’t know, but mostly for the amazing words that came through the PA.

The Mebourne Poetry Map project is a tour of Melbourne landmarks, each with its own poem delivered by well-known and respected Melbourne poets. There are six podcasts and maps available to download, and each tells a different story. As you take each route, Melbourne opens up as human and alive and very very touchable. This isn’t a tourist guide – this is the beating heart of Melbourne as told by our best.

While the podcasts feature 21 poets, the MPM:AG launch last night showcased 13 of those performers. Highlights included Randall Stephens’ “What are you looking at?” and Lia Incognita’s “Typography”. While these poems are wonderful in their recorded podcast form, they really had a sparkle at last night’s performances. Randall seems to feed on audience enthusiasm, and his yelling “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT!?” at us was electric, it grabbed attention and didn’t let it go until the end. His yells were shoved right up against quiet, lovely, intimate explanations of exactly what you are looking at.

Lia used signs to demonstrate the typography she was exploring, as a Chinese-Australian, chinese Australian, Chinese/Australian poet.

These more serious pieces were performed along with pieces that made me laugh out loud – real, blurt-laughter. Maurice McNamara talked about the terror that book sellers feel at the prospect of selling actual books to actual people. Are you sure?

The blurt-laughter-est piece of the evening was definitely Meaghan Bell’s “Union Lane References Hunter S Thompson”, in which she channels HST’s utterly terrifying technicoloured menageries into a back-alley of our own city.

The performances were strong, the podcasts are enjoyable, and I plan on downloading them and taking a walk some time soon. Check it out, get to know your city from a different angle. Props to Eleanor Jackson for producing such an original and exciting project!

17/09/2010 2

Lentil As Poetry! (Overload, Day 6)

Lentils to mouth. Eyes have some trouble deciding between Charlie Chaplin film and milling crowd. I recognize a lot of these people, but I also don’t recognize a lot of them. This is nice. This is people coming out of the woodwork because of a festival. This was Lentil As Anything in Abbotsford last night, which turned down its music and gave its space over to poetry by candle-light, the Last Chance Slam for Overload Poetry Festival. And such words!

The evening began with a “sacrificial lentil” for judges to practice on. A tall man named Joel gave us some words about what it is to be human. That we’re all essentially human on the inside, as our essence. He knew how to string words together to feel good without rhyme, and he knew how to deliver them with varying speed to great effect. I didn’t catch his surname**, but Joel will be performing at the Slam Final for Overload on Saturday night.

The night was hosted by the very encouraging and enthusiastic IQ, who got the crowd riled up about scores, sang us some little ditties while waiting for poets or music, and encouraged us all to eat about five times our fill of lentils.

Some of the evening’s highlights could be seen coming a mile off. Some of Melbourne’s most entertaining poets were there, the ones who you see at an event and feel warm and comfortable and cosy with the fact that you’ll be hearing some awesome poetry. Last night the always satisfying Steve Smart and Randall Stevens performed, as well as the lovely Deb**.

Steve performed a piece expressing his wish not “to be intense like I can be / I want to be the guy who is more fun” – painting a light, spinning, carefree wish, peppered with true Steve Smart wit. In round two Steve’s work only got better, bringing in audience participation, offering himself up to lovers as “a knight in shining ugly clothing”.

Randall, the jungle-hatted bard, similarly talked about wanting to impress women (let’s face it, we all do), trying to be “a little bit geeky in that cool kinda way”, and in round two Randall talked about falling in love, “with all the grace of a fridge”. I’m always a bit delighted by Randall’s understanding of sound – he co-co-coughs, he “hisssssssssssssssssssssssss”es. He gets right inside his words, not just reading them but really becoming his work. Randall placed 3rd for the evening, and will be performing at the final on Saturday.

Deb**, who I’ve also seen perform before, didn’t disappoint. She writes about the way things feel, how they really feel, and when you hear it, you somehow end up nodding your head. I love listening to Deb because she doesn’t write about feelings in a “Woe, Vulnerable Woman!” way, but in a way that is empowered because she’s in touch with it all.

The thing I love about Overload is that it’s so inclusive. While I was excited to see poets that I’d seen before and knew were good, it was even more exciting to be seeing new people. There were bush poets, established poets, I met a woman from Elsternwick who hadn’t performed in over a year, there were hip-hop poets, there was an entirely endearing guy who worked at Lentil as Anything who just wanted to share his two-line poems with us.

There were thirteen poets competing, so it’s a bit impossible to cover everyone. Highlights from people I didn’t know, though:

Lauren** performed a piece about how hip-hop was, before we even knew about it. In round two she performed a piece about changing yourself, starting with your attitude and what’s going on in your head. Lauren placed 2nd for the evening, and will be performing at Saturday’s Slam Final.

First place-getter was Meryl**. Meryl. Was. Amazing. I’d never seen Meryl perform before, but gosh I’ll be looking out for her in future! Meryl wasn’t afraid to look her audience in the eye. Meryl had an incredible grasp on the use of volume, and what it could do for a performance piece. Meryl had lovely pause moments, she had wonderful funny moments, Meryl is an incredible performer. Taking home a $50 prize and a pass to the finals, I’m going to predict at least a placing for Meryl in Saturday’s final. She was undoubtedly the highlight of last night at Lentils.

And this has just been one night! Tonight I’ll be heading down to Loop Bar in the city for the Melbourne Poetry Map: Audio Graffiti launch. Check out the event page, because this is a night that promises to GO OFF.

**This “Not Catching Surname” thing was actually quite a prominent theme of the evening, me being incredibly alert and not even thinking about the fact that the event would be written about. So I’m missing a lot of surnames. I apologize, especially to those I’m writing about whose surnames I’ve missed!

16/09/2010 3

Look UP!

Overload Poetry Festival is here for its ninth year, and they’ve got a stellar program.

As part of the program, Overload are broadcasting micropoetry on the ticket text at Federation Square. Two of my pieces have been accepted. This poetry display will be running from the 10th-19th of September.

So if you’re going through the city and you pass Fed Square – look UP!

13/09/2010 0

Poetry Just 4 U

Officially dubbing this past week “success-a-palooza”.

Today marks the start of the Melbourne Writers Festival, which runs until the 5th of September.

I’m excited to have gotten tickets for Dog’s Tales, a night run by Chris Flynn which is usually on at the Dogs Bar in St Kilda, but for the MWF will spend a night at the Toff in Town. My dazzling non-fiction teacher Kalinda Ashton will be performing, as well as one of my favourite authors Josephine Rowe, and the woman who introduced to me the idea that short stories can be truly magical, Carmel Bird. Should be an incredible night!

Apart from this, I have some exciting MWF-related news: some of my micropoetry has been accepted for the RMIT Poetry 4 U program, which can be followed on Twitter throughout the festival, as well as selected pieces running across the LED screens at Federation Square between 12pm and 2pm daily throughout the festival. I’ve seen some of the entries from last year, and there was some great work, so follow the project or head down to Fed Square one day to check it out!

The general public are also invited to participate via Twitter, just add the #poetry4u hashtag to any nanofiction or micropoetry you might want to put out there.

Have a great festival!

27/08/2010 0

Together Again

They had 47 years together
before Grandpa got swept away
on a tide of cold sweats and
shaking limbs.

They planted a sack of rattling bones in the ground.
The test tubes and charts left behind
had nothing to do with what we remembered
Grandpa to be.

We cleared all that away,
all the empty pill bottles
the special oxygen mask next to their bed –
we kept the Grandpa from before.

Grandma smiled sadly,
standing in his cardigan at the cemetery –
her feet pointed toward Grandpa’s grave
as she stared into the hills.

“He’s at peace now,” she said.
But all I could think of was
that bag of bones under six feet of clay,
the earth pushing down on him.
But not the “him” that I remember.

She wore the cardigan for ten days,
and when she wore her own clothes again,
they were just
…black.

She seems less now,
shrinking into whatever black she wears today
and I wonder if she still sets his place,
or turns down his side of the bed.

I wonder how it is that they’ll
find one another in the dark,
together again in the family grave,
when the dirt is just so heavy.

This piece appeared in Ex Calamus’ sixth edition, themed “Reunion”. You can download it here.

02/07/2010 4

Slamming into Wordsmith-ry

I’ve been loving slam poetry lately.

Emilie Zoey Baker guest-lectured at uni, and her performances made me laugh, giggles wrapped up in pretty images, musical words, gestures and rhythm.

I discovered Marc Bamuthi Joseph in an essay he wrote about the need to lay claim to words. His performances are physical poetry, “poetry in motion”, as he puts it.

Then a few days ago I found Shane Koyczan. Ohhh I sit there and close my eyes and shake my head. He delivers it all so beautifully, and just when it gets so lovely and heavy it feels like it’ll break, he chucks in some hilariously true thing that has to be laughed at.

Tomorrow, along fellow RMIT-ians, we’re gathering to bury ourselves in some slam. And while watching a lot of the work of the above people I’ve wondered a little what it is that I want my work to offer.

I’ve got rhythm. I don’t rhyme though… but neither does a lot of Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s work. And why am I trying to copy someone else’s work anyway?

I’ve got pretty images and a story… There’s just so many decisions to be made, and the thought of delivering it to an audience of my peers is absolutely terrifying.

But imagine if it goes well. Imagine if I work and work and end up with the ability to perform as beautifully as Marc Bamuthi Joseph or Shane Koyczan?

Yeah. Imagine that.

02/05/2010 3

Really, truly in the clutches of The Muse

I don’t even remember the last time this happened.

I’m typing a poem and I cannot stop, I’m crying and watching this clip over and over. (Thankyou Jorja Kelly for sharing it on your blog). Such intense physicality affects me in a weird way.

I’ve got a throw-away sentence in my head, and it means so much to me, it’s been torturing me since I heard it. It’s beautiful.

I’m in the clutches of the Muse, and there is nowhere I’d rather be. Truly.

18/04/2010 0

Poetry to Pages

I’m not sure why this event was called “Poetry to Pages“… It should have been called “Poetry to Ears, Heart-Strings and Tear Ducts”, cuz that’s where it was going.

Whatever it was called, last night at Readings in Carlton, some lovely poetry reading went down.

The readers in question: Jordie Albiston, Josephine Rowe and Jennifer Harrison.

All of these ladies are quite accomplished Melbourne poets, but up until last night I’d only heard Josephine Rowe’s poetry.

Jordie Albiston read five sonnets from her The Sonnet According To ‘M’. Her poetry on a page is a lovely thing, and she herself has identified many of her “works as works for the voice”. However, listening to Jordie’s reading, I had to wonder if perhaps they were a little too much for the voice? Her poems are lovely-sounding and rhythmic, but Jordie’s performance of her pieces focussed so heavily on rhythm that I was unable to hear any words after a while, and only rhythm. Whether this is what Jordie intends is a question I’d love answered.

Josephine Rowe shared some short pieces of prose from her forthcoming novel, which feels a little like verse but I imagine will work well as an extended piece. She also shared some of her “love poems”, which she told the audience she’s trying to steer clear of lately… I wish she wouldn’t though; she does them so well! Josephine uses simple language in highly condensed, precise and confessional type pieces. It’s tight. Really tight. And she reads magnificently – it feels like she’s telling secrets meant only for your ears.

Last up was Jennifer Harrison. This lady has an absolutely impeccable ear for language. Usually I don’t like writing that talks about the land and connecting with it. I can appreciate a connection with the Earth, but so much of the writing on this subject is dry and trope-y. Jennifer Harrison does it masterfully though. She’s written about Uluru, about New Zealand, about being with nature and the outback and becoming one with it. And she’s done it in a really immediate way that puts you there. I’d never realised the lyrical possibilities of Maori words until last night. Jennifer’s poems also look at motherhood; another kind of ancient and essential connection, and she does this lyrically but not in an overly-flowery way.

Readings managed to bring together a really fantastic lineup of poets last night. This “Poetry to Pages” event will be happening on the second Monday of every month.

13/04/2010 0

Sam van Zweden

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