2015 ~ Helen Hagemann

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Three Poems by Tony Curtis, a Dubliner!

I had the pleasure of reading a scene from my novel with Tony Curtis. He is such a generous man and gave us not only a reading from his several poetry collections but also entertained the OOTA writers (Fremantle) with his guitar compositions, talks about his family, his working life and all with a wonderful Irish sense of humour. What a wonderful poet and generous...

Friendship

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Marlon Williams coming to PIAF - what a great voice!

Marlon Williams coming to Perth for the Perth International Festival. My daughter and I will be going - what a great voice!...

Reading with Irish poet, Tony Curtis

I'm reading with Irish poet, Tony Curtis on Friday 18th December at the Fremantle Arts Centre - my writers' group Xmas party. Curtis is a regular visitor to Western Australia, and I first heard him read at Walking on Water in 2003. I purchased his collection The Book of Winter Cures and from then on have added to the pile with Folk and his children's book An Elephant...

Tiger Snake

Tiger Snake in the country we discover the twin bands of tiger snake ‒ it travels a pathway to riverbank, a meal of bird, duck, or gosling. we watch and pause, the snake shy of our company, nothing eaten so far, no error made, or tailbone struck seems enough reason for its leaving. our chilled nerves and skin are flensed in this scene, we know one hundred reasons to...

Through a Litany of Filtered Light

Through a Litany of Filtered Light When it comes to nature there is no half measure, no illusion or suggestion. You follow kangaroos, ducks, bobtails, the weed choke on deadwood. You enter fragility, old ghost trails, settler's huts, cold granite – that other world – through a litany of filtered light. Nature sways you to spring, to look eye-to-open-bud your breath...

Field Trip ©

Field Trip I sit in the kitchen surrounded by books, manuscripts. I read a poem each day, especially Collins and I'm instantly inspired. I have a selection of poetry books surrounding the table, a container of pens, weekend notes, Gillian Welsh, mellow on CD player, and coffee, cooling. I have other things: council papers, a synopsis half-written, dictionary, thesaurus,...

The View ©

The View for Dmitry Kozlov A landscape without views from windows or curtains. Boulders are boisterous, shaped to spiral a climb. And the hanging rock, a ragged edge for trembling. Lucky the one who has closed urban doors, who rises, stretching, to sit at a table with coffee, sweet with sugar. Lucky the one who sets...

Egret in the Shallows ©

Photographed at Herdsman Lake with the WA Naturalists Club, 27th Sept, 2015 Egret in the Shallows Never clumsy, sturdy knees, she stands in the shallows waiting to strike. Each foot turns over, slowly, right then left. A young body, white body, eyes hardened into the bedding of paperbark. Without knowing her meal might vanish, move into the cool shadows;...

The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling - currently reading

Already into the first few pages and I want to know more about Barry Fairbrother. Ignore the naysayers, JK Rowling is an excellent writer. She is "not" always going to be writing adventure fantasies for children. This is an adult novel about councils, and I am intrigued because I have just completed a novel about council corruption (some of which follows). The Ozone...

Video: Wild in the Dry Grass by Helen Hagemann

Wild in the Dry Grass by Helen Hagemann from H2 Design on Vime...

Morning Husks

Morning Husks In my neighbour's property there are no mountains, acute pinks and lilacs of roses or the inclusion of water loping idly over tendered lawns and beds, but a yard of seed pods, pollen and nuts where wild birds chatter in the bowers of eucalypts eating morning husks....

Graphic for the Day: A Grammar Lesson

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Graphic of the Day: Money for Poetry!!

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England and Wales in June On my way to a writers' retreat looking all the part as a writer, laptop, camera and pens on the ready, I wanted to look at the scenery, the mute hills, meticulous pastures, grazing cows, but was distracted by flashing cars, honking, speeding in both directions. I recall some scenes that I would never see again. The castle at Bishop's...

Butcherbird in the Tuart Gums Some days I carry a heavy weight in a hessian bag that it's hard to get through the trees. Other days I'm careful not to crush leaf litter with my feet where an anchored world lives. The butcherbird carries the self, much lighter than a hessian bag full of stones and can be heard singing in the Tuart gums. It...