Pounding the Pavement

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The launch of Pounding the Pavement in Sydney, at the NSW State Library (25th March) celebrated the strengthening collaboration between Romanian and Australian writers. An initiative of bi-lingual poet, Mihaela Cristescu, the anthology included Romanian works by Romanians, plus English works by Australians – and Romanians. Artists were Luminita Serbanescu (illustrations) and Andrei Pora (short movie) both Romanian Canadians. Anamaria Beligan and Luke Carman commented on the works in the anthology. The event was opened by Her Excellency, Mrs Nineta Barbulescu the Romanian Ambassador for Australia and New Zealand. More details and images are available at Code-Mixing Poetry It was wonderful to see some of our writing friends from NEW Writers Group and ZineWest at the event and reading their work. Pic below is me listening to my poet friend Peter Cartwright.

Editing projects 2016/17

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Keeping the amateur editing gig to two zines this year. Last year I edited or co-edited four little journals. Enjoy it though I did, in 2017 it will be just ZineWest and Mihaela Cristescu’s next anthology: “On the Wallaby Track”.
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ZineWest 16: here’s our eminent judge Luke Carman and Julie Owens MP (with prize at ready) congratulating writers.

 

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Every ZW looks a bit different despite sticking to a basic A5 white cover. Front image by Geoff Sellman and back cover by Robert Frost

 

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Co-edited the first of Mihaela Cristescu’s anthologies to include a strong line up of Australians writing in English. Love Luminita Serbanescu’s artwork.

 

Also in 2016 I helped a friend self-publish an anthology (which sold out) and finally, I played back-up for the editor of NWG’s financial members’ anthology.

Pounding the Pavement in 2017

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PTPImagesmallerMihaela Cristescu and NEW Writers’ Group Inc are already planning Mihaela’s next event at the State Library of NSW booked for 25th March, 2017.           Pounding the Pavement is being written right now – an anthology featuring Cristescu’s poetry with guests writing in English and Romanian. SEE
FB Page: Code-Mixing Poetry

 Some photos from this year, 2016.

Annamaria Beligan

Annamaria Beligan launched IT Solander by Mihaela Cristescu and paid tribute to the poetry of Loredana Tudor Tomescu

Her Excellency, Mrs Nineta Barbulescu, Romanian Ambassador with Mihaela and Sue Chamoun

 

Romanian Rhythm 26 March ’16

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12512699_1664541220470521_3928732469975471150_nFive writers from NEW Writers’ Group Inc  have been invited to read short pieces of their original work at this event. NWG has an ongoing friendship with Romanians in Sydney  through sharing each other’s writing, cheering each other on. We much admire our colleagues who create works in more than one language.  Mihaela Cristescu’s latest Romanian / English poetry volume IT Solander will be launched by author and filmmaker Anamaria Beligan. Other writers and performers offer poetry, music, puppetry.  Details Here

Saturday, 26th March, 2016, 11:00 am in the magnificent Dixson Room at the State Library of New South Wales. Free entry, refreshments included.

The virus and the fool

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Not really understanding what “beta” means in terms of vulnerability, I moved to Windows 10. It is currently working well, much better than at first, but the cost to my time is not worth it. After several standard efforts, I used a tool that was more drastic than it described itself. It resulted in my seeing the full Windows 10 panel for the first time but stripped my computer of things I need – like Word, Publisher – and oh yes, Norton Security. In the short frazzled period I spent getting back my beloved Word, I didn’t notice the absence of armed guards front and back. In waltzed a virus unchallenged – one of those bell-ringing noisy shouting kinds that insist you ring a number or your computer will die and won’t shut up until you turn said computer offfff. It litters adware as far as the eye can see and is probably recording your every keystroke for future reference. I managed to reinstall Norton and then they set out to rid me of the virus and clean up every file. It took two sessions of remote control and finally I was back in business. Still can’t download Google Chrome though without trouble, so now I’m using Internet Explorer, okay fine, but not my first choice.  In brief, my advice is only go for Windows 10 if you’re a tech-head. The tech-heads in my family can’t believe I was that stupid.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

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ChabonK&CAfter a fixation with the prose of Hilary Mantel (when she’s writing about Cromwell) I’ve turned back to an old favourite to dip into at leisure: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.

I’ve become sensitive about mispronouncing things lately and I must have missed the book’s clues on how to say the name Kavalier when I first read this gigantic American novel. I’m now busy correcting my auto pronunciation after discovering it’s Kavalier as in Maurice. I’m not sure how old you have to be to get that, Maurice Chevalier died in 1972. But it’s that kind of book, best not to skim…

Via google today I found a Chabon quote which I rather like even though I have little hope of learning from it. Interesting to think about though if reading Chabon’s work:

Re Ray Bradbury’s The Rocket Man:

I think it was when I got to the butterflies — in that brief, beautiful image comprising life, death and technology — that the hair on the back of my neck began to stand on end. All at once, the pleasure I took in reading was altered irrevocably. Before then I had never noticed, somehow, that stories were made not of ideas or exciting twists of plot but of language. And not merely of pretty words and neat turns of phrase, but of systems of imagery, strategies of metaphor.  For the full statement see Washington Post archive

Here’s a summary

Here’s a review