The Poetry Archive

“The Poetry Archive is the world's premier online collection of recordings of poets reading their work. You can enjoy listening here, free of charge, to the voices of contemporary English-language poets and of poets from the past.”

This is a user-friendly site: search for a poem or a poet, or browse poems by theme, form, title or the poet’s last name. Also included are a glossary of poetic terms and resources for teachers, students and librarians. Each poem is in recorded form as well as written with the poet’s bio below and a link to which books contain that poem. A must see (and hear) website that’s expanding all the time!

Click on the title of this post to be taken to The Poetry Archive.

Side Stream Poetry Brothel

Side Stream is a free pocket-sized bi-monthly poetry zine edited by Miriam Barr. And this is the best idea for a fundraiser I've ever seen!

The idea for the Poetry Brothel came from New York group The Poetry Brothel and their events. See a You Tube clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G1wsmTRRQk
Or visit their website: http://www.thepoetrybrothel.com/

This event will be the first of its kind in New Zealand, and Side Stream, with the byline 'Poetry from the Fringe', is the perfect poetry crowd to pull it off!

How it works: The venue is transformed into a 1930's poetry brothel. You buy tokens and proposition your choice of poet(s) for private 'lap-dances' (a 1-on-1 reading), peep-shows (watch two people make poetry together) and three-ways (make poetry with two other poets). All performances take place in private booths. Also features live music by Reb Fountain, Paul Williams and Sea Train.

Date/Time: February 27th from 9 pm
Location: Fordes Front Bench at 122 Anzac Avenue, Auckland
Prices: $10 on the door + 1 free lap-dance. $5 if you are in costume. Additional lap-dances $3, Peep-shows & Three-ways $5. All proceeds raise funds to keep Side Stream going for its fourth year!

Follow this link for more information including a full list of the Poetry Prostitutes - http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2010/feb/auckland-cbd/side-stream-poetry-brothel

Jumping Tangents

I first stumbled upon the Jumping Tangents online gift shop when looking for Cameron's Christmas present – a wooden handled wax seal in the letter 'E'. Not only did I find exactly what I was looking for, but I found a haven full of other treats for writers!

Jumping Tangents is essentially a paperie & design store, which is based in Wanaka, New Zealand. They sell beautiful imported European stationery including quills, ink and writing sets, notebooks, diaries and leather journals. A delight for the writer who loves history or just wants to be surrounded by exquisite objects.

For all the readers out there (and writers too!) they have a fun range of products with the slogan “reading is sexy”- mugs, fridge magnets, and T-shirts. http://www.jumpingtangents.co.nz/shop_product.php?page=0&sci=103&pi=1263

They also sell books, fine chocolates, clothing, and jewellery. My latest delight is their range of Frida Kahlo (my favourite painter) rings, brooches and earrings. http://www.jumpingtangents.co.nz/shop_product.php?page=0&sci=156&pi=2010

Jumping Tangents don't just have great products on a user friendly website, they follow it up with fast, personal service and fabulous gift wrapping. Remember them when you next buy a present for someone special in your life. Or just visit them now and treat yourself!

Bravado - now with haikai pages!

Bravado 18 is out now with the first, of what will be a regular feature, of four haikai pages in the magazine's centre.

This issue's haikai pages were edited by Owen Bullock, and showcase haiku by Nola Borrell (2), Sandra Simpson (3), Tony Beyer (1), Barbara Strang (3), Patricia Prime (1) and karen peterson butterworth (2). There is also tanka from Andre Surridge (1), Tony Beyer (2) and karen peterson butterworth (1).

The next editor of Bravado's haikai pages is Barbara Strang, recent editor of moments in the whirlwind, the New Zealand Poetry Society's 2009 anthology. I look forward to seeing who and what appears in the mix!

Bravado 18 has an interview by me of cover artist Timo Rännäli, my last as Bravado's 'roving arts reporter'. You can see more of Timo's work here: http://timodesign.co.nz/

A photograph of mine also appears in Bravado's pages - angel - the colour version of which won 2nd prize in the 2009 Creative Te Puke Forum Photography Competition, man-made structures category.

Calling New Zealand tanka poets!

For a special web feature, M. Kei, editor of Atlas Poetica and the Take Five Anthologies 2009-2010, is seeking published tanka from New Zealand poets. He is looking for one previously published poem per poet, together with date of publication and where the poem was published.

Patricia Prime is co-ordinating the New Zealand material, which M. Kei says, will draw attention to New Zealand poets. Please email me for details of how to contact Pat.

Katikati Haiku Contest

The Bi-annual Katikati Haiku Pathway Contest is open for entries.
Closes: April 16.
Cost: Within NZ: 18 & over, $5/ 3 haiku or $2/haiku. 17 & under $1 / up to 2 haiku. For overseas entrants: $US5/3 haiku or $US2/haiku.

Unpublished haiku only (broadcast or appearing on the Internet is deemed to be publication). Send 2 copies of each poem, with one copy only including your name, address, phone number (no mobiles please) and email address. For the junior section please also include your age. Haiku should preferably be typewritten, 4/5 poems to an A4 sheet is fine. A judge's report will be sent by email, otherwise include a stamped addressed envelope with your entry.

Senior section judge is Sandra Simpson, with Catherine Mair judging the junior section. Cash prizes totalling $NZ175 in the senior section (18 and over) and $NZ90 in the junior section (17 and under). Prizes will be announced and awarded at an event in Katikati on June 6.

Send entries to: Katikati Haiku Contest, PO Box 183, Katikati 3166, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. No email entries.

NZPS Poetry Comp. open for entries!

The New Zealand Poetry Society's 2010 Annual Poetry Competition is open for entries.

Deadline: Entries must be received by 31 May 2010
Entry Fee: Can now be paid via PayPal, NZ$1 per haiku, NZ$4 per poem (in adult sections)
Four sections: Open Section and Junior Open Section, Haiku Section and Junior Haiku Section.

Find full details here: http://www.poetrysociety.org.nz/about2010competition

One of the great things about this competition, is that if your poem doesn't win won of the prizes, you still have the chance of the competition anthology's editor choosing it for the annual poetry anthology. The 2009 anthology moments in the whirlwind was edited by Barbara Strang.

Mslexia magazine – for women who write

Mslexia means women's writing (ms = woman, lexia = words) and this UK magazine is packed full of articles about writing and writers, competitions and publication opportunities, news and reviews.

I first encountered Mslexia a few years ago when a woman in my local writers' group brought it along to share (her husband is a pilot and used to pick up copies for her whenever he was over that way). This year, I decided to treat myself to a subscription as I knew just how inspirational this magazine is.

My first issue (#44 Jan/Feb/March) arrived this week and I'm not disappointed! The articles and profiles are top quality.

“Mslexia is dedicated to encouraging, nurturing and empowering women writers to produce, publish and have their work read, with the parallel aim of improving the reach and quality of women's literature.”

For those of you that don't want to shell out in pounds sterling, they now offer digital subscriptions at a lower price and you get back issues from #35 onwards. A great deal!

Their website has heaps of valuable resources. One thing I recently had great fun doing was a poetry writing exercise, which you can find here (scroll down a bit to where it says February's Workshop: Poetry and I): http://www.mslexia.co.uk/magazine/workshops/workshops.php

Enjoy!

Go Web Magazine

A writing opportunity for you...

Go Web Magazine is a travel website produced, and personally funded, by Lisa Pham, an ambitious young writer currently studying a Master's Degree in Journalism in Paris and interning at the International Herald Tribune.

This is not a paid market but Lisa spends a lot of time work-shopping articles with writers - an experience I've benefited from having worked with her on projects in the past.

"Go reflects the travel experiences and preferences of people wanting to get away from pre-packaged tours to see where they end up. Go is not interested in mainstream tourist attractions, hotels or restaurants. It's about the people, the place, and, most of all, the feeling. Go is yours: the experiences, the photos, the memories."

Go Web Magazine is looking for Features, Stories, Profiles, Photographs, and even Recipes. Check out the submission guidelines under 'How to Contribute'.

You can read my article here: http://gowebmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82:mosaics-of-inspiration&catid=34:stories&Itemid=30

Interested in Photography?

I recently discovered two great New Zealand photography magazines that I now recommend.

The first is D-Photo – a bi-monthly glossy on digital photography at NZ$9.90 an issue. It's got news, product reviews, competitions, profiles, tips, and more. You can check out their on-line community here: http://www.dphoto.co.nz/

The second is NZ Photographer - a pdf e-zine that's FREE and arrives in your inbox every three weeks. It has all the how-to articles, competitions, tips, etc., but also holds photography field days and events around the country, so check it out as they could be coming your way soon! You can subscribe here: http://www.nzphotographer.co.nz/

Both these mags have Facebook sites so you can easily connect with other photographers and feed your photography habit 24/7 no matter where you are in the world!

The Haiku Foundation's 'Haiku Registry'

Welcome to the first post of my new blog - Swimming in Lines of Haiku. And yes, the first post is about haiku!

I wanted to draw your attention to The Haiku Foundation's 'Haiku Registry' which you can be part of if you've had haiku published in an edited journal. It's a brilliant idea and a great way to connect with others that are passionate about haiku.

Here's how you can apply to be listed -

Email the following information to haikuregistry_at_thehaikufoundation.org (replacing _at_ with @):

Name
Date of birth (optional)
Place of birth
Present place of residence
Brief biographical statement not to exceed 50 words
Awards or other honors
Books published, with date of publication and publisher’s information
Up to 10 English-language haiku that have been published in an edited print or online journal, with publishing credits (up to four will be selected to appear in the Registry
Photograph in jpg format
Email address (optional)
Web site address (optional)

Check out my listing here: http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/resources/poet-details/?IDclient=117

Other New Zealander's up on the Haiku Registry so far are Sandra Simpson, Margaret Beverland, Patricia Prime, Dick Whyte and Andre Surridge.

The Haiku Foundation's website has heaps of other great info and is definitely worth a browse. You can also join them on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000212044634&ref=profile#!/pages/The-Haiku-Foundation/346457215437?ref=ts