Poneke Poets
We had a good turn out yesterday at the Southern Cross for the inaugural reading of the Poneke Poets group. The pub has a large private room with its own bar for just these sorts of functions. The event was well-organised--thanks to Neil Furby and Simon Webber--and there was a great range of styles and voices. I read three poems: 'Cleaning', 'Even If' and 'Moonshot'. In the new year, we hope that these readings over at the Southern Cross will become a regular feature.
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20110723100811im_/http://nzpoetsonline.homestead.com/plumbv.jpg)
Vivienne Plumb
Earlier this week I stopped by Unity Books and picked up Takahe 55 which includes poetry by Leonard Lambert, Sugu Pillay, Tim Upperton and Jennifer Compton. Dipping into the magazine I’m struck by the humour of Lambert’s ‘Bed Rhymes’ and ‘Skywire.’
My main reason for popping into the shop was to buy a copy of Vivienne Plump’s superb Scarab: a poetic documentary. A good friend has a copy and I’d been reading it over at his place. Scarab documents her son’s 10-year struggle with cancer. It’s a small, intimate volume of 28 pages---12 poems and photographs by her late son. Scarab is Published by Seraph Press with a wonderfully restrained and effective book design by Helen Rickerby. The edition is limited to 250 hand bound copies and mine is 166 – so get in quick!
If your interested in reading more about Scarab, there’s an article about the book over at The Big Idea. (Thanks to NZ Poets Online for Vivienne's photo).
LeafSalon for Best Blog
The LeafSalon crew are soliciting votes for NZ NetGuide
Web Award for the best blog. Well, they've got my vote.
LeafSalon is essential reading; never boring, always up to date.
Locus Online reports that the SF writer Robert Sheckley died on Friday, in New York , at the age of 77. I have fond memories of reading Sheckley's bizarre
Dimension of Miracles. He was a highly original writer whose farcical SF was precursor to Douglas Adams. Gerald Jonas's New York Times orbituary has been republished on the official Robert Sheckley
web site.
Now that Bob's gone over to the Dimension of Miracles, I expect that before he joins Immortality, Inc St. Peter will have to ask 'Can you feel anything when I do this'?
Open Mike at the Southern Cross
Poneke Poets
at
The Southern Cross
Able Smith Street
Sunday 18th of December
Starts at 5:30 pm
“A feast of spoken words “
Open Mic for all