South African Poetry at Edinburgh Book Festival

Last night I went to one of the best events I've ever attended at the Edinburgh International Book Festival featuring the South African poets Keorapetse Kgositsile and Lesego Rampolokeng. I hadn't heard of either of them before the event, but I'm always interested in discovering new poets, particularly those who probably don't visit Scotland very often.

Both poets are very politically engaged and the poems they read reflected this. Kgositsile has a much quieter style while Rampolokeng is a speed reading hip-hop poet. Both poets are unafraid to speak their mind but are such skilful poets that they can negotiate the fine line between polemic and poetry.

After they had both read they discussed the links between poetry and music and the importance of politics to their poetry. The discussion was fascinating and entertaining, moving organically from topic to topic. One minute the dangers of idolising political figures (such as Nelson Mandela) the next minute the dangers of believing what you read on the internet. The event over-ran its time as much as an event at the Book Festival can over-run and I have a feeling that both audience and poets would have been happy to have stayed for quite a bit longer.

Passing Shadow

She carries her mourning
gravely through the streets
her sombre blurred reflection
in a café picture window
mingles oddly with a laughing
hen night out.

................The bride-to-be
falls silent for a beat
as she sees her shadow pass.




Previously published on Concise Delight

When I Was A Work of Art

I try to read one novel in French every year and this was the one i chose this year. 'Lorsque j'etais une oeuvre d'art' by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt is a wonderfully strange, compelling and entertaining story about a man who becomes a work of art.

Tazio is saved from committing suicide by a mysterious benefactor who puts to him the proposition that he become a work of art. Many plastic surgery procedures later Tazio has become Adam, a public art installation, owned and controlled by his so called benefactor.

The narrative is compelling and at the same time puts forward very thought provoking discussions on issues around human identity, human rights, the concept of beauty and what is a work of art? It's also surprisingly easy to read in the original French, so I read it almost as quickly as I would have done if it were in English.

Lorsque j'etais une oeuvre d'art by Eric Emmanuel Schmitt published by Le Livre de Poche.

As far as I know this novel has been translated into English!

Paul Squires

I was shocked to hear of the death of Australian poet and blogger Paul Squires, at the age of 46 after an accidental fall. Paul blogged at Gingatao and shared some of his poetry with us on Bolts of Silk. He had a unique poetic voice and was a generous and entertaining commentator on other people's blogs. He'll be much missed.

Shadowy Sculpture

Foil by Anthony Caro in the grounds of the Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh

Drive by Andrew McCallum Crawford

Drive the first novel by Greek based, Edinburgh born Andrew MacCallum Crawford follows a group of young men as they form a band and almost find fame and fortune while getting involved in various weird and wacky situations. The characters are very well drawn and believable and the dialogue is brilliant. The story moves along at a great pace and is entertaining throughout and often very funny. It's set in the Edinburgh of the 80s but an Edinburgh where many of the names of landmarks (particularly University buildings) have been changed, which is disconcerting for anyone who was a student in Edinburgh at the time the novel is set (which I was!) though otherwise it is a very accurate portrayal of the city at that time. The soundtrack to the novel is more or less exactly the music I was listening to when I was a student.

One of the most impressive things about this novel though is the author's use of Scots. The narrative is written in standard English but with a Scots rhythm to it, while the dialogue (for the Scottish characters!) is totally believably (and consistently) Scots.

Definitely an entertaining read, whether or not you were a student in Edinburgh in the 1980s!

Lifestyle Tourist

My life is a foreign land to you.

You pass through with binoculars,
notebook and camera, to capture
my quaint customs, unique features,
peculiarities.

I flinch from your gaze,
not ready to bare my soul to you,
an arrogant stranger with no respect
for my personal space.

You return to your own world
full of stories of me,
how good it was
getting to know me.

The value of cultural exchange.

Previously published in Envoi

Adrift - the film version

Alastair Cook has made a wonderful film of my short poem Adrift, from my pamphlet Unthinkable Skies.You can watch the film (and hear my reading!) on Vimeo here. Enjoy! The timing of this film being made is perfect too as I just realised we're coming up to Refugee Week!

I've also got a new poem and a photo up at the Camel Saloon, a new outlet for poetry, short stories and photos. You can read it here.

The Family Her String Quartet

Striding into the home
they have been happy in
for the seven years
since she stormed out
she picks up her bow
and with an imperious nod
tries to rush them
into a march of her design
but they stubbornly hold to
the freeform jazz
they had delighted in
while she was away.





Previously published in Aireings

sleep deprived

you can't even see me
but i dream you can read my mind
judging my impure motives
as i jump up and down
at your window

the man in the moon
has left the room
trailing memories
of parallel lives

but it wasn't you
or was it

my Harlequin?


(and now the mystery begins)