Justin Lowe’s ‘San Luis’ launches in Katoomba tonight
Celebrate the launch of Justin Lowe’s poetry collection San Luis on Thursday, April 3rd 7pm, at On The Soul Side Cafe
Writers
Celebrating poetry: Carmel Macdonald-Grahame introduces Robyn Rowland
Thanks to the much-appreciated revival of 5 Islands Press, led by poets Mark Tredinnick and Steve Meyrick, we now have Steep Curve. Robyn is meticulous not only about the writing itself, but she is scrupulous about the publication of her poetry. She takes the work of publication seriously and insists on it being perfectly presented on the page. So her books are also beautiful objects.
Extraordinary skill, intimacy, generosity, and beauty: Maria Takolander launches ‘Steep Curve’ by Robyn Rowland
Her assuredness shines through in the extraordinary craft of the poetry—the handling of line, image, enjambment, phrasing, not to mention her voice. But it’s also there in the book’s subject matter, which might be regarded as somewhat remarkable in today’s landscape for its indifference towards the faddish. What I mean to say is that Robyn’s poetry delves, in its assured way, into universal phenomena like aging, family, love, grief, which are explored, of course, from her own deeply personal perspective.
Rose van Son: 4 Poems
Rose van Son is a West Australian poet and writer. She has been published in various journals and anthologies including Cordite, Rabbit, Westerly, ACU, Oystercatcher One, Grieve, and Glasgow Review of Books. Her collections include Cloak of Letters, Nature’s Warehouse (Birds in focus) and from the open doorway (haiku).
The recreation of memory: Mark Roberts launches ‘Some Dualities’ and ’28 Sonnets’ by Michael Witts
There is much to read and enjoy in Some Dualities, the poems are often witty, nearly always insightful and often honestly personal.
Vivid world building: Richard James Allen launches ‘The Book of Jeremiah’ by Beatriz Copello
Jeremiah is a complex and not always appealing figure, but that may be the point, as he is Copella’s vehicle for an examination of the contradictions and complexities of being human. In fact, one of the strengths of this book is its fearless honesty about human urges.
Lithe eloquence & lyric originality: Anne Carson launches ‘The Flowering Dark’ by Sue Lockwood
The Flowering Dark is a materially gorgeous book with a wonderfully evocative cover, and I congratulate the publishers, Mark and Steve for the revamped (and warmly re-welcomed) 5 Island Press for producing such a beautiful holding-space for Sue’s poems, and for choosing Sue’s book to relaunch the press.
Ma Yongbo: 6 Poems
Ma Yongbo was born in 1964, Ph.D,representative of Chinese avant-garde poetry,and a leading scholar in Anglo-American poetry. He has published over eighty original works and translations since 1986 included 7 poetry collections. He focused on translating and teaching Anglo-American poetry and prose including the work of Dickinson, Whitman, Stevens, Pound, Williams and Ashbery.
A bucket list of things: Richard James Allen interviews David Adès
David Adès latest collection, The Heart’s Lush Gardens (Flying Island Books, 2024) was recently launched in Sydney. Before the launch Richard James Allen interviewed David.
Rochford Street Review 