Indrani Perera

poet, publisher & mentor

Month: January 2020

Sewing the Sacred

I often have half finished projects lying around the house. I start them with great enthusiasm and then for some reason or another (life gets busy or I get distracted by another exciting project) I don't get around to fishing them. Last year I was making hand-bound books using eco-dyed silk. I made one as a farewell gift for a good friend. Since then the others have lain in a box in various stages of completion.

This week I wanted to get back into using my hands to create (off the screen that is. There's been far too much of that and square eyes lately). I laid out all the paper, thread, scissors and silk on top of the blanket box in the snug where I craft. And then just didn't feel like doing it. I'm tired after a week of camping and not sleeping very well. I found it hard to muster the energy.

I finally told myself to just go ahead and do it anyway. There was never going to be a perfect time to start so I may as well jump in. Slowly, slowly I got back into the groove. And as I was sewing the pamphlets together to create the text block I had a realisation. I had been wanting to go straight from housework to a state of flow. Straight from mundane tasks to being fully absorbed in my project. Straight to the feeling of ease and the hours slipping away. Of course, flow comes when it wills and sometimes not at all. You can't force it or flog it into submission. It must be coaxed gently by doing, one step at a time. And then if you're lucky, you'll look up to find that hours have passed and you are feeling fulfilled.

January 27, 2020
Nature’s Gift

With all the fires raging out of control around Australia it can feel strange to be going about daily life as if nothing is happening. We are safe and not immediately threatened. So we can almost forget the reality is very different for so many. However, there is the ever present smoke from fires in the air. Smoke that travels across the Tasman sea from Victoria to Tasmania. Smoke that hangs heavy in the sky, turning the sun into a red disc. And there is a feeling of unease and anxiety permeating everything we do. Fear for all our loved ones scattered across this vast continent. Sorrow for their homes and land being burnt. And mourning for all the animals, birds and insects extinguished by fire's rage. And the plants, all the beautiful plants devoured.

And yet in the midst of tragedy there is hope. Like this beautiful koala who joined us last week on our camping adventure in the Dandenong ranges. We were there with some trepidation for the Firekeepers' summer camp. On the first morning when the rest of the village was due to arrive, this koala was spotted in a tree near the willum (our gathering place between the trees). Word spread and soon the whole village was standing below the tree gazing upwards in reverence and joy at this sign of precious life, snoozing in a wattle tree.

January 23, 2020
A Pocket Poetry Almanack Prototype

The end of the 2019 Poetry Challenge and a break from compiling the Poet's Express newsletter gave me some space and time to breathe life into an idea that had been lurking around in the back of my mind for a while now.

For the last year or so I've been submitting my poems to various literary journals to the sound of crickets or an occasional form rejection letter. You know the ones, thanks for your contribution, enjoyed your work but it's just not for us. I know my work isn't up to their standards yet but I keep plugging away, hoping one day I'll be good enough. There are so many poets wanting to get published and the standard is so incredibly high that at times it feels like I'm digging a hole with a teaspoon or trying to scale Everest dressed in a pair of runners and shorts.

Not one to be deterred by rejection and putting my impatience to good use, I've decided to create my own literary journal especially for emerging and aspiring poets who cannot get their work published by the major journals. The Pocketry Almanack is A7 sized, fits neatly into the palm of your hand and only publishes work by poets who have received at least three rejections from Australian journals.

I had originally planned on creating an online journal but it somehow morphed into a print publication. With my background in making and experiments in bookbinding it really isn't so surprising. I really like the zine scene with its punk / sci-fi roots and handmade ethos. The Almanack is a nod to them as well as to the old fashioned word of printing. It's one piece of A4 paper folded to create an instant book. The idea for the single piece of paper format came from this interview on the What Editors Want podcast, my all-time favourite podcast.

Designing the Almanack and playing with paper was so much fun. The one page book is an ingenious design. Fold Fold, fold, fold and then cut but not too much. Pull apart and then bring together, crease the edges and you are done.

Inside the pages will be six poems with an illustration on the back. If you're interested in checking out my new project, head on over to Pocketry. Submission are now open for the first issue.

January 20, 2020
Sing A Song

I recently spent a week with my daughters at the 15th Suzuki Voice International Songs for Sharing conference in Bentleigh. There were students and teachers from Australia and overseas and we got to learn songs in different language including Spanish, Finnish, Italian and Polish. The conference culminated in a free concert last Tuesday night at the Edge Theatre in Federation Square.

Being the only adult student in a classroom of children, most of whom are under ten is quite confronting. I'm used to being in a position of power and knowledge and to be in a situation where I am the student is quite humbling. It also helps to let go of any sense of dignity and to embrace childlike joy. How else can you skip around the room, holding hands and singing?

As part of the conference we had the opportunity to perform a solo piece in front of the other students and teachers from Australia and overseas. I've sung in public before at my teacher's end of year concerts but not in front of the wider Suzuki community. I was singing the French song Que Nes Suis-je La Fougere which I know quite well.

I was towards the end of the 30 singers so I had plenty of time to get nervous. Knowing the song well and having performed it before in public didn't help the nerves. So I got thoughtful about them. Wondered where they were coming from. And realised I was wanting to be perfect. Wanting to get up there and be amazing. Once I realised that it was easy to switch gears and remind myself that I'm only a student and like all the children in my classes, I'm still learning.

It was the first time I've sung in public without a microphone so my voice sounded different yet again. I'm used to practising with my daughters so it was also strange to hear my voice on its own and not blended with theirs.

The concert at The Edge on the other hand was all choir and no solos and it was wonderful. The feeling of blending my voice with those around me to create exquisite music for our audience was incredible. We were conducted by our teachers and I loved the way they'd give us a huge smile at the end of a song and mouth 'Wonderful!'.

I think singing in choirs may be my new thing for this year. What's yours?

January 13, 2020
Hello Sky

I miss living at the beach. Walking along the water's edge with scratchy sand between my toes. Hunting for shells in the high tide mark. Breathing in the salt air and dancing back from the waves eager to kiss my feet.

Most of all I miss the beautiful sky and endless horizon.

January 9, 2020
2019 Poetry Challenge Wrap Up

Hooray! I made it!

I can't believe it's the end of the 2019 Poetry Challenge. There were many times when I wanted to chuck the whole thing. There were times when I thought it would never end. And then towards the end I wanted to slow down time and really get into writing each and every poem. It turns out I didn't want it to end after all! Oh how contrary we humans can be. Not wanting something while it's happening and then desperately wanting it back once it's over.

I am so pleased I stuck with it and so grateful to the 52 people who sent me 260 words between them which I then turned into 52 poems of varying quality. It was great to work with words I normally don't even think about or take for granted or had to look up.

Thank you beautiful friends and folks on Instagram for sending me your words and sharing this project with me. What a ride!

January 6, 2020
Poetry Challenge – Week Fifty-Two

Week 52 words from @ninthwavedesigns: acorn, interpretation, visualise, palpitations and stone.

visualise an acorn

with its elvish hat

deep within that tiny seed

lies a whole tree

waiting to sprout

my heart had hardened

turned to stone

but even granite can weep

first came the palpitations

then a crack in the surface

finally, release

what you make of it

is open to interpretation

~~~~

Here are the words and my poem for the fifty-second week of the 2019 Poetry Challenge.

Week 52. Did someone say week 52? I can't believe it's finally here. I did it people! I haven't hit celebration or nostalgia yet, I'm still at disbelief. Hard to believe it's the last week and this is the last time I'll be posting a poem for the 2019 Poetry Challenge.

Writing this poem, I thought eek! when I read the words. So disparate and not what I would normally use in a poem, which is the whole point of the exercise after all. On the morning I wrote the poem I looked at the words, freaked out again and went to fold papers while listening to a podcast. When I came back to the words this poem began to take shape. The first stanza, then the last and finally the middle.

As I was writing this poem I was also collating the other 52 poems and my thoughts on the process into a single document. It was interesting to chart my journey from start to finish and see where it had taken me. Early on I was naturally full of enthusiasm and thinking a lot about the process, my thoughts and feelings. As time went on, I could see my energy flagging and my involvement with the challenge became perfunctory. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could carry our initial enthusiasm for things right through until the end? Of course everything has its season, even enthusiasm and the other emotions are also valid and part of the process.

It was wonderful to read through the comments because it reminded me of my initial excitement and gave me the cue to really enjoy the process of writing this poem. To focus on the words and the beauty of playing with language. Time to write is a luxury I have eked out for myself. As I write this I am sitting at the kitchen table and the sun has barely risen above the horizon. My daughters are still asleep so I can write uninterrupted.

I am so pleased I have returned to this method of expression, to this craft. Thank you for joining me on this journey and for your encouraging messages.

(I'm not the most subtle person on the planet and have always preferred direct action to navel gazing. That way lies morbidity and depression.)

A huge thanks also goes out to the 52 lovely people who sent me 5 random words and helped me in my quest to become a better poet. You know what they say – it takes a community to grow a poet. Well actually I just made up the saying but I believe every last word of it.

If you want to join the 2019 Poetry Challenge it's your very last chance. Write a poem using this week's words and head on over to Instagram and post it. Be sure to tag me and use the hashtags #2019poetrychallenge and #livepoetsclub.

Happy writing!

January 3, 2020
Poetry Manifesto 2020

I don't know if it's a thing. It might be a thing. An annual thing. Or it might just be the second year in a row I've done it.

I'm a bit loathe to make it a thing even though it's the inclination of my ordered brain. It loves structure but then gets overwhelmed by it and at times bored and tries to smash the whole thing down. Hence my reluctance to make it a thing.

Whatever it is, here is my Poetry Manifesto for 2020. If you're curious, you can see the one for 2019 here.

This year I'm keen to continue working on adding depth and meaning to my poetry. I want to write a short story poem and develop my story telling skills. I also want to attempt a poem consisting entirely of dialogue.

What are your writing goals for this year?

January 1, 2020