Indrani Perera

poet, publisher & mentor

Tag: December 2024

  • Australian Poetry Journal

    IP - APJ 1

    I have been a huge admirer of the Australian Poetry Journal and its editor Jacinta Le Plastrier for a long time. APJ is one of the premier Australian poetry publications. Through their journals and Best of anthologies they publish some of the most exciting poets currently writing in Australia. Every time I receive my beautifully designed copies, I devour them from cover to cover, inhaling all those luscious words.

    For about as long, I have been sending in my poems to their open calls, hoping that something resonates with the guest editors who change for every issue.

    IP - APJ 2

    In late 2022, I attended a Writers Victoria poetry workshop, Desirte in Poetry, facilitated by Ellen van Neeren, who has an incredible voice and gift with words. It was an incredible workshops and inspired several poems.

    I was delighted when earlier this year, I was asked by EvN to submit something for the issue on Desire they were guest editing for APJ. I've never been asked by an editor to submit to a journal before!

    When found out that my poem, Notes to A Magpie Sitting on a Fence Carolling to the Trees, was being published in APJ Issue 13.2  I felt like I had finally arrived as a poet. Being included in APJ was a dream come true!

    Having my poem selected by guest editor Ellen van Neerven for Issue 13.2 Desire of the Australian Poetry Journal was the best Christmas present ever! I'm beyond thrilled to have one of my poems selected by such an incredible poet and included in Australia's premier poetry journal!

     

  • Haiku in the Hills

    IP - Haiku in the Hills 1

    IP - Haiku in the Hills 2

    Back in August as part of the Sonic Poetry Festival, I attended the Haiku in the Hills poetry workshop facilitated by AJ D’Costa. We met AJ in the Dandenong Botanic Gardens on a crisp winter morning. Luckily for us, the heavens didn’t open as AJ guided us through the gardens, teaching us about haiku and giving us time to write poems. We ended the walk with a delicious picnic on the grass that AJ had packed and carried for us throughout the walk. It was a lovely morning and a beautiful way to experience poetry in collaboration with and connection to landscape and nature.

    IP - Haiku in the Hills 3

    After the workshop, AJ gathered our poems and put them into this gorgeous zine. I don’t often write haiku so it was wonderful to have a poem included in this collection. One that I am sure I couldn’t have written without AJ’s expert guidance. Thanks AJ for a fabulous poetry workshop and this amazing souvenir of a wonderful morning!

     

  • Heroine’s Anthology

    IP - Heroine's Anthology Front Cover

    IP - Heroine's Anthology Poem

    Stories in own voices and poems from outside the mainstream are especially close to my heart. Which is why it was such an honour to be shortlisted for the Heroine's Anthology Global edition poetry prize.

    This prize and subsequent collection features poems from women about women. Heroine's Anthology is a series of poetry collections edited by Dr Sarah Nicholson. Each collection has a distinct theme and this particular edition was for global poetry.

    I really wanted to feature poems about famous Sri Lankan poets but from behind the keyboard, the best I could do was find translated poems from our near neighbour, India. My poem, pathika, features lines of poetry from three different Indian poets interspersed with an ode to those poets, written by me. It's the first time I have incorporated poetry from other poets and it was fun to use my love of research to write a poem. 

    You'll notice that I have deliberately not said 'female' poets. To do so implies that the term 'poet', excludes women. And that women poets are somehow unusual or an aberration when in fact, more women write poetry than men. A fact that isn't often reflected in poems featured in journals, prizes awarded or books published. One day the term poet will encompass the whole spectrum of humanity and all will be given a pen to write their own story.

    In the meantime, check out this fabulous anthology for some incredible voices, writing their stories into the pages of our shared herstory.

     

  • Heroine’s Anthology Shortlist

    Heroine's Anthology Shortlist

    My poem, pathika, has been shortlisted for the Heroine's Anthology Prize which means it will now appear in the forthcoming Heroine's Anthology of poems from around the world.

    I am so excited to be included in this global edition of poetry about amazing women from throughout Herstory, I can't wait to see who I will meet in its pages!

     

  • Heroine’s Anthology Longlist

    Heroine's Anthology Logo

    Herstory is a topic very dear to my heart. I am always looking for females voices, especially those that have been hidden or erased from the offical versions of accounts. I want to know about the stories of women who shaped past events. I want to hear about their ingenuity and inventions. I want to know what they were like, where they lived and who they loved. I want to look at the stories we tell ourselves about the world and I want to see myself reflected within its annals.

    I guess I've always been feminist in this regard but my quest for women's tales only grew stronger once I had two daughters. I wanted to share with them stories about the world that told them they could do anything that they set their minds and hearts to doing. If you're on this quest as well. I'd highly recommend the Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls series of books and the Little People Big Dreams picture book biographies about prominent female figures. Princess Smartypants is a wonderful picture book for young girls about a. sassy Princess who does not want to get married – she's too busy doing other things!

    All of this is to say that I am beyond thrilled to announce that my poem, pathika, has been longlisted for the Heroines Anthology Global edition Prize. 

    Pathika is about the lives and poetry of three famous Indian poets. These women are well known in India but not as familiar to most readers in the west. Being from South Asia, I wanted my poem to reflect my heritage. No Greek goddesses for me! I was originally wanting to write a poem about female poets from Sri Lanka but they were quite hard to find given that I don't speak Sinhala or Tamil. So I looked to our neighbours for inspiration and found a whole wealth of material.

    Big thanks to the Heroine's Anthology for choosing my poem!