Indrani Perera

poet, publisher & mentor

Tag: indrani perera

  • A Little Morning Walk

    IP - A Little Morning Walk

    I'm coming out of hibernation and starting to go on morning walks again.

    I had the best of intentions this winter to do more exercise but honestly the lure of the heater was far too strong.

    It's so good to be moving my body again and drinking in the lush pockets of natural beauty that can be found even in the outer suburbs, and a highly urbanised environment like mine.

    I'm super grateful to have this reserve close by to my house and I plan to visit it more often now that the weather is becoming more hopeful!

    Where do you go when the weather starts to get warmer?

  • Souped Up!

    IP - The Week of Soup

    It’s hard keeping the troops fed. Especially when they come home from school, starving. All that learning sure does burn calories! 

    I’m not sure about them but I know that I get bored with making the same things so I took a little time the other day to go through my recipe books and find some tasty recipes.

    My two favourite cookbooks at the moment are both by Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall of River Cottage fame. They have incredibly naff covers but Hugh’s Three Good Things…On a Plate and Light & Easy are both fantastic cookbooks.

    I must be craving warmth because every recipe I flagged was soup! White bean soup, barley soup, lentil and bacon soup, chickpea soup, eggplant soup and fennel soup to be precise. I figured why not have a crack at making them all and so I did.

    The biggest hit was the lentil and bacon soup followed by the white bean soup. I also quite liked the fennel soup with its preserved lemons. The chickpea soup tasted a lot like a hot, runny, hummus! 

    It felt great to be back in the kitchen, making something new. And so wonderful to be a eating so many new flavourful soups!

  • Being

    IP - Being

    Late last year I had not one, but two poems, long listed for the University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor's International Poetry Prize! It was a huge honour to have my work recognised by the judges.

    Landline is a poem about old friends who you've know forever but hardly find the time to see any more. Life has moved you in different directions and you may not even live in the same city. But there's always the phone.

    Much to my amazement, the second poem, Notes From the Diaspora on Returning 'Home', ended up being shortlisted! I wrote this poem while I was traveling in Sri Lanka with my partner, daughters and parents. It was an incredible experience to hear my father telling us all stories about his childhood in the places where they happened. And at that same time feel a disconnection from a place that should be more familiar than it is.

    If you'd like to read my poems you can now buy this wonderful anthology where you'll also find the winning poem and other amazing poems fro the competition. This is an anthology to treasure and read again and again.

    Huge thanks to the University of Canberra for including my poems and recognising my work.

     

  • 3CR Radiothon & Spoken Word Show

    IP - 3CR Radiothon & Spoken Word Show 1

    I’ve just joined community radio, 3CR's Spoken Word team as one of the four hosts. This morning I did my first ever show – a live broadcast for the station’s annual fundraiser. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time!

    IP - 3CR Radiothon & Spoken Word Show 2

    This is me in Studio 1 at 3CR right after this morning’s broadcast. We were broadcasting live with poems sent in to us from poets all round the country. It’s part of the drive to raise funds for the station. Our show’s target is $1650 and if you can donate to help keep us on air we can keep bringing you new and amazing poetry. Click here to go to the page to make a donation. Every little bit helps! And it's tax deductible too!

    IP - 3CR Radiothon & Spoken Word Show 3

    Lucky for me tech whizz and all round incredible human being Brendan Bonsack was driving the panel and the fabulously witty and super calm Waffle Irongirl was sharing the mic. It was a blast and I’m hooked!

    If you didn't manage to catch the live broadcast, don't worry, you can hear it over on our podcast page.

     

  • 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!

     

     

  • Mentoring

     
    Indrani Perera is an Australian author who shares her extensive experience and knowledge as a published poet with her students. She provides expert guidance for emerging and established writers. Her mentoring services include encouragement and support, feedback on writing and editing  as well as publishing industry advice and information.
     

    ‘What sets Indrani apart is not just her mastery of poetry but her genuine investment in nurturing emerging voices. Her feedback was always constructive, pushing me to explore new horizons while staying true to my voice. Her mentorship was a blend of professionalism, warmth, and genuine passion for the craft, making every interaction both enlightening and enjoyable.’

    Lakshmi R Kanchi

    Author of Lake song

     

    ‘Indrani was one of the first poets published by Ginninderra Press. Her first collection, Defenestration, clearly demonstrated that she was a talent to watch and her second, pas de deux, amply confirmed her dedication to the craft of poetry. New and aspiring poets would learn an immense amount from her workshops and benefit richly from her enthusiasm and insights.’

    Stephen Matthews OAM

    Publisher, Ginninderra Press

     
    To book an online mentoring session, please email Indrani with ‘Poetry Mentoring’ in the subject line.

     

    IP Workshop Page Blog Banners - Mentoring

    Take a deep dive into poetry with a one-on-one session with Indrani, tailored to meet your needs. Be that feedback on your work, questions about writing techniques or information about the industry, she is happy to discuss it all!

    Indrani shares her knowledge about joining writers’ groups, attending open mics, submitting to journals, entering competitions, preparing manuscripts, finding a publisher and more!

    Duration: 1 hour
    Class Size: personal, one-on-one session
    Venue: online
    Cost: $100 per session
     
    IP Workshop Page Blog Banners - Meet Your Mentor (Title & Headshot only)Hello! I’m Indrani Perera.
     
    I have been writing, editing and publishing for over 25 years.
     
    I’m passionate about sharing my knowledge and helping writers to become published authors.
     
    I have had two poetry books published, been shortlisted for major Australian poetry prizes and my poems appear in literary journals in Australia, India and the USA. I have performed extensively on the open mic and been a featured poet for Girls on Key, the Melbourne Spoken Word & Poetry Festival and the Perth Poetry Festival.
     
    I also have significant experience in the publishing industry — working in an Australian book shop, for an independent Australian publisher and as editor of the Pocketry Almanack print journal.
     
    I can help you achieve your writing goals with support, encouragement, feedback, editing and industry advice.
     
     
     
    To book a mentoring session or enquire about what she can offer you, please email Indrani with ‘Poetry Mentoring’ in the subject line.
     

    Don’t see what you’re looking for? Send an email to Indrani and she can design something just for you!

     

  • Places You’ll Never Go and Things You Won’t See

    Kalliope X Logo

    Any journal, especially an Australian one that is open to or dedicated to publishing poetry in languages other than English has my wholehearted support. English is not the only language and the more we learn from each other the better. We are a multicultural society with a majority of Australians being born overseas or having a parent who was born overseas. As such, our literary landscape needs to reflect our cultural diversity.

    So when I come across a fabulous journal like Kalliope X, I devour its contents and then start submitting my work. I am so honoured to have my poem, Places You'll Never Go and Things You Won't See in issue 5 of this fabulous digital publication. Thank you to the editors for selecting my work.

     

  • Migration

    Science Write Now Issue ImageI am pleased to announce that the digital journal, Science Write Now, has published two of my poems in Issue 9: Migration.

    Light Years is a poem about the migration of light from our distant sun to our home planet. In writing this poem I was imagining what it might be like to be a particle undertaking that epic journey. What could happen to it along the way?

    Yesterday is Today: the Migration of Memory looks at a different sort of migration  - that of thoughts and their journeys through our minds. It is a very different sort of poem to Light Years as it ponders what happens to us as we age and our memories start to fade.

     

  • Boxed

    IP - Boxed 1

    IP - Boxed 2

    IP - Boxed 3

    You know me, I love making things and getting a bit of a production line happening. I've been doing it since I was in primary school. I saw some cute little felt turtles with walnut shell backs at a market and wanted to make one for myself. They looked so easy to make and I thought it would be cheaper than buying one (it's not but you do get the satisfaction of making it yourself). Of course once you buy the materials to make one, you have so much left over that it makes sense to make lots and then give them away to all your friends as presents.

    Not much has changed for me since then I have to admit. Once I start making something, I start to think alf all the people I know who would love to have one of whatever I am making. In this case, it's wooden book boxes to store Circus of Similes Ephemera.

    You can see the boxes with their envelopes on the spare room bed in the above pictures. I'm still using whatever I've got to make what I need. Although I don't think anyone needs these boxes. I just hope that they will like them and get some sort of pleasure or enjoyment from their contents. I know I'd like to receive one of these in the post!