Indrani Perera

poet, publisher & mentor

Tag: original

  • Back on the Stage

    IP - Back on the Stage

    With all the lockdowns during the pandemic I got out of the spoken word habit. I've attended a gig here or there. In March I was lucky enough to catch Andy Jackson, winner of the Prime Minister's Award for Poetry reading from his most recent collection, Human Looking. I also heard my beautiful youngest daughter reading for her first feature set at Radio Laria in Northcote. That all changed last night when I tamed the butterflies and got back up on the stage.

    The hosts of Littlefoot & Co, Eden and Josh, are beautiful human beings who create a safe and welcoming space for poets of all abilities. Their warmth is what makes this event special. The venue itself at Bunjil Place in Narre Warren is an intimate studio theatre with brilliant acoustics. The sound and lighting tech are all taken care of by Bunjil Place staff making this one of the most schmick spoken word events in Melbourne. Forget about noisy pubs or hole in the wall dens, this is next level professional. And there was free soup and sourdough bread! Seriously good people.

    I performed two pieces. One was published in The Victorian Writer and the other was a newer piece I wrote after coming back home from Sri Lanka at the end of last year. Being back on the stage again was brilliant. I love performing in spite of the nerves! And hearing other poets read their poetry is always inspiring and affirming. But the best bit of the night was after all the performances were over and I got to meet and speak to the other performers. So good!!! A huge shout out to Littlefoot & Co, all the poets and the audience for making it such a great night.

     

  • Entrance

    IP - Barricade 1

    barricade yourself

     

    IP - Barricade 2

    contain, section, cordon this

     

    IP - Barricade 3

    scale wires, impale. 

     

    Posting as @indraniperera on Instagram, this is the second poem in my new series of haiku x photography; poems + photos series. If you want to join in the fun, tag me and use the hashtag #haikuinthreeparts.

     
    A haiku is a short Japanese poetry form of three lines where the first line contains five syllables, the second line has seven syllables and the third and final line has five syllables. Typically, there's also a turn, a shift or change in mood or tone between the second and third lines. It's seems deceptively easy but the challenge is conveying what you mean with as few words as possible. Traditionally haikus were written about nature by Japanese haiku masters such as Basho.
     
     
     

  • Flâneur

     

    IP - Flanuer 2

    crisp edges softened

     

    IP - Flanuer 1

    by rain. stepped on by leather

     

    IP - Flanuer 3

    final resting place. 

     

    Posting as @indraniperera on Instagram, this is the first poem in my new series of haiku x photography; poems + photos series. If you want to join in the fun, tag me and use the hashtag #haikuinthreeparts.

     
    If you are curious about the title of this poem, Wikipedia says: ‘Flâneur is a French noun referring to a person, literally meaning “stroller”, “lounger”, “saunterer”, or “loafer”, but with some nuanced additional meanings. Flânerie is the act of strolling, with all of its accompanying associations. A near-synonym of the noun is boulevardier.’
     
     

  • Twenty Four Hours of Poetry

    IP - Twenty Four Hours of Poetry 1

    Hours of Poetry 2

    I have just spent the most amazing day immersed in the world of words. It began with Claire G Coleman's workshop, Embracing Your Poetic Licence, at the Wheeler Centre for Books. The workshop was part of the Melbourne Writers Festival and it was wonderful to be attending an event at my first ever writers' festival. It sorta felt like a coming of age moment as an author! The festival program was incredible and there were so many great workshops that I wanted to do but I decided to be content with one.

    Claire is the author of several books including Terra Nullis and I've wanted to attend one of her workshops for a long time. She gave us some great exercises and stressed the importance of reading poetry for all authors but especially authors of prose to learn the techniques of lyrical writing. 

    IP - Hours of Poetry 3

    After the workshop some fellow festival goers were heading out for drinks so I tagged along as we headed downstairs to the Moat. It was so, so, so cool to be chatting to other writers in a spontaneous gathering after an event. This never happens to me – usually all my commitments as a mother prevent this from happening! Thanks Tash for the idea. And the funny thing was, three of us were having milestone birthdays in the following week – 40, 45 and 50. What an odd coincidence!

    I spent the rest of the evening out in Fairfield at my first Mothertongue spoken word event. I'd seen one of the co-hosts, Fleassy Malay at a festival at CERES a few years back and since then Mothertongue had been on my list gigs to attend. It was wonderful to be back in the spoken word space, hearing the stories and words of women and gender diverse poets speaking their truth. It was an intimate gig and the cakes and chai from the caterers were delicious. I could even eat them which is no mean feat given all my intolerances!

    IP - Twenty Four Hours of Poetry 4

    IP - Twenty Four Hours of Poetry 5

    IP - Twenty Four Hours of Poetry 6

    After the gig I got a lift into the city from a lovely poetry friend and spent the night in a hotel!! It was a real treat to be able to stay out as late as I wanted and not worry about having to catch public transport home to the hills. It was wonderful to stay in such a lovely room with city all lit up outside my window.

    IP - Twenty Four Hours of Poetry 7

    IP - Twenty Four Hours of Poetry 8

    The next day I hopped on a tram to Carlton for Emilie Collyer's workshop, Where We Meet the World. The workshop was put on by Melbourne Poet's Union and they even provided snacks! Fresh fruit, biscuits and tea and coffee for the break. It's the first writing workshop I've been to where I've been fed!

    Emilie is brilliant. I could happily do her workshop every single week it was that good. If you ever get the chance to do one her workshops, sell the car, abandon the cat. Do whatever it takes, but be there. I promise you, you won't regret it. Not for one moment.

    I feel so blessed to have been able to spend a while day devoted to my passions. A day of learning, writing, reading, speaking and hearing poetry. What more can a woman ask for?

     

  • Poems

    You’ll find below a list of Indrani Perera’s poems that were published in print anthologies, literary journals (digital and analogue), as chapbooks and those that have placed in competitions or been awarded prizes. 

    You can buy Indrani’s poetry collections, pas de deux and Defenestration, here.

     

    Anthologies

    Dec 2024    pathika, (Heroines: An Anthology of Poetry Volume 5, editor Sarah Nicholson)

    Jun 2024    Notes From the Diaspora on Returning ‘Home’ (Being, Centre for Creative and Cultural Research)

    Jun 2024    Landline (Being, Centre for Creative and Cultural Research)

    Feb 2024     no good at sport (Finding My Feet, Melbourne Poets Union)

    Feb 2024     Seagrass Meadow (Finding My Feet, Melbourne Poets Union)

    Dec 2023     Settler’s Debt (Telling Australia’s Truth, Ginninderra Press)

    Sep 2023     Liquefy (Poetry D’Amour 2023, WA Poets Inc)

    Sep 2023     The Ocean of You (Poetry D’Amour 2023, WA Poets Inc)

    Dec 2022      dried apricots  (Shoot the Breeze, Girls on Key)

    Nov 2021      The Scientific Astrologer  (Eclectic Words, Geelong Writers Inc)

    May 2021      too late  (Milestones, Ginninderra Press)

    May 2020     Apis  (From the Inside Looking Out, Geelong Writers Inc)

    May 2020     We Ride the Night  (From the Inside Looking Out, Geelong Writers Inc)

    May 2020     Intergalactic Tourism  (I Protest, Ginninderra Press)

    Sep 2019       Gunnug Batur  (Mountain Secrets, Ginninderra Press)

    Aug 2019       Recipe For A Poem  (Brushstrokes: Ros Spencer Poetry Contest 2016-19, WA Poets Inc)

     

    Chapbooks

    Aug 2024   Anthropocene (Queensland Writers Centre)

     

    Journals

    Dec 2024     Notes to a Magpie Sitting on a Fence, Carolling to the Trees (Australian Poetry Journal, Issue 13.2: Desire)

    Dec 2023      Places You’ll Never Go and Things You Won’t See (Kalliope X, Issue 5: Spring)

    Nov 2023     Light Years (Science Write Now, Issue 9: Migration)

    Nov 2023     Yesterday is Today: the Migration of Memory (Science Write Now, Issue 9: Migration)

    Jul 2023        At the Foothills of the Dandenong Ranges (Jacaranda Journal)

    Jul 2023        Complicit: A Visual History of ‘Australia’ Since Invasion (Axon)

    Mar 2023      Uncanny Valley (Mantissa Poetry Review, Issue 2: Re)

    Mar 2023      Attention: Ferntree Gully (December 2020) (Mantissa Poetry Review, Issue 2: Re)

    Dec 2022       $7.86 (hākārā, Issue 17: Repetition)

    Dec 2022       Iteration (October 2022) (hākārā, Issue 17: Repetition)

    Oct 2022        Dystopian Dreams  (Eye to the Telescope, Issue 46: Quest)

    Sep 2022       The Poisoned Path  (The Crow, September 2022)

    Aug 2022       Life Support  (Gems Zine, Issue 22: Nature)

    Aug 2022       paper garden  (Gems Zine, Issue 22: Nature)

    Feb 2022        a different brew  (Burrow, February 2022: Gifting)

    Feb 2022        binding threads  (Burrow, February 2022: Gifting)

    Feb 2022        Catching Some Zeds  (Burrow, February 2022: Gifting)

    Feb 2022        The Toddy Tappers  (Cordite, Issue 104: Kin)

    Dec 2021        A Good Listener  (The Crow)

    Dec 2021        going viral  (The Victorian Writer, Summer 2021: Transformation)

    Aug 2021       all she left unsaid (Rochford Street Review, Issue 32)

    Aug 2021        Come Out and Play  (Rochford Street Review, Issue 32)

    Aug 2021        on the ferny creek trail  (Rochford Street Review, Issue 32)

    Aug 2021        Shimmer  (Rochford Street Review, Issue 32)

    Aug 2021        Summer Alive  (Rochford Street Review, Issue 32)

    Aug 2021        Two Girls and a Swing  (Rochford Street Review, Issue 32)

    Aug 2021        A Lexicon  (Pocketry, Issue 2)

    Jul 2021          Shelter  (More than Melanin, Issue 2: Intimacy in Solitude)

    Jun 2021         Nana’s Kitchen  (The Crow)

    May 2021        Vanishing Point  (Teesta Review Journal, Volume 4)

    May 2021        Kama Kunna Ena  (Teesta Review Journal, Volume 4)

    Mar 2021        White Fragility  (Not Very Quiet, Issue 8: Mask)

    Feb 2021         Never Seen  (Cordite, Issue 100: Brownface)

     

    Zines

    May 2025  Love vs Autumn (Slamtidote)

    Dec 2024   Haiku in the Hills (editor AJ D’Costa)

     

    Other

    Mar 2025     Far Flung Seeds (Phone-a-Poem, Red Room poetry)

    Sep 2024       by the book haiku (Poetry on the Big Screen at Northbridge Piazza, 2024 Perth Poetry Festival)  

    Sep 2024       introduced species (Poetry on the Big Screen at Northbridge Piazza, 2024 Perth Poetry Festival)

    Dec 2019       Edifice (Receipt Poetry, Yarra Libraries)

     

    Prizes

    Jul 2025        Longlisted                       Liquid Amber Poetry Prize

    Jun 2025      Longlisted                        Kathryn Purnell Poetry Prize

    Oct 2024       Longlisted                        2024 Frontier OPEN Poetry Prize   

    Apr 2024       Shortlisted                       Heroines’ Anthology (Volume 5, Global Poetry Edition)

    Oct 2023       Highly Commended       University of Canberra Vice Chancellor’s International Poetry Prize

    Oct 2023       Longlisted                         University of Canberra Vice Chancellor’s International Poetry Prize

    Oct 2022       Shortlisted                        Jean Stone Award   

    Aug 2022      Winner                              Red Room 30 in 30 Daily Winner, Day Four

    May 2022      Shortlisted                       Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Writing: Open Poetry Section

    Oct 2017        Winner                              Elyne Mitchell Prize: Non-Fiction Bonus Prize

     

    Residencies

    Sep 2024       Highly Commended       Terra, Varuna Residential Fellowship

     

     

  • Littlefoot & Co Spoken Word

    IP - Littlefoot & Co (March 2021)

    Last night saw me heading south to Bunjil Place in Narre Warren for the Littlefoot and Co spoken word night. Bunjil Place is an incredible venue. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, it's well worth the trip. They have an incredible program of events throughout the year and the building is state of the art.

    It was a wonderful night of spoken word and poetry with perfomances from first time poets right through to the 2020 Australian Poetry Slam Champion, Ren Alessandra. Spoken word gigs are a roller coaster of emotion as the poets take you on a wild ride through their experiences and imaginations. What I love about spoken word and the poetry community here in Melbourne is how welcoming they are. It doesn't matter if you're a novice or a superstar, everyone gets an enthusiastic reception. Of course, part of what makes this particular event so special is its hosts, Eden and Josh.

    It was only the second time I've perfomed live since lockdown ended and it was wonderful to be back on stage. For once, I didn't preplan or rehearse everything I was going to say. I wasn't even 100% sure what poems I was going to recite. I was too busy before hand to prepare so I decided to try something new and wing it!

    I had a few poems I was thinking about performing but it wasn't until the gig was underway that I made my final choice. I recited My Words and The Shift which are about the creative porcess of writing a poem and I finished with Never Seen which was published in Brownface, issue 100 of Cordite.

    It was interesting performing in this way – with no practice or preparation. I liked speaking off the cuff about my poems and I wasn't too nervous either. Perhaps it was because I wasn't trying to be perfect and get all the words to my intorduction right. Maybe it's because it was familiar and I've done it before. Whatever the reason, I really appreicated the feeling of being comfortable on stage and behind the microphone. I found I still knew My Words and The Shift off by heart even though it's been a while since I've perfomed them. It was like slipping into an old and familiar jumper that's cosy and warm. 

    The night ended with two original songs from a local songwriter and musician. This is one of the best spoken gigs in Melbourne and I'll definitely be going back for more poetry goodness!

     

  • You’ve Got Mail!

    Wild Heart 1

    Wild Heart 2

    Wild Heart 3

    Hello. I hope you're well. I just thought I'd send you this virtual postcard to announce my latest creation.

    Inspired by my love of books – reading, writing, drafting, editing, designing and binding – I've created  a poetry chapbook filled with new and original poetry and photography.

    Wild Heart 4

    Wild Heart 5

    It's been quite a journey. The initial design was pretty much done in a weekend back in late January and then I decided to print it myself. Cue spooky music. It was, dear reader, a very brave decision and not as I discovered, for the faint hearted. I spent months going back and forth to my local printer in my quest to get the book just right.

    I invested a lot of money on beautiful paper for the book, spent a lot of time designing the layout not to mention writing the poems and taking the photographs to accompany them. I was determined to get it right. And I finally did. Yay!

    I wanted to create a beautifully bound book, printed on luxurious paper with full colour photos. It's a limited edition print run of only 25 copies in keeping with a small scale, handmade ethos. If you want to see it, you can check it out in my brand new shop.