Indrani Perera

poet, publisher & mentor

Tag: photos

Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion

This was my first visit to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (or ACMI as it's better known) at Federation Square and I was really impressed with the enticing looking exhibition spaces leading off from the main entrance and foyer. We were there to see the Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion exhibition but I could easily have spent more time exploring the rest of the gallery.

The start of the exhibition featured glamorous goddesses and screen icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Madonna wearing iconic pink dresses symbolising femininity.

The exhibition included posters, magazines, costumes, photographs and moving images from a wide variety of films with women in starring roles. There were Hollywood and Bollywood stars, African and Asian actors as well as gender busting pioneers. We saw sultry screen sirens such as Marelne Dietrich and Mae West who got around the Hayes Code for morality with innuendo and double entendre. The Hayes Code forbade among other things the portrayal of mixed race relationships and sex outside of marriage.

I often think that the funny thing about the past is the way that we think people were less enlightened, less progressive, less everything really. But it's not the case as you can see from the movie poster above of When Roaring Gulch Got Suffrage, made early last century. Women have fought for equality for a very long time.

My favourite parts of this exhibition were the clips and exhibits about films in other languages. There was a short from the Indian film, Pakeezah (1972), starring Meena Kumari that took an incredible fifteen years to make. Unfortunately Kumari died three weeks after the film's premiere and she didn't live to see its success in both India and Pakistan. Audiences fell in love with the costumes and would buy their tailors tickets to the movie so they could make them clothes based on those of the film.

You've probably never heard of Anna May Wong. Don't worry, I hadn't either but we should know her name. She was an Asian American actor and movie star working in Hollywood in the 1920s and 30s. Unfortunately she was limited to playing either the villainous Dragon Lady or the subservient White Lotus. Due to the Chinese Exclusion Act which fuelled anti-Chinese sentiment, Chinese characters were viewed as villains. Any nuanced Chinese roles went to white actors such as German Luise Rainer who won an Oscar for her 'yellowface' performance in The Good Earth (1937), a role Wong had lobbied to play.

There was also a 1906 French comedy from Alice Guy-Blaché, Les Résultats du féminisme (Consequences of Feminism) that did a gender switch and had the men sewing and ironing while the women smoked, drank and made a mess. At the end of this seven minute satire, the men overthrow the matriarchy and gain their freedom.

Unusually for an exhibition, it left me wanting more. I could have easily spent another hour or two immersed in the world of screen goddesses. I would have loved to have seen African, Indigenous, Latinx, Eastern European, Asian cinema and actors represented in more depth and detail. But this was a good beginning.

Seeing this exhibition made me want to rewrite the histories and our narratives to include a much wider and broader range of woman. After seeing the Cressida Campbell exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra earlier in the year and talking to a friend about history books that are writing women back into the narrative, I am hopeful that we are on the crest of a wave, make that a tsunami, that will wash away the past and bring equality to our art, our screens, our books and our histories.

June 19, 2023
Liminal Spaces, Beyond the Page Workshop

Has the muse left you and inspiration fled? Do you find it hard to put into words your feelings, thoughts and emotions? Are you stuck in a rut with your writing — revisiting the same metaphors and line breaks again and again? How can you see the world with new eyes so that your writing becomes fresh and imaginative once more? Don’t worry, help is at hand with this two hour workshop that aims to get you out of your rut and thinking in new and different ways.

The key to writing differently is to learn to think and do things differently. Which isn’t as easy as it sounds as anyone who’s tried to break a habit will know. But it is possible and in this workshop you’ll get out of your head and creep into the cracks by exploring the spaces in between. Bring your child-like self, a sense of adventure and a willingness to play. Through movement, sound and drawing you’ll discover how to write poems that move beyond the page.

Bring along any art supplies that feel inspiring (coloured pencils, textas, watercolour paints etc) as well as journals, sheets of blank paper etc. It’s an excuse to go wild in the stationery section. If you want to stick with pen and paper that’s fine too but no screens please.

There will be time during the workshop to share your work with the rest of the group. Sharing is optional and positive feedback is encouraged. This workshop is suitable for poets at any level from emerging to established. Please come at least 5 minutes early so we can start on time.

Liminal Spaces – Beyond is Page, is part of an incredible line-up of events at this year's Perth Poetry Festival where I'll be appearing as a National Guest Poet alongside Juan Garrido-Slagado from South Australia and Jean Kent from New South Wales as well as International Guest Poet Srijato Bandyopadhyay from India and Local Guest Poets Lisa Collyer, Caitlin Maling, Talya Ruben and Luoyang Chen.

Workshop Details

Facilitator: Indrani Perera

Event: Perth Poetry Festival 2023

Organiser: WA Poets Inc

Time: 9.00 – 11.00am AWST

Date: Saturday 16th September 2023

Venue: Centre for Stories. 100 Aberdeen St, Northbridge, WA

Cost: $25-30

Book your tickets for the workshop here.

(early bird discount availabe until 1 July 2023)

June 7, 2023
Verdant

The latest game on high rotation in this house is Verdant, from Flat Out Games. It's a puzzly, spatial card game for house plant lovers. We can't have house plants because our two cats eat anything green we bring into the house including kale and broccoli on the kitchen table. So the next best thing is this super fun game.

This game is gorgeous and lush with its beautiful plant illustrations, botanical details and descriptions along with the superb components. I'm a sucker for wooden playing pieces and the monsterra leaves that are used to add verdancy to your house plant are sooo cute! It also comes with a customise screen printed bag in which to store the cardboard item tokens.

One of the things I am starting to notice in more recent board games is the new levelled game play on offer. Typically this looks like a basic set-up as an introduction to the game with some bonus goals that can be added later to make the game more difficult and up the level to advanced.

Calico which is from the same designers has a similar layered playing level mechanic going on. I picked up a copy of Calico when I backed Verdant on Kickkstarter and it was the game that we were playing at the end of last year. At the time I couldn't believe that the Verdant was the game I backed but wasn't being played. You must never know what the people are going to go nuts for. And Calico is all about cute cats so I guess it was understandable.

So far we have only played Verdant in the introductory mode and I look forward to trying out the bonus goals once we have nailed the basics. Oh and the Kickstarter copy which we have also comes with the spotless plants expansion, so lots there's lots going on to make this game super replayable.

June 5, 2023
The Gift

The right word or idea at the right time is a gift. It can take you from where you are, flailing in the mud and set you back on your path. Or perhaps on another one nearby. Or turn you around completely. Whatever it does, it gets you out of your rut and moving again. At least that's how I feel after attending the incredible Poetry Retreat with Pádraig Ó Tuama the other weekend.

Pádraig has such a love for poetry as is evident in his Poetry Unbound podcasts which have over a million listeners! But it was being in the room with him and hearing him recite lines he had learnt by heart that really hit home. His love of language and skill with words infected me with a new enthusiasm for poetry.

I've spent the last few years doing as many poetry and writing workshops as humanly possible with Australian and overseas organisations including Writers Victoria, Writing NSW Queensland Poetry, Poetry School, Coursera and Masterclass. These classes have been in person, online or on demand. All my 'pocket money' and spare change has been spent on improving my skills, discovering all the things I didn't know and learning from some amazing poets and authors including (in no particular order): Joelle Taylor, Mark Tredinnick, Sara M Saleh, Eve Grubin, Mark Smith, Caitlin MacGregor, Vika Mana, Ellen Van Neeren, Benjamin Dodds, Holly Isemonger, Therese Catanzairiti, Miriam Tag, Andy Jackson, Nicole Brimmer, Morganics, Timmah Ball, Felicity Plunkett, Lou Garcia Dolnik, Jazz Money, Pip Smith, Billy Collins, Jo Weston, Hannah Luddbrook, Douglas Keanny, Maria Takolander, Rebecca Giggs, Deb Abela, Felicity Castanga, Laura Jean McKay, Peter Hill, Inge Simnpson, Vanessa Kirkpatrick and Lee Koffman.

(A side note – if you're wondering how I find the time to do all these classes it's because I don't watch television except for the odd movie here and there and I have an ambivalent relationship with social media. There was also a lockdown and I became a hermit for a while!)

It has been my own personal Master of Creative Writing, specialising in poetry and it has been amazing to learn from these incredible poets. But I recently reached saturation point. And when I look at that long list of names above (which isn't everyone I have studied with in recent times), I can see why. I have written in the company of a lot of incredible people. And I have been diligent in keeping an open mind, meeting the prompts and doing my homework. But… you knew there was a but coming, didn't you?

But I could feel something shifting when the last Writers Victoria program for the first half of this year hit my letterbox. Dear reader, I didn't open it. I haven't opened it. It is still sitting there, unread. Or maybe I've thrown it out. I don't actually know where it is. A year ago, I would have devoured it, circling all the workshops I wanted to attend and then figuring out how many I could afford and then choosing the ones I wanted to do and then working out which ones fit in with the rest of my life. But this time was different. It felt like being in workshops wasn't something I wanted to do anymore (except for Amanda and Dave's Poetry As memoir and … there's always an exception of course!)

And then on the weekend, hearing Pádraig recite Emily Dickinson or read a selection from his forthcoming book Kitchen Hymns (2024), I realised that what I want to do now is spend a few years reading poetry. Devouring it. Buying books from poets and reading them. Borrowing poetry collections form the library or browsing my own shelves to discover hidden gems. Contemporary and classic, I want to read them all!

I'm going to start with this book which Pádraig was kind enough to give each of us a copy. Tell me, what poems are you reading? Which poets set your mind on fire?

June 3, 2023
Perth Poetry Festival 2023

I am honoured to announce that I will be a National Guest Poet at this year's Perth Poetry Festival alongside Juan Garrido-Slagado from South Australia and Jean Kent from New South Wales. We'll be joining International Guest Poet Srijato Bandyopadhyay from India as well as Local Guest Poets Lisa Collyer, Caitlin Maling, Talya Ruben and Luoyang Chen. The festival will take place from 9-17 September 2023 on Whadjuk Noongar land in and around the glorious Western Australian city of Boorlo / Perth.

I've been enviously observing the vibrant Perth Poetry scene from afar for quite some time and I am looking forward to discovering new poets, hearing amazing poetry and being part of it all, even if it's only for a short time. There are so many great poets coming out of Western Australia including Shastra Deo, Madison Godfrey, Scott Patrick Mitchell (who I got to interview in season one of Pocketry Presents), Rashida Murphy, Nadia Rhook and Elfie Shiosaki. And so many workshops I wish I could do, especially those being held at the Wetlands Centre (where Lakshmi R Kanchi is the poet in residence) and at the Centre for Stories.

It's going to be my second visit to the city. The first was with my parents when I was in primary school and I can barely remember anything from that trip. I'm looking forward to rediscovering this west coast city.

WA Poets Inc put on a great festival and there will be performances, open mics, workshops and more!

If this sounds like your cup of tea, you can find the workshops here. There's an early bird discount if you book before 1 July 2023.

May 31, 2023
At the Bookshop

Who knew the game of Memory could be so much fun? I have to admit that over the years we haven’t played too many of the classic games. Apart from Mastermind and Boggle that is. We had a brief foray into the world of Scrabble and an intense period of playing pick up sticks but for the most part, we’ve concentrated on more recent games with their stunning artwork and gorgeous components.

However, I’m always on the lookout for word / writing / poetry games and so I just couldn’t go past this bookish version of Memory when I stumbled across it a bookshop. The gorgeous images of At the Bookshop are by Australian artist, Kim Siew, and you have to match the book cover with its main character.

We’ve been playing it a lot and I’m surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed trying to remember who the main character of High Fidelity is and searching for Gandalf who I am sure is here, somewhere. If you haven’t played Memory in years, and like me enjoy all things books, give this version a go. There’s also an art version by Kim Siew called At The Gallery as well as a museum version, At the Museum. I’m trying (and failing) to convince myself that I don’t need to collect the whole set!

May 29, 2023
Pride and Prejudice

So we have a family rule for movies where we don't watch a movie until we've read the book. In theory anyway. In reality we've seen Around the World in Eighty Days, Freaky Friday, Jumanji, Never Ending Story, Princess Bride, The House With A Clock in Its Walls and The Help – all without ever having read the book. In our defence, most of the time we didn't realise they were books first until after we'd seen the movie.

But there are some movies where I think you need to read the book first. No, strike that, you must read the book first. Which is getting kind of tricky as there aren't a lot of movies that aren't based on books that we can watch that will appeal to the very different tastes of a thirteen and a seventeen year old.

Jane Austen has written so many books that have been turned into movies and tv series and I really want to watch them but we haven't read the books. I have to confess, I haven't read Pride and Prejudice either. So I've decided to revive bed time stories and read a chapter every night. That way we can all get through the book and then we'll have the fun of trying to figure out which adaption to watch first!

May 27, 2023
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.

May 26, 2023
The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion

Hearing Pádraig Ó Tuama reciting lines of poetry by heart at the Poetry Retreat I recently attended made me want to go home and learn to speak in verse. I have a growing collection of books written by poets I have met at gigs and launches as well as ones that I have bought from a shop. Most of the time they sit on the coffee table at home for a while before I put them on a shelf to look pretty and gather dust.

Over the last few years I have been hearing lots of poetry at events and on podcasts. BBC's The Verb and Poetry Unbound being two current favourites. You can also check out my podcast, Pocketry Presents, for Australian flavoured poetry. I have also been attending loads of poetry workshops (a whopping sixty-two in the last & year's!) where I have been introduced to many new poets. But reading? Reading poetry? Not so much.

But that's all changing. Fired with enthusiasm after the first day of the workshop I went home and started searching through my shelves for The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion by Kei Miller. At the retreat, Pádraig read out Always Under Your Breath by Kei Miller and said he was one of his favourite poets. Apparently Pádraig owns all of his works.

I met Kei Miller a few years back when I was in Canberra visiting my folks and attended the Poetry on the Move festival. He was an incredible performer and I immediately bought his book. I flicked through it and read a couple of poems and then… you know what happened, right? The book went on a shelf to gather dust. Until now that is.

I'm about half way through at the moment and really enjoying the cartographer and rastaman's accounts of Babylon and surrounding lands. Miller has an ear for language and captures the two distinct voices well. If you want to hear Kei Miller read some of his poetry, check out Oracabessa.

When I was young(er) books were sacred objects to be handled with care. Don't crease the spine! Don't dog-ear the pages! Keep it looking like new. But then a few years back much to the horror of my eldest daughter, I started writing notes in the non fiction books I was reading. Highlighting phrases, writing notes in the margins. Commenting on passages. That sort of thing. After reading the introduction to Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World by Pádraig Ó Tuama, I decided to do the same with my poetry books. A nice way to remember my favourite lines and a record of my thoughts and feelings at a certain time.

My original plan was to read a book of poetry a week but then life got in the way. Now the aim is for one a month. Twelve books read doesn't sounds as impressive as fifty two but it's a whole lot better than none! I've been wanting to have something to do in an idle moment. A few years ago I used to take craft projects with me wherever I went and they would keep me amused while waiting. But in spite of making a wrist brace recently I'm still not making things with my hands. Now I won't be bored with this new bookish project – to read and read and read poetry!

May 25, 2023
Rosemary and Olive Buckwheat Muffins

It’s baking season and time to fire up the oven!

I’ve been baking these muffins for a few years now but when I went to find the recipe this morning, I realised I hadn’t posted it here. I haven’t baked these since last winter and I couldn't remember the quantities. A brief panic ensued while I searched for the recipe which luckily I eventually found.

Now I'm posting it here so you can share in the goodness of these simple and scrumptious buckwheat muffins and I won't ever have to worry about forgetting the recipe.

Wheat is not the only grain. If you can’t eat gluten, I highly recommend buckwheat. You can use it to make pancakes as well as bake bread and muffins. Even if you do eat gluten, it’s nice to mix things up a little and broaden your food intake and grain choice.

As usual, this recipe is dairy free, gluten free and also sugar free. It also contains eggs which are a great source of protein.

Rosemary and Olive Buckwheat Muffins (makes 36)

300g buckwheat

2 large eggs

500ml filtered water

1 tsp salt

black olives, pitted and cut in half

fresh rosemary, chopped

Pre heat your oven to 180°C (357 F).

Grease a muffin tray with olive oil. I like to use the mini, shallow trays for these muffins.

For this recipe you will need three trays or bake the muffins in rounds.

Grind the buckwheat into flour using a spice/coffee grinder.

Add it to a large mixing bowl with the salt.

Crack an egg into the measuring jug and add half the filtered water.

Whisk until combined. Gradually whisk the egg mixture into the flour in the bowl.

Repeat for the second egg and the remaining water.

Add the chopped rosemary and stir well.

Pour the muffin batter (it will be quite runny) into the prepared muffin trays.

Add olives to each muffin.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with homemade hummus.

May 21, 2023