I am so excited to announce that James and the wonderful team at Dymocks, Knox City, are now stocking copies of my latest book of poetry, Pas De Deux, as well as my first collection, Defenestration!
I'm super excited to see my books on the shelves at a bookshop and on the shelf next to Sylvia Plath. I still can't quite believe it's true!
by Indrani Perera
the bone bride
the devil’s plight
walking abroad
this long night
the bone bride
the devil’s stride
coming for me
this dark tide
the bone bride
the devil’s strife
takes me away
from this cold life
Listen to the audio recording here:
The Bone Bride by Indrani Perera
This poem appears in Pas De Deux, Indrani Perera’s second collection of poetry.
by Indrani Perera
eat the animals
rend the flesh
fierce hunter
run on
sing the pain
tell the truth
story teller
run on
bend the line
feel the pause
sensitive reader
run on
Listen to the audio recording here:
This poem appears in Pas De Deux, Indrani Perera’s second collection of poetry.
by Indrani Perera
the blood, the blood
runs deep
they say
the earth, the earth
stands firm
the air, the air
smells sweet
they say
the earth, the earth
stands firm
the tears the tears
heal all
they say
my soul
my soul
still burns
Listen to the audio recording here:
This poem appears in Pas De Deux, Indrani Perera’s second collection of poetry.
by Indrani Perera
joy popped round last week
unannounced
for a brief visit
I was rushing around the house
in my trackky dacks
putting away the groceries
getting dinner on and washing the dishes
if I’d have known she was popping in
I would have brushed my hair
put on some glitter and a clean pair of jeans
she stayed long enough to share
the beauty and wonder
or my daughters’ imaginary play
just as I was beginning to see
she left
as quickly as she came
Listen to the audio recording here:
A Friend of Mine by Indrani Perera
This poem appears in Pas De Deux, Indrani Perera’s second collection of poetry.
by Indrani Perera
sun kissed
skin
sting
wind whipped
hair
blind
rock wrecked
feet
pierced
wave washed
body
wham!
burnt, messy
dirty, salty
breathless
– here
Listen to the audio recording here:
Summer Alive by Indrani Perera
This poem appears in Pas De Deux, Indrani Perera’s second collection of poetry.
There's a thrill that comes when you see your words in print and your name on the cover of a book. There's also a deep sense of satisfaction and completion. You've managed to get your book this far and now it's ready to go out into the world and meet new people. I wonder if they will be friendly…
As a writer, I am looking for an audience; a reader to complete my work and connect with my words, thoughts and ideas. To dance with them as they dip into the pages. Most things I do come back to connection and writing is no different. It's just another way I can connect with the people and the world around me by sharing the things that I notice.
All I've said so far is true but creatively speaking, I said goodbye to the poems in this collection a long time ago. I still perform my favourites on stage at open mics but there are many pieces in here that I have forgotten about. However, now that I have a copy to flick through and pore over, I am looking forward to finding forgotten gems. Some of these poems were written over three years ago and opening the pages to see them again is a little like seeing an old friend after many years apart. I wonder if we will still have things in common or if we will get on?
A big thank you to everyone who attended the launch of Pas De Deux, last night and made it such a success.
Here's just one of the comments from last night's chat:
'Absolutely gorgeous. I love your words, and your voice – there’s nothing like hearing you read your work yourself…. Encore!' Sue Totterdell
An especial thank you to the lovely Caz Masel who launched the book and said so many nice things about it. I loved listening to Caz read some of my poems and I got a kick of hearing her compare me to Samuel Taylor Coleridge. High praise!
And of course a huge thank you must go to Stephen Matthews at Ginninderra Press who published Pas De Deux, my second collection of poetry. I am forever in Stephen's debt for first publishing the young, aspiring poet Indrani Perera (late last century as my girls like to remind me!) and for continuing to believe in my poetry, twenty-three years later.
An honorary mention must also go to Joan Fenney, editor of the journal The Crow, who battled tech issues to finally join the zoom.
If you'd like to purchase a copy of Pas De Deux or my previous collection, Defenestration, head on over to the Ginninderra Press website or visit Book Depository. You can also get your hands on electronic version if you prefer digital.
It’s incredible to finally have actual, physical copies of my book instead of peering at proofs on a screen. To be able to hold it in my hands and flip through the pages. And you know, to see my name on the cover.
Designing the cover and getting it right was a big process. I went through many ideas before this final version. I knew I wanted a drawing of a bird, a welcome swallow in fact, but finding the image was a challenge. It turns out there aren't too many pictures of welcome swallows in the public domain!
In the end I ended up drawing it myself which meant learning to use a new, open source program to create the image. First I drew the bird on paper, then loaded it on to the computer and finally I traced around it. I'm sure there's an easier way to do it but as a beginner in drawing on a computer this is what worked for me.
Like most things it took way longer than anticipated but I think that it was well worth all the effort!
Hint: it's not a cat…