Indrani Perera

poet, publisher & mentor

Tag: poetry prompts

  • Writing Together

    IP - Writing Together 1

    I had such a fabulous time yesterday at the Kathleen Syme library in Carlton, teaching my poetry workshop, Beyond the Page, to a lovely group of people.

    Beyond the Page is a different kind of poetry workshop. Instead of analysing poems written by other people and then trying to write your own poems, the focus is on what the poets already know and those gifts that they have within themselves. They trick is helping them to find the right key to open that locked box of treasure.

    The poets whole-heartedly embraced all the prompts including hopping about like a grasshopper and blowing in the wind like a tree in a hurricane. I created a mix of movement, drawing and sensory exercises along with poetry prompts to help the writers access their subconscious minds. 

    IP - Writing Together 2

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    After all the preparation and promotion leading up to the workshop, it was so lovely to sit aback and let the poets do their thing. It was so much fun seeing them scribble away and then hear the results of their efforts. It was a real honour and a privilege to hear such raw and fresh writing.

    Thanks to everyone who came! I hope you found the exercises useful and that you can incorporate some of them into your writing  practice.

     

  • Beyond the Page – A Poetry Workshop

    Humanitix 2024 Sonic Poetry Festival Workshop (2160 x 1080 px)
     
    I’m running a poetry workshop, Beyond the Page, on Saturday 7 September in Carlton as part of the Sonic Poetry Festival 2024.
     
    If you're feeling uninspired or stuck in a poetry rut, come along and learn how to neurohack your writing through sound, movement and drawing.
     
    Through exercises and writing prompts, you will:
    • use movement and drawing as part of your writing practice and to access different parts of the brain. 
    • write poems from different points of view, including insects and inanimate objects.
    • write using senses other than sight — especially those of sound and hearing.
     
    Bring your child-like self, a sense of adventure and a willingness to play!
     
    This workshop suits emerging poets wanting to learn new skills as well as more experieienced poets looking to super charge their writing.
     
    Will you join me? Book now!
     
     

  • Haiku in the Hills

    IP - Haiku in the Hills 1

    I drove up into the Dandenong ranges earlyish on Sunday morning for my second poetry workshop of the weekend. This time it was Haiku in the Hills with AJ D'Costa, another Sonic Poetry Festival event which makes three in three days! I love poetry month – there's so many amazing things to do!!!  

    We all met up at the gazebo and then AJ took us through a beautifully curated and thought-out walk through the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden in Olinda. We stopped at various places along the way where AJ would give us some haiku theory/history/poems and a prompt for writing our own. As we walked between locations, she asked us to note down our observations which we then turned into haiku at the end. It's been a while since I've been in the hills and I had forgotten how chilly it gets, especially in the mornings at this time of year. Luckily we got moving and I soon warmed up.

    IP - Haiku in the Hills 3

    At the very end of our walk, we stopped in a grassy meadow and spent some time working on our haiku in the sun. After that we had a picnic style lunch with pakoras, samosas, dips, veggie sticks, cheese, apricots, crackers, chai and iced tea – all carried in packs by AJ and Ady, her partner.

    It was a brilliant morning and it's definitely in my top three of all time favourite workshops. It was the perfect combination of walking, writing, talking and eating. And I met so many lovely new people. Huge thanks to AJ and Red Room poetry who gave AJ a micro grant to run the workshop. Aj is an incredibly warm and generous person and donated all the profits for the day to PARA (Palestine Australia Relief & Action), supporting Palestinian refugees in Australia.

     

  • Storylines: Voices in the Street

    IP - Storylines Voices in the Street 1

    Exploring new places is one of my absolute favourite things to do. All those new little nooks and crannies to explore. Those new cafes and bookshops to discover. The hidden gems just waiting to be found. On the weekend I was lucky enough to be able to combine my twin loves of exploring and writing when I caught public transport to the Voices in the Street: Storylines poetry workshop hosted by Mothertoungue, a long running Naarm poetry night.

    It was a rare, sunny day here in late winter and I had an enjoyable stroll from the station to the Ivanhoe library where the workshop was being held. I found the cutest ever bookshop that almost took all my money (but not quite) and a bulk food store that had the best trail mix ever and gorgeous mini white Persian figs. Oh my.  They were so good that I went back and bought more after the workshop!

    When I walked into the workshop room I was greeted with a table filled with art supplies, flowers, leaves, feathers, an emu egg and a couple of coolamons made by Aunty Sharon. It was my first clue that this workshop was going to be anything but ordinary!

    IP - Storylines Voices in the Street 2

    Aunty Sharon Hughes and Kristen Munro from the Storylines Aboriginal Writers Group were our facilitators. We started with a beautiful movement practice led by Kristin that called on the land and the elements. We were guided through a fabulous writing prompt to create five lines of poetry. We then learnt how to make mini books and spent the rest of the afternoon happily collaging and decorating our mini books with the art supplies on the table.

    It was so wonderful to be making something with my hands again. Poetry, art and books? I was in heaven!

    Thanks Aunty Sharon, Kristin and Mothertongue for a fabulous afternoon!

     

  • Boxed

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    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!

     

  • Tagged and Tied

    IP - Tagged and Tied 1

    I've been collecting various bits of paper ephemera and craft supplies for quite some time. Years in some cases. I find it impossible to walk out of an art or craft store without taking home something that may come in handy. Like the tags and labels in the above photo. I had no idea what I was going to use them for but I just couldn't resist. I mean how could I? They look so evocative and welcoming, just sitting there. You can imagine them as part of some bygone store or era. Luckily for me vintage, is in. But really, does it ever go out of style?

    IP - Tagged and Tied 2

    You'll be pleased to know that I have actually used all of the items for a new project. Of course it has to be The Circus of Similes, my current obsession. The cardboard label has become a nameplate for the Circus of Similes. I don't know where it's going yet but figuring it out as I go is part of the fun!

    IP - Tagged and Tied 3

    Repurposing old items and giving them new life is something I've been trying to do more of lately. Whether that's turning clothes into cleaning rags or using old jars to store herbs, there's something deeply satisfying about using what you've got to make what you need. 

    I originally created a ticket design for The Circus of Similes to post on this website's home page. Then idea was that it gave the visitor a free ticket to enter to The Circus. At some point I had the brainwave of printing out these tickets and pasting them on to these baggage tags.

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    I also added the tickets to these teeny tiny wooden tags. How cute do they look?

    Creating all these vintage styled items has combined my twin loves of digital and handmade. Making things for The Circus is proving to be a bridge between designing things online and crafting things with my hands. And going back to childhood with the glue and the scissors. Looks like cut and paste is back in people!

     

  • On Cephalopods

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    I was so stoked when I discovered these cute little octopi online. 

    They look a lot like the octopus that adorns the front page of the Travelling Light mini book, located in the mysterious Hall of Mirrors, which you'll find on my latest creation, The Circus of Similes.

    These cephalopods are keeping good company with a key to the Escapologist's Trunk and an arrow that matches The Circus of Similes logo. All resting on a calico drawstring bag.

    If you've been following along, you'll know that The Circus is the place where poetry goes to play and it's the place where you can go to find fun downloads to inspire your own poetic masterpieces. And it's all free!! But not the octopi or its new friends. I don't think I can bear to part with them yet.

     

     

  • Cut and Paste

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    It's been a while since I got out the scissors and glue for some good old fashioned cut and paste action. There's something super satisyfing about sticking things on envelopes. Especially if you only have to do a few. It's nowhere near as fun when you have to do thousands as I have done in past lives and former jobs.

    But this project is different because it's a labour of love. It's also a return to handmade for me as I have been spending lots of time creating digital objects instead of three dimensional ones. It's so lovely to be working with paper once more. The texture under the fingers and the sharp creased edges are so evocative. And it's so satisfying to see all the finished envelopes (made by Ecocern in Australia from recycled paper of course) sitting there in that box waiting to be filled.

    I'm taking images and downloads from my side project, The Circus of Similes, and creating gifts for some friends. Filled with vintage illustrations, my own designs, prompts and invitations to be creative. I hope they like it!

     

  • The Alchemist’s Retort

    !P - Alcehmist's Retort 1

    As a family, we've played many games over the years and we have so much fun. Of course, there's also all the other emotions as well like frustration when someone steals your card or disappointment when you lose. Just like poetry, games have all the feels! 

    For a long time I've been wanting to try my hand at creating a game of my own. Bringing together all the best bits of the games I've played along with my own unique flavour and perspective. Of course any game I make will revolve around words, writing and poetry. That's a given. To that end I've been collecting word games for some time now – trying to see how they are structured and what makes them great.

    Scrabble and Boggle are the two old school games that come to mind when you think of words games but there are more out there. If you're interested in checking out some of my collection, you can read my posts on Literary Games, Poetry Games, and Prompts.

    !P - Alcehmist's Retort 2

    !P - Alcehmist's Retort 3

    As always I have about a million different ideas on the go and the challenge is finding the one that works. I had to abandon some of my ideas because I don't have time at the moment to do them justice. Given all the other stuff happening in my life right now, I needed a game that was relatively straightforward to design and create. Once I realised that I also realised that the perfect place to 'publish' it would be on my Circus of Similes website. 

    So without further ado, here's a sneak preview of The Alchemist's Retort.  If you want to grab your very own copy head on over to the Escapologist's Trunk now and download it for free!

  • Paint It Up

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    My daughters have been getting into the pouring paints recently. It looked like heaps of fun and once I found these cute little book shaped boxes I just had to give it a go myself. What's not to like about a wooden book that's hollow inside for storing all your treasures?

    It was really good to get back into making something with my hands and to be doing some art as well. I'd forgotten what it was like. Starting out full of hope, getting a bit despondent part way through when it all looks like a mess and then realising that it's finished and didn't turn out too badly. It takes a bit of time and distance for me to be able to think I've made something great. 

    I had so much fun that I've been making lots of these. Playing with different colour combinations and varying my technique slightly.

    IP - Paint It Up 3

    I'm going to use this box to store all my downloads from The Circus of Similes.