Indrani Perera

poet, publisher & mentor

Tag: Rejected Poets – The Game

Burrow

Burrow is an online literary journal that is dedicated to mental health. It is published by Old Water Rat Publishing which is a family affair consisting of Phillip Hall (poetry editor) and daughter Rhiannon Hall (managing editor). They publish poetry and other micro forms on what it means to live with good or poor mental health. They feature poets at every stage but their main focus is on new and emerging poets of any age.

Having a literary journal dedicated to mental health is vital given the current challenges facing humanity and the planet. After two years of a pandemic, lockdowns and isolation we need the solace that self care can bring more than ever. And this is a journal that is '…especially interested in where self-care intersects with such priorities as: ecopoetics, postcolonialism, ekphrasis, progressive religion & secularism.'

I am excited to announce that three of my poems are featured in the most recent issue of Burrow - Gifting (February 2022). It's humbling to be rubbing virtual shoulders with such Australian poetry luminaries as Anne Elvey and Owen Bullock.

My suite of poems is called Gifts that Bind and the poems are a different brew, binding threads and Catching Some Zeds. The first two poems are about the eco-dyed notebooks I made and you can see pictures of them in Burrow. The third poem is about giving yourself a break and taking a nap instead of ticking off more things on the never ending list of things to do.

The handmade poems bring together my twin passions of writing and making. Both creative endeavours – one featuring hands, the other head – are filled with heart. And of course, the poems speak to the joy of making things for someone you love. I am so excited to have poems that are about my experiences of creating things with my hands published in a literary journal!

If you are in need of some self care, I would highly recommend checking out the most recent issue of Burrow.

February 21, 2022
Tidal River

The ocean. The horizon. Mount Oberon. The river. Wildlife. Friends.

Five days camping and sleeping under the stars.

Bliss.

February 18, 2022
What Next?

I am feeling a real shift in my energies in the last couple of weeks. After having crashed and burned in January, I'm rising from the ashes ready to fashion a new self. But who will I be?

Okay, that's a tad dramatic. Perhaps it's more about fashioning a new routine or crafting a better life. You know, being mindful about what I want to do and where I want to spend my energy. Because let's face it all resources, even energy, are finite.

I'm really feeling the pull to return to handmade and making objects I need with my hands. I haven't really done any craft for a couple of years and I miss it. Desperately. Buying things isn't anywhere near as fulfilling as creating something with your own hands.

I'm also wanting to spend more time with my gorgeous girls – learning, growing and laughing together. I've been so busy with my projects (especially with Pocketry) and serving other people that I haven't had as much time for them. And they are smart and funny and full of plans and energy. It is so wonderful to watch them grow into the people they are meant to be. When I look at them I realise how precious and short our time here is. Soon they will be flying the coop and I want to savour all our time together.

The other thing I am keen to do is dive into the three million writing projects I have buzzing around in my brain. Ideas for collections of poems that want to be written. Plans for mini books featuring my poetry and photography. Playing with words, illustrations and design to create digital pieces. Delving into non fiction and essay writing. Taking my rewilding experiences with Firekeepers of the last six years and learning to write about Australian nature. I've got so many ideas, it's wonderful!

What are your plans for the coming year?

February 11, 2022
Back On The Bike

I woke up this morning all groggy and fuzzy (it's both a reality and a metaphor for how I've been feeling of late). The aim of getting up early was to get some work done before the kids woke up. It was my attempt to get back into the swing of things after taking January off. But the thought of sitting down at my computer wasn't appealing at all. Once I opened the curtains and saw that the sun was just getting up my decision seemed more simple – go for a ride and see the sun rise.

It feel so good to be back on the bike. There was so much beauty in the morning with the birds already awake and excited about the day. It's hard not to feel good when you hear them so busy and joyful all around you. I think it was the magpie I heard when I was still lying in bed that planted the seed for this adventure. Lying there under the doona, half asleep and hearing her carol in the dawn was a wonderful way to wake.

I stoped about a million times along the way to take photos and drink in the beauty all around me. I feel like I've been asleep to all that gorgeousness for the last month while my brain went AWOL. And now, after my morning ride through beauty, I am coming into focus.

February 9, 2022
Bushranger’s Bay

It's great having friends who know places to go to around Melbourne. And it's even better to spend a day with those friends visiting one of those places. Especially when that friend is knowledgeable about plants and which ones are good to eat like the native raspberry that was growing alongside the path or the saltbush berries nestled in the leaves.

Travelling with friends has you doing unexpected things and this list was no different. We climbed the massive rock that was next to the beach and stood on the top of it perilously close to the edge in the strong winds blowing in off the water.

Just in case that wasn't enough to get the blood pumping I then got dumped in the waves and churned like milk into a pat of butter. I loathe being dumped and getting salt water up my nose and down the back of my throat. Nothing like a good dunking to know that you're alive (and thank goodness I still was!).

We'd never been to Bushranger's Bay before and enjoyed the walk to the beach and back along the sandy track. We even saw a wallaby in the bushes next to the path as we walked down to the beach. And then on the way back there was an echidna!

With the pandemic and restricted overseas travel we have been doing a lot more travel close to home and I am falling in love with our own unique Australian animals. It's all too easy to think that all the spectacular and amazing things are overseas and that I have to spend a fortune and hop on a place to see them when the reality is, this country (and any country for that matter) is incredible. All you need to do is have an open mind and a willingness to explore.

January 31, 2022
Writing is Thinking

During the very first lockdown here in Melbourne in March 2020 I was filled with a sense of peace and relief at the free time I had spreading out to become large enough to breathe and craft and think. Leading up to that lockdown I had been super busy and pulled in so many different directions that I gladly took on the chance to press pause on all my commitments.

During lockdown six (!) in August 2021, I was trying to recapture the feelings of the first lockdown by doing the same things but unsurprisingly it didn't work. I didn't feel like doing the same things because I was in a different place mentally and emotionally. Instead of being relieved to be at home, I was dying to get out of the house. To be able to spread my wings, see people and explore.

And I only realised why it didn't work and why those projects are gathering dust when I started blogging here again. Writing about my experience and what has been happening for me over the last few months has allowed me to get it out of my head so I can see it clearly. Writing really is thinking for me!

How do you process what is happening to you? Do you write or move or sing?

January 12, 2022
Cut The I

I have been trying to push my craft to see how good I can make my writing. It's why I do workshops all the time. I feel like an eternal student – always curious, always learning.

At the end of last year I completed the Poetics of Reticence class with Eve Grubin through the Poetry School in London. It was a fantastic 10 weeks of reading, writing, sharing and commenting on poetry. I love doing these kinds of workshops because I find being part of a group pushes me to write better things. And of course the tutor brings their expertise and particular way of looking at poetry which then informs my writing.

I don't want to keep writing the same poems again and again. I want to experiment with form and play with ideas. I want to get better at saying what can't be said. At hinting at those big things that concern us all.

I find it very easy to whip up a typical narrative plainsong style poem but I am interested in learning how to be more lyrical. I want to add metaphor and beautiful language to the plainsong.

I am also interested in writing more universally and less from the perspective of indulgent navel gazing. Okay, okay, I know that's a little harsh but I'd like to write less poems that have 'I' in every other line. In fact, I'm experimenting with not using it at all.

What are you experimenting with in your writing?

January 5, 2022
When To Let Go

In the last couple of years I've managed to create a few things that I am quite proud of. But there's one project from this year in particular that's still hanging around, haunting me. It's almost but not quite done because I haven't had the time to finish it. Or, if the truth be told, I haven't made the time.

I keep planning a certain month when I will clear the slate and focus on getting this project done. I tell myself, 'Oh yes. In November I will have done x,y and z and I will have time to finish this thing.' And then November rolls around and I manage to find other more urgent, more important things that need to be done.

There's another project that's been hanging around even longer and I keep forgetting it even exists. I have no idea if or when it will ever get finished. Which raises an interesting question about which projects get finished and which never see the light of day. It's not always the best ideas that come to fruition either. I wish there was a magic formula for figuring out which ones were the best so I could focus on them but unfortunately my creativity doesn't seem to work that way.

After my recent trip to Wye River I came home without any urge to check my do list or tick off items. I faffed around the house for a bit. Lay on the couch with a mystery gastro bug for a bit. Stared mindlessly out the window. Got lost in some internet rabbit holes. Pretty much just messed around not doing anything much. And then one morning while the rest of the house was still asleep I woke up without any clear goal or intention. I thought to myself, 'I'll just sit down at the computer and see what happens.'

These are my favourite days by the way. The ones where I don't have a set plan and I just noodle around following my curiosity and seeing where I end up. It's at times like these that my creativity feels the most bold and free. Its when I get the most passionate and excited and lose hours at a time.

I ended up starting a grand, new project. One that's going to mean going and learning a bunch of new skills like essay writing and creative non-fiction. I think I'll need to buy some books and do some research as well. So basically all my happy things – writing, books, reading, learning new things – wrapped up in one new project!

And just like that, I suddenly found myself thinking of ways to finish the project that's been bugging me. It turns out I can't let go of one project until I have another that I have started or lined up.

And you know what? I know this about myself but I forget it every time! Maybe I need to trust the process more 🙂

December 28, 2021
Between Pen and Paper

When I start a project I have heaps of creativity and enthusiasm. After the initial rush wears off, I settle into a bit of a groove and find my focus. Towards the end I get bored and have to push myself to finish. If I don’t, there’s a feeling that I won’t ever complete it. However, if I rush through the end, there’s the risk that I will botch it or don’t do it jsuctice.

It’s a delicate balancing act between getting the thing done and making it as good as it can be. I have a tendency to say, it’s good enough and claim it’s done. I’m wanting to push through that initial feeling of near enough is good enough and get to a new place of wow, this is brilliant!

But keeping the enthusiasm going can be hard. After a while doubt starts to creep in. For me the real danger is letting that doubt take hold and abandoning the project. I haven’t yet quite worked out how to push through the doubt and keep working on something that I know needs that last little bit of oomph to make it shine.

What do you struggle with in your writing or creative practice?

December 21, 2021
Grand Plans

I had grand plans for our family get-away to Wye River. I was going to get up early and swim in the ocean every morning. I imagined the salt water cleansing and washing away all the stress and anxiety of the past year (As if it's the ocean's responsibility to care for me.) I pictured myself sitting on the warm sand, starting out to sea, letting my gaze linger on the horizon and feeling my shoulder relax as I shed the weight of houses and people that surround me at home.

In reality, it was cold, much colder than Melbourne, and overcast a lot of the time so I didn't feel much like swimming. And if I'm honest, after all the busy and dong of 2021, I just really wanted to sit and do nothing. So that's what I did.

I spent a lot of time sitting on the couch in the photo and gazing at the hill covered in trees outside the window. Miss Eleven spent all her time making friends and playing survival tag on the giant air pillow. Miss Fifteen hung out in the cabin, chatting, playing guitar or listening to music on her phone.

I did some reading, some snoozing and an awful lot of staring out the window. Oh and I ate a hell of a lot of chocolate! It was so peaceful. I miss it already!

December 19, 2021