Tuesday poem: Rest and silence
June 26, 2023
The last woman looks up, languid, at the three moons hanging in the sky, and thinks of fruit, although she’s not seen an apple for ten years. How strange to be the last woman, she thinks, you’d think I’d be extraordinary, rather than simply the last. She scratches her scalp, realises that the bugs will outlast her, for at least for a week or so. She feels she should record thoughts, have a sudden itch for poetry, erupting like a wordy pimple. But there would be no-one to read it, should she drum out an elegy, despite that superfluity of moons, enough to drive a Wordsworth mad. She decides to nap the species into oblivion. The last woman yawns. PS Cottier
The book of poems made up of those originally published on this blog, called Tuesday’s Child is Full, has received a couple of positive reviews recently; here and here. That’s at Compulsive Reader and The Canberra Times. Both like the humour, which is refreshing.
Poem: This is a poem, not a listicle
February 9, 2023
This is a poem, not a listicle. It tastes like leather. If you listen you will soon note that it speaks bad French. It has never been to France. It bought cheap steroids in Bali. It would like to contain the word 'roseate', but can't. It read itself out loud just last week and was well received. It just watched the film The Brain from Planet Arous. It keeps reciting 'After I'm gone, your earth will be free to live out its miserable span of existence, as one of my satellites, and that's how it's going to be...' It can't translate that into French. This is a poem, not a listicle. PS Cottier
A poem dating back to 2015, published here once before, which shows that I was watching too many old science fiction films! I will be posting newer, even new, work here again soon.
But first I have a launch of the book V8 (written by Sandra Renew and one PS Cottier) at Smiths, Alinga Street Civic on Monday 13th, 7pm. Sarah St Vincent Welch will launch the book, and there will also be an open mic before readings from the book. In case you’re wondering, V8 is about cars and other vehicles, and is a poetry collection published by Ginninderra Press.
Tuesday’s Child is Full
October 20, 2022
This is the front cover of my latest book, a collection of poems first published on this very blog. I am particularly delighted with that cover, which relates to one poem inside the book about the Australian White Ibis, or tip turkey.
I have been writing this blog for thirteen years, frequently posting new poems, usually on Tuesdays, hence the book’s name. Thank you to all readers who have followed/commented/read the blog.
The book can be ordered here, from In Case of Emergency Press, which is the best name ever! It is priced at $20 (AUD). Re-reading thirteen years of this blog and selecting the poems was an interesting process, only occasionally bringing on a cringe. Dealing with Howard Firkin, the publisher, was a pleasure.
I will shortly be arranging a launch here in Canberra. Details to follow.
New book: V8
September 13, 2022
This is a hand and the cover of my/our new book, called V8, written with most excellent poet Sandra Renew. It’s about cars, utes, motorbikes, bikes, public transport and even the occasional spaceship (well one or two, anyway). Journeys to Russia, through Melbourne, and into the Hindu Kush feature in its pages. It is quite a large poetry book at over 130 pages, and can be ordered here. Ginninderra Press is the publisher, and I really like the cover (and the contents). Thank you to Stephen Matthews.
The process of writing a book with another poet was surprisingly smooth. Sandra and I had noticed that we both write poems about vehicles, so it was an easy step to the idea of having a book on the subject. We will be arranging a launch.
This is the first of two books I will be having published in the next month or so.
Launches
March 11, 2021
Very happy to have a double launch for my books Utterly (Ginninderra Press) and Monstrous (Interactive Press) on Monday. Judith Nangala Crispin launched Utterly from Lajamanu in the Northern Territory by Zoom, and Kaaron Warren launched Monstrous after a fairly probing Q and A session.
What a pleasure to be reading in front of a live audience again at Smiths Alternative in the city (the city being Canberra). The books were published last year, but Covid prevented any live launches or readings.
Utterly can be bought here and Monstrous here. Here’s the cover of Utterly.
PS Cottier 