7th ANNUAL FLYING
ISLANDS POETS’ PICNIC
2024 FLYING ISLANDS POETS’ PICNIC RUNDOWN AND GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
Sunday
8th December, 2024 – from 1 pm
at
878 Markwell Rd, MARKWELL via BULAHDELAH, 2423
This
year’s picnic presents the soft launch of Flying Islands’
eight
new pocket poetry collections:
David Adès’
The Heart’s Lush Gardens
Bronwyn Rodden’s Stranded
Nathaniel O’Reilly’s Separation Blues
Huang Fan’s Flower Ash (translated by Josh Stenberg)
Brian Purcell’s Filmworks
Tug Dumbly’s Tadpoems
Lizz Murphy’s Bitumen Psalms
The
100 – 100 poets from the Flying Islands Poetry Community
RUNDOWN
FOR THE PICNIC
where
we will be launching seven of the eight new books
and
presenting the FI Poetry Manuscript Prize for 2024
AM
– setting up activities for the willing (marquees, etc)
Tour
of the place from 12 noon
Picnic
and music from 1pm
2PM
– First set – M/C – Dael Allison
Richard James Allen launching David
Adès’
The Heart’s Lush Gardens
Matt Shores launching Huang Fan’s Flower Ash (translated by Josh Stenberg)
Prize Ceremony
for the 2024 Flying Islands’
Manuscript Competition for a first volume of poetry –
Awarded to Damien Becker for his book
Thin Reed Throat
followed by a musical interlude
3.15
– Second set – M/C – Rob Edmonds
Anne Casey launching Nathaniel
O’Reilly’s Separation Blues
D.G. Lloyd launching Brian Purcell’s Filmworks
followed by a musical interlude
4.30
– Third Set – M/C – Maggie Ball
Clark Gormley launching Tug Dumbly’s Tadpoems
Magdalena Ball launching The 100 – 100 poets from the Flying Islands
Poetry Community
with readings from some of the poets
included
5.30
– Closing jam
Dinner
at the Bowlo in town – 7 pm
Stage
notes:
Launch speeches limited to five
minutes
authors’ launch reading limited to
ten minutes
Musical personnel include such
fabulous folk as Ed Wright on the bluesharp, Paul Searles at the ivories, Al
Munro and Clark Gormley on geetahs, and Paul McCormick on the bass.
Getting here
Go
through Bulahdelah on the main street, Stroud St, which becomes Markwell Rd…
stay
on the tar for 8.78 kms. Our place is the first driveway on the right after the
Markwell sign. Just before the little brown dairy which is the closest building
to the road perhaps for its entire length. There’s a plank leaning up against
the wire of the fence that actually says ‘878’. Bright red Hungarian mailbox is
distinctive too. Do not take the back
road… it’s the wrong road.
What to bring?
Picnicibbles
(rug, ginger pop, water cress sandwiches etc), hat, brolly?, sunscreen, varmint
repellent/s, togs and a towel for a swim if warm and so inclined, poems and/or
instruments of torture (as applicable), a picnic rug or a camping chair or
similar to sit upon.
Help
with setup, including marquee erection, always appreciated and requires earlier
attendance. Often hilarious. We could
use some help with such things from around 11 am. We cannot do some of these
things by ourselves. More incompetence makes lighter relief!
Accomodation
on
our property has been allocated, with priority to those taking the stage. There
are though plenty of spots to pitch a tent or park a van. Apart from this there
are several places in the town of Bulahdelah, including four motels, the pub
(Plough Inn) and two camping parks, plus (possibly) a free one on the other
side of the river. Let us know if you need more advice. We are out of the
school holiday period, so things should not be too difficult to book.
Note:
This is not a public event but by invitation only. Attendance always at own
risk, nor is management responsible for every poem read, song played or
critical commentary along the way.
No
posting of pics of picnic or the place without permission.
