Okay I know I’m pretty inconsistent in terms of blog posts but I’m back at it with another edition of Local Focus. And YES you read right, I’m back with Floral Peroxide’s Alison Paradoxx and 5000AD!
From a change of venues, to an addition of a new cast member, Floral Peroxide highlights how debilitating disability can be especially when gone undiagnosed. However, it also demonstrates how individuals can find empowerment through their unique sense of self through art.
A startling, confronting and heart-warming portrayal of disability; Alison and 5000 AD seamlessly blend poetry with eerie synth sounds to present lived disability — unfiltered.
I must also give a special mention to the Ian Gibbins who provided captioning for the show. The timing and visual effects brought the whole performance together and allowed the audience (myself included) to fully immerse ourselves in Alison’s experiences.
As a highly accessible show with theatrics like no other this Fringe season (to my knowledge), I’m struggling to find areas of criticism (perhaps a larger venue to accommodate more people). Therefore, I am giving the show a 5/5. And I rarely do give ratings, but Floral Peroxide is definitely worth it!
Yes I know it’s been a while since I’ve done a review or a
blog post for that matter but I’M BACK WITH ANOTHER REVIEW! This time it’s Rudy
Francisco’s “Helium.”
I decided to review “Helium” as his use of repetition specifically anaphora, first person and personal stories combined with factual evidence in his work is both confronting, heart-warming and enchanting.
I have selected 6 poems (which are in no particular order) and provided my own interpretation/analysis for each of them.
1. Silence
Pretty self-explanatory. Simply put, Francisco outlines that noise does not always equate to being “seen” as “silence” has its own unique “rumble.”
Francisco begins by confronting the reader with raw recounts of personal upheaval experienced by himself and others, juxtaposing these situations with the pragmatic responses of those who experienced them. By doing this, he positions us to reflect on our “bad days” with more optimism. He emphasises through his use of repetition of “tell me” and alliteration of “stole the keys to your smile” that despite the unpleasantness of early rises and daily routine, it’s a blessing and shouldn’t be complained about as it is “so small it can fit on the tips of our tongues.”
“Tragedy and silence often have the exact same address.”
This line stood out for me as Francisco describes that whilst difficult situations can be dealt with pragmatically, they will always be accompanied by tragedy and silence. Here, he personifies these two words highlighting their simultaneous nature.
Francisco ends this piece on a positive note through his use of a simile and alliteration describing that “life is a gym membership with a really complicated cancellation policy.” He demonstrates that although some days are awful and unforgiving, one must continue persevering. This is further reinforced through his use of second person as “you are still alive” and thus must “act like it.”
3. Roulette
For those in the back and the front who don’t believe in
climate change, this one’s for you.
Francisco uses a metaphor to describe the limitless nature
of water during his youth as “it seemed endless.” This is further reinforced
through personification as regardless of “where [they] were”, water “would
always come running.” He contrasts the idea of the abundant nature of water with
his now shock of its scarcity, through reflecting upon a childhood memory as he
had read about “dragons and droughts” but never imagined he would
“have to deal with them.” This shock is emphasised through alliteration of
the hard ‘d’ constant.
Francisco confronts us with the uncertainty he now feels about the limitless nature of water by personifying the Earth as he wonders “how long it will take the planet to tell us we can’t live here.” He reinforces this idea by juxtaposing the simple pleasures of water and how it ran “through his figures” with the doubt he now harbours as he is unsure whether his “grandkids” will ever “hear [water] splash.”
4. When People Ask How I’m Doing
For those of us who say ‘we’re alright’ and continue through
each and every single day just to avoid flooding our emotions onto someone else.
Francisco explores how debilitating his depression can be at
times by personifying it as an “angry… jealous God.” He highlights its power
through figurative language as it “wrings [his] joy like a dishrag and makes juice
of [his] smile.”
However, he refuses to “ruin someone’s day with his tragic honesty” and uses a simile to explain that he combats his depression by treating his face “like a pumpkin.” He “carves it into something acceptable” and musters up an “I’m doing alright.”
5. Rifle II
This poem seamlessly connects guns and toxic masculinity to
showcase the beauty that will arise if they are eradicated. Francisco explores
the different uses of a gun, highlighting the similar effect they have on
people by juxtaposing the ways in which they create these effects as a gun can
be used to “take peoples lives” or repurposed into “musical instruments…that
puts life back into people’s bodies.”
The second half of this poem deals with how violence equating to masculinity has been ingrained into young boys through his use of of a metaphor as his “bloody knuckles” are his “first piece of artwork…hung on the fridge.” Francisco expresses the confusion he feels for being awarded for his violence through an analogy as he knows he is “passing” but has “no idea what class.” He further reiterates his confusion as men “don’t even know” what the imperative “man up” really means. Francisco realises that violence and masculinity are not connected through a comparison of the heart and the fist as they are both the “same size”, but have “different functions.” He concludes this piece with another powerful comparison explaining how he has learned that the “difference between a garden and a graveyard” is only what is “put in the ground.” Here, he reinforces that destruction can be reversed.
6. Museum
“Museum” explains how vulnerability is unavoidable when being a writer especially a poet and that a spoken-word poet. Francisco emphasises using a metaphor, the limbo a writer dwells in when sharing their work as “patrons” are asked “not touch” but “only half of them respect the signs.” However, he ends this poem on a positive note, explaining that poets and their work stand as a lyrical refuge where one can “walk through” and “leave when they are ready.”
If you liked this review or have any feedback, please let me know!
Also, if you’re interested in purchasing Helium, you can do here.
The Adelaide Fringe season is well and truly here, bombarding us with a wide selection of shows including performances of comedy and cabaret.
However, for you poetryfiends out there, I’ve got you covered as I sat down with Floral Peroxide’s, Alison Paradoxx, to discuss her fringe show centred around performance poetry.
She talks about what inspired her to create this show, the challenges of living with deformity and the cathartic nature of performance poetry.
You can listen to a snapshot of Alison’s interview below.
[ME] How did you first discover poetry and when did you begin writing?
[ALISON PARADOXX] Well,
my whole life I’ve always been a writer/reader. As a child, obviously with all
the hospitalisation and surgeries, I spent a lot of time on my own. Fortunately
for me, I was one of those kids that loved reading and creating stories in my
head. So it didn’t bother me that much. And I always wanted to write but you go
through life with various things happening to you and you just end up going
through various jobs and finding yourself in jobs that you never envisioned as
a career.
Eventually, in 2014, I was offered a job with BeyondBlue, and for some reason it didn’t feel right and I couldn’t work out why. I went up to my parents for dinner one night and we were talking about this opportunity and I just burst into tears which is unlike me. And my dad asked, “what’s wrong Al?” and I said, “I don’t think I want to do this job,” and he asked, “well what do you want to do?” and I said, “I just want to write.” And he said “you know what, you’ve always wanted to be a writer, it’s what you feel and you should just do it.” Up until that point I felt that I was letting my parents down and this job was to show them that I could be somebody but then I realised that they didn’t really care about any of that, all they wanted was for me to be happy.
So I started studying at the Adelaide College of the Arts, I was doing a Professional Writing Advanced Diploma, but half way through my second year we got to choose electives and I always thought I would be a dark humour writer and one of the electives was poetry and I thought I don’t know anything about poetry, I don’t understand it, I have no idea what makes a good poem, what makes a bad poem. I never studied any poetry at school, so I thought I want to challenge myself, I want to do this, I’m probably going to completely bomb out, but that’s okay, I just want to learn what this poetry thing is about.
It so happened to be the thing I could do which was really surprising for me. My lecturer at the time prompted me to go to some Open Mics, so I started doing that and I did a couple and the Australian Poetry Slam was coming around, so I thought I’m going to enter a heat just to get the experience, so I entered my heat and I won my heat and I honestly could not believe it, I think I was bawling my eyes out. So I went to the final and won the final and two weeks later I was standing on the stage at the Sydney Opera House just completely beside myself, like how the hell did I get here?!
It was what launched me to go, this is my thing now.
[ME] So who are some artists/poets that have inspired you?
[ALISON PARADOXX] Definitely, David Bowie, hence the [lightning bolt] tattoo on my neck. Huge fan of David Bowie, I consider him a poet, I consider him an all-round artist in every sense.
And of course, Leonard Cohen, an all-round poet and musician.
Poetry wise, Sylvia Plath, a huge fan of Sylvia Plath obviously because of the familiar territory she crosses in her work and the power she conveys.
Also, with the multimedia approach that I’m taking with my performance art now, people like Laurie Anderson and Alison XYZ and spoken word artists that incorporate electronic music and other elements into their performance work.
[ME] What advice would you give to upcoming artists/poets especially those that are considered ‘disabled’ or ‘broken’ in traditional society?
[ALISON PARADOXX] I would encourage anyone who feels that they have something they want to say, to say it! I would also encourage people in general if they want to get their words out there to go and experience as many types of poetry and spoken word as they can. Writing as much as you can, taking workshops and studying because you can be the greatest performer on a mic but if you don’t know how to write those words it’s always going to come across as a half-performed act. So, there’s always value in learning the boring skills behind poetry.
[ME] Is there anything else you would like to add?
[ALISON PARADOXX] If you are a disabled artist, Access 2 Arts, are just phenomenal, the workshops I’ve done with them and the way that they have supported my work has been incredible. I have learnt so much from them and I think in making this show, I wanted to make a show that was accessible to the deaf and hearing-impaired community because why would you go see spoken word if you couldn’t hear anything, there’s no point. There’s a whole sector of the community being cut out here, so I wanted to do a show that had either AUSLAN or video captions. We had video captions in the end.
And as always, if you liked this post or have any feedback for me, I’d love to hear from you.
Okay, I must admit, this is probably the first contemporary Australian poetry book that I have properly read in a while. And yes I thoroughly enjoyed it and I must thank Amelia for giving me a copy. As always, I have selected 8 poems (which are in no particular order) from Just Your Everyday Apocalypse and provided my own interpretation/analysis for each of them.
1. In Translation
In Translation is packed with metaphors and tells the story of hand-me-downs and thrifted clothing. Walker describes how despite numerous washes, the “fabric” is “flavoured” with “moments that are not [hers]” but of previous owners of the clothing. I really admire her use of alliteration when explaining that thrifted clothing is “a million mixed meanings” open to “minefields of misinterpretation.” It really makes you think about the previous owners of thrifted clothing, what they went through whilst wearing those clothes and the experiences they had. How rips or stains came to be? The mismatching of colours and the intricate stitch work? What era the clothing was from?
2. Beautiful
Short, simple and sweet. Dedicated to all the mothers out there with odd quirks and carefree attitudes. They might have a “crooked smile” and “varicose veins” but they are still “beautiful” nonetheless.
3. Walls
A poem that highlights some of the atrocities faced by female detainees, mainly focusing on the story of Cornelia Rau. Walker illustrates the horrid conditions these female detainees undergo as they are trapped in “windowless” rooms and must “sh*t” for an “audience of male guards.” She also describes the debilitating impact, life in a detention centre can have on an individual as after leaving and now “safe”, the former detainee is still unable to “let go of the teddy bear she clutched all those dark months.” Walls ends in a startling fashion as Walker describes that even though the woman has left the detention centre, she is unable to escape the “walls” of society as they have “none.”
4. Reunion
A direct and brutally honest overview of different life pathways our friends, family and strangers have taken. Pretty self-explanatory.
5. City, Lover, Self
I believe we can all relate to City, Lover, Self regardless of whether you live in Australia or not because we all have places that are like home to us. Walker demonstrates the connection she has with Adelaide, through her use of personification, as she describes she is “intimate” with the “rhythm” of Adelaide’s “soft tissue organs” and “strange scarred body.” By using figurative language, she depicts how each instant details a specific memory of “things that have been or could have been” as “every shop glass shines with the ghost of some moment.”
6. Submerging
A point that’s inevitable and you’ll face sooner or later unless you’re extremely lucky. Submerging, as the name suggests, describes the feeling of losing your sense of self. In Walker’s experience, it happened to her “slowly” as she was already “neck deep before [she] realised.” She uses metaphors to describe the symptoms of losing one’s self as she begins “rejecting sun and air” and finds it “hard to breathe” as “glass” is “encasing [her] head.” The line that resonates with me the most is how Walker emphasises how people “who were close” to her feel as if they’re “a million miles away” as she struggles to “follow conversations.” However, the last stanza is somewhat comforting as she is consoled by Circe, the Greek goddess of magic, who now “holds her hand” as her harsh exterior starts to melt away.
7. Astrocytoma
Poignant and beautifully written. Walker details the experience of a loved one discovering they have astrocytoma (cancer of the brain) and how despite the crippling nature of the disease they still manage to stay “composed” as “science slice [their] skull into squished butterfly segments.” Here, Walker uses alliteration to explicitly portray the life of this cancer-ridden individual. I also particularly love her use of a Stephen Hawking quote.
“If you jump into a black hole, your mass energy will be returned to our universe, but in a mangled form which contains the information about what you were like but in an unrecognisable state.” (Stephen Hawking, 2004)
I believe this quote serves as a reminder to us all that regardless of the immensity of our problems/issues, they will always be insignificant and eventually be forgotten and “unrecognisable.”
The last lines of Astrocytoma despite being quite grim are also somewhat consoling as we find out that this diseased individual is relieved of their suffering as their “six year migraine” is finally “over.”
8. Tequila
I just love how cleverly put together this poem is. Walker organises it into three parts and as you guessed it, it starts off with Part One: SALT, then Part Two: TEQUILA and lastly Part Three: LEMON.
Part One: SALT describes the various uses of salt and allows us to contemplate the nature of salt as it is used to “sanctify” in Japanese Shinto culture but also deemed “unhealthy” and “indulgent” in Western culture.
The last lines lead nicely into Part Two: Tequila as salt “addiction” causes “thirst.”
I feel Part Two: Tequila describes the intoxicating and blinding effects of alcohol but also, its power to provide us with temporary ecstasy. Walker’s decision to provide a short story of the discovery of Tequila really enhances this poem.
Part Three: LEMON delves into a fond memory of Walker “picking lemons” with her grandmother as a young child. She describes through her use of personification that her closest feeling of being drunk at that age is when she swims in “scents of citrus and cinnamon.”
I particularly love the last stanza which I feel is pretty self-explanatory.
If you liked this review, I would love to hear from you.
Also, if you’re interested in purchasing Just Your Everyday Apocalypse you can do so by emailing poetryisdangerous@gmail.com , FYI it’s only $10 a copy!
A while back I was fortunate enough to interview the team behind Showpony Music and Open Mic, Heather McGinn and Lachie Blackwell (pictured below).
So for those of you unaware of Showpony, as the name suggests it’s an open mic event where anyone can perform anything they’d like; whether that be poetry, music or stand-up comedy.
Have a listen to what Heather and Lachie have to say about Showpony below!
Also, I’d like to thank Amelia for introducing me to these lovely people and helping me with this interview!
And as always, if you liked this post or have any feedback for me, I’d love to hear from you.
If you live down under or just want to know more about Australian poetry, you have to check out the Australian Poetry Organisation’s website. They give you information about poet residencies, book launches, gigs happening around Australia, reviews, competitions and so much more!
A Chicago based blog that caters to everyone. The dedicated team at Poetry Foundation have created a website that is easy to manoeuvre and provides you with poems to suit kids, teenagers and adults. Not to mention it covers a diverse range of poetry and poetry-related news. It allows you to listen to poems and provides you with a learning station to fully understand the literary techniques used in poems (because let’s face it, who remembers or even knows what anthropomorphism is, I surely don’t!).
Food and poetry combined. Yes please! Nicole Gulotta’s blog shares her love for poetry and cooking. With each recipe, she provides us with personal anecdotes and pairs it with a fitting poem. Her blog has also been featured in Poetry Foundation and The Guardian.
All about intriguing, contemporary, slam poetry! Yes, Button Poetry, probably one of the most well-known modern poetry organisations, has a blog. The team behind Button Poetry’s blog, provides you with reviews, writing prompts (for aspiring writers), a recap of their most watched poems, essays and even a merchandise store!
For poets, by poets. Poets United is for those poets who have a blog and would like to share their work in an accepting environment with other like-minded writers. The blog doesn’t have a sole owner but works by poets all over the world contributing their time and expertise to run the site.
If you have any poetry blogs that I should check out, please let me know, I would love to hear from you!
Let me just say that deciding on just 10 poems to showcase was quite difficult because there are so many talented artists. However, this is by no means the best performances but poems that really stood out for me and are easily accessible. I selected these slam poems especially because they cover a diverse range of topics and I believe will change your opinion if you’re reluctant about poetry.
I will also provide a short analysis of each poem.
(Please note I have also excluded including earlier slam poets and I will do that in another post shortly.)
“I am ashamed of keeping my feminism in my pocket until it is convenient not to, like at poetry slams or woman studies classes. There are days I want people to like me more than I want to change the world.”
Baird explains the “guilt” she feels when despite being a feminist, only voices her opinion when it is a “convenience” rather than at crucial times when it is detrimental to herself and others. For example, she mentions that she remained silent when a man “shoved his hand up [her] skirt” on an escalator because everyone around her was quiet. Baird highlights the reality of feminism through her use of irony when her father tells her “sexism is dead” but reminds her to “always carry pepper spray.” She also uses irony in her final lines to emphasise this point as daughters are told “to be careful” and “safe” whilst sons are told to “go out and play.”
“And last week when a girl was murdered jogging in Queens, the women on Long Island were unstartled and furious. They did not call to warn their daughters, they called their sons, sat them at the kitchen table and said “if you ever, I mean ever so much as make a woman feel unconformable, I will take you to the deli and put your hand in the meat slicer. You think I won’t? You hear me. I will make a hero out of you with mayonnaise, tomatoes, dill and onion.”
Gatwood salutes the women of Long Island as the title implies and illustrates the strength these women hold. She performs this poem with ease, switching from the narrator (being herself) into different characters (being the different women of Long Island). I must say, I have never been to Long Island, but the ease with which she switches accents is so authentic. Through her use of characterisation, Gatwood explains that these women despite their tendency to “hack” and “curse” are wise and comforting as they reassure young females that there is no pressure on them to be in relationships. She also expresses that these women hold all their family members accountable for any incident, as a girl who was “murdered jogging in Queens” doesn’t provoke them to warn their daughters but instead their sons who have their “husband’s hands and blood.”
“What’s a poem if it doesn’t dismantle or split, burn or crack. So there’s gonna be a couple of heads here, limbs, Trayvon of course will be here in metaphor form.”
At first I was confused by this poem as I didn’t quite understand Nkululeko’s approach. However, after watching it a couple times I finally understood it and was in awe of his approach in presenting this performance. From my understanding, Nkululeko’s inability to “start [his] poem” reflects the injustice black youth face as boys like Trayvon and Mike Brown are unable to live their lives in peace. He also uses this technique of continually starting his poem to reflect how America dismisses the issue of unjust police brutality on black people as the “printer keeps on whiting out the black” and how he as a black writer is inclined to “compose a dead thing out of his mouth.” I particularly admired the confronting simile he uses explaining that he is filled with “so many eulogies” like a “Russian doll of the dead.”
I think this poem speaks for itself. An intense subject that is superbly said. (This poem does deal with an extremely sensitive topic, so please take necessary precaution. I would recommend watching this one in a place where you feel comfortable).
“When I say that I came up poor, what some folks derisively call hood, somebody else calls home.”
Paul uses a great deal of visual imagery to explain that despite coming up poor, the “hood” will always be his “home.” He illustrates the sense of community the neighbourhood upholds as “they don’t have any concept of what it means to be lonely.” He further emphasises this point, as neighbours are treated “as family” despite being from “three different groups of friends.”
Heartbreak presented to you like sweet and salty chips. It will have you laughing and crying.
Side note: Sarah Kay was one of the first slam poets my teacher introduced to us and the first time I learnt about slam poetry.
7. Muna Abdulahi – “Explaining Depression to a Refugee”
“Depression is a white man’s privilege, we don’t have the privilege to have that much time to ourselves.”
Such an important message especially after the recent World Mental Health day and for families who are from a different cultural background who don’t really understand mental health. Abdulahi expresses the confusion her mother, a former Somalian refugee, displays as she is unable to fathom her daughter being diagnosed with depression. She explains the stigmatisation the Somali culture places on mental health as her “native tongue doesn’t speak of it to its existence.” The line that resonated with me the most is how Abdulahi highlights the detrimental impact her depression has on her mother as it is a “fight that she cannot protect [her] from.”
8. Franny Choi – “To the Man who Shouted ‘I like Pork-Fried Rice’ at me on the Street”
“You want to eat me, right out of these jeans and into something a little cheaper, more digestible, more bite-sized, more cooked, you want me lunch special.”
Choi emphasises the stereotypical nature of how Asian women are exoticized “brimming with foreign.” She describes how the man fantasizes about her as he wants to “eat [her] out” as she is “red-light district stuck in [his] teeth.” However, Choi cleverly switches up his traditional fantasy in the end by gaining her revenge as after the ordeal he is left “squirming alive” as she is “strangling [him] quiet from the inside out.” Personally, these last lines left me conflicted with shock but somewhat satisfied as the man is left debilitated, but I guess he got what he deserved.
This poem is from Choi’s debut book Floating Brilliant Gone, if you’re interested you can check out my review on her book here.
“When it feels like God is just a babysitter that’s always on the phone, when you get punched in the oesophagus by a fistful of life, remember that every year two million people die of dehydration so it doesn’t matter if the glass is half full or half empty, there’s water in the cup. Drink it, and stop complaining.”
Such a good reminder to us all. That’s all I’ll say for this one.
Side note: Okay, the fact that he was on Jimmy Fallon makes me so happy and proud.
10. Guante – “Ten Responses to the Phrase ‘Man Up’”
“Man up? Oh that’s that new superhero, right? Mild-mannered supplement salesman Mark Manstrong says the magic words “MAN UP,” and then transforms into THE FIVE O’CLOCK SHADOW, the massively-muscled, deep-voiced, leather-duster-wearing super-man who defends the world from, I don’t know, feelings.”
Guante deconstructs and reiterates the idea of what it means to be a ‘man.’ He explains that society expects men to be “massively muscled” and “deep voiced”, however those who do not fit these ideals are often isolated. He cleverly uses personification to describe that these men “cannot arm wrestle [their] way out of chemical depression” and the male community must acknowledge that these men are more than just “background characters” before it’s too late.
If you liked this post or have any other suggestions of poems I should check out please let me know! I would love to hear from you!
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of interviewing South Australia’s very own poet, teacher and creative, Amelia Walker.
Photograph by Martin Christmas for Spoken Word South Australia
So before we begin, for those of you unaware of Amelia’s success in the creative arts, let’s get to it!
She has performed at various festivals including the Transeuropa/ Arts 4 Human Rights festival in London and the World Poetry Festival in Kolkata.
Not only that, but she also completed her PhD in 2016 about the value of creative writing in contemporary higher education and research at the University of South Australia.
Amelia is also the author of three poetry collections, and three poetry teaching books in Macmillan’s ‘All You Need to Teach’ series.
She was also the 2015 Winner of the Australasian Association of Writing Programs Postgraduate Conference Paper Prize in the creative paper and critical paper fields.
You can listen to a brief snapshot of Amelia’s interview below.
[ME] What first sparked your interest in writing poetry?
[AMELIA] I was 14 years old and I actually hadn’t really gotten into poetry at all because growing up in school the kind of poetry I’d been exposed to was rhyming, it was about flowers, we were kinda forced to write it. I didn’t think it was my thing. But then my sister and I together actually discovered on our parent’s bookshelf, a book of poems that was an anthology by the Beat generation and it was completely different to anything we had seen before. These poems were kind of rude, political, they were written in a style that was like your friend talking to you over a cup of coffee, it wasn’t this high, fancy language. So, they were raw poems that spoke to me and made me think wow I want to read more poetry and eventually I want to do this too. I could write this.
[ME] So could you please explain the meaning behind your poems “Ten by Ten” and “Cyber Tourist”? What thoughts were going through your mind when you were writing these?
[AMELIA] Both of those were written when I was down in Port Pirie, so this was almost ten years ago now and I was down there for an Artists in Regional Schools project run by Carclew Youth Arts Centre and the South Australian Youth Arts Board.
Port Pirie is an old town with a big lead smelter and there’s been a lot of stuff in the press about the effects of that on people’s health. There was a campaign to get the lead levels in people’s blood down to 10 micrograms per decilitre by the year 2010 and that actually failed in this campaign, so the poem is a reflection on that and a reflection on what mining and so forth has done to that town and done to a lot of people around Australia.
Now “Cyber Tourist” is not about Pirie but about Broken Hill. And that’s about anticipating a visit to Broken Hill for their annual poetry festival. And in that I was just looking on Google Maps at this place I was going to and had never been to before and it’s really interesting because all the streets in Broken Hill are named after different minerals that you can mine. So I was thinking about how the map of the city and how we name places tells a story but also at that time, it was also a sad story because if you go to Broken Hill, you see the memorial to the people who died in mining and you also see the ongoing effects on peoples lives. Around that time I was writing this poem, there was a huge lay off of people who were working in the mines and a lot of upsets in the town and a lot of struggle.
Photograph by Michael Reynolds.
[ME] So what power do you believe poetry possesses?
[AMELIA] I believe it possesses all kinds of powers, good and evil. My email address is poetryisdangerous which people always think that’s a strange thing for a poet to say but I believe poetry is woven through every part of our lives. Poetry is not just that stuff we read in books or read at slam events and open mics, poetry is in advertising and on TV and sometimes that poetry is very, very dangerous because language is incredibly coercive, and language is the material in which we think. So I actually believe that by writing poetry, we become aware of the techniques that are used in advertising and propaganda: we can pull apart their mechanisms and become aware of how they try to get us thinking in particular ways. That means we can resist.
[ME] Do you feel a certain way when performing your poetry? Do you feel liberated when you perform?
[AMELIA] Yeah absolutely! It’s scary because often you are talking about very vulnerable things and particularly just standing up and public speaking on its own without it necessarily being personal on any level is known as one of those great phobias that people have. But I guess it is also like an extreme sport or jumping out of a plane, you get that adrenalin rush and sometimes really good things come up through it. And I’ve been on both sides of that. You know standing in the crowd, hearing someone read a poem and think wow that’s an experience I’ve also had and I’ve been scared to talk about and you’ve been brave enough to speak about. And then I’ve had people say that to me as well after performing.
[ME] How do you believe poetry has helped positively influence those who have experienced personal trauma and mental health issues?
[AMELIA] Well I guess I said before about how it can start conversations and make people aware that they’re not alone and things. So, I think the forming of communities through poetry is a really strong thing. And you know there’s a lot of theories about bibliotherapy and various techniques that psychologists use and writing for people to deal with their mental health.
I also know there is a flip side to that. I also know that writing can actually bring up a lot of difficult emotional stuff. If you don’t necessarily put adequate support and self-care in there, it can take you into places that are quite raw and dangerous without necessarily giving you an out. I want to say it’s both of those things. It can be really healing and amazing and form communities, but it can also be quite terrifying. You can’t just rely on poetry, you do need social support and you do need to have counselling or whatever works for you.
And if you are planning to write on something that could trigger you or you’re planning to read an event that could trigger others, think about where you are going to be after this? Am I going to be safe? If I’m reading this out I’ll give a trigger warning and adequate time for anyone in the room who doesn’t want to hear this material to exit.
[ME] Who are some of your personal favourite poets?
[AMELIA] So many. One of the first poets who really kinda grabbed me was Lawrence Ferlinghetti, he was one of the Beat generation. And other poets in the Beat generation also really grabbed me. I’ll make a special mention of Diane Di Prima and Denise Levertov because they are two female Beat poets who perhaps don’t get as much recognition as some of the male ones.
Another poet who inspired me a lot as I moved into my late teens and early twenties and I was dealing with body image issues as a lot of women do, is Grace Nichols who wrote this amazing collection called the “The Fat Black Woman’s Poems” and it’s all in the voice of this character who speaks back against ideals and norms of beauty and it was very raw about what a woman can look like and can be anything.
One other poet I’ll mention, who is not normally called a poet, is Janet Frame, a New Zealand author, who is best known for her novels but she also wrote amazing poetry.
[ME] Is there anything else you’d like to add?
[AMELIA] A little disclaimer, advertising possibly, Adelaide has an amazing poetry scene and we have an amazing little Facebook page called the Adelaide Poetry Gig Guide, so, anybody who is looking to get into poetry and come to events pop on that Adelaide Poetry Gig Guide, there are gigs every week and there are amazing people, its supportive, friendly and you know, come join us!
If you liked this interview or have any feedback for me, I would love to hear from you!
With the release of Nicki Minaj’s new album, “Queen”, today’s post will be a top 20 selection of her best songs (in my opinion) prior to “Queen”. I will be giving a little summary of each song and highlighting my favourite lyrics from each track.
So in no particular order let’s get to it! (Also, just click the title to listen to any of the songs I’ve listed.)
Short, sweet and a straight punch in the face. “Playtime is Over” off of Minaj’s debut mixtape of the same name, sees her using fiery metaphors over a fast beat, sampling DJ Khaled’s “We Takin’ Over”, to establish her mark in the music industry. Minaj clarifies to us that she is leading the female rap game as she is “Mother May.”
My favourite lyrics are the ones below where Nicki puts a spin on Kelis’ 2003 song “Milkshake” whilst also explaining that her elite rap skills leave other female rappers stunned.
All the boys want Nicki, all the boys want mine
All the boys say they love me, yeah, they love me long time
Yes, I’m the girl that they heard of, I commit murder
I body bit**es, I don’t need a burner
Another track off Minaj’s debut mixtape, “The Jump Off” samples Lil’ Kim’s song of the same name and serves as an anthem for the women and men that are down to ride for each other. Produced by Timbaland, this song is a straight banger suitable for anytime.
My favourite lyrics are the chorus where Minaj gives a shout out to the females that are willing to “transport bricks” meaning move drugs for their loved ones.
Where my chicks
All my girls that’ll transport bricks
Got some MAC lip gloss on ya lips
Keep a real good jean on ya hips
You can get it
In “Dilly Dally” as stated in the title, Minaj informs us that she no longer dilly dallies with her time as she is now a rapper who has gone from being “broker than them ni**as in the alley” to driving a “Chevi Impali”. This track samples Jay-Z’s “Kingdom Come” and allows Minaj to assert her dominance as a female rapper as she calls out Lil Mama, another female rapper, stating to her that “If you write your lyrics, little mama, I can dig it.”
My favourite lyrics for this song are in the second verse where Minaj explains how tight money used to be for her cleverly using the Pilates exercise simile to now explain that due to her rap “hobby” money has become the least of her concerns. She highlights this point as she tells us that she now goes to the bathroom in Zanotti shoes which are luxury shoes that go for a minimum of $300 on SALE!
I used to make a dollar stretch like a Pilate
Now I gotta play the potty in Giuseppe Zanotti
Gotta push the Maserati, candy paint on the body
Making money off the hobby, taking flicks in the lobby
Minaj’s “Girls Fall Like Dominoes” is another upbeat anthem dedicated to the females thriving in their pursuits. From her 2010 album “Pink Friday”, this song samples the Big Pink’s “Dominoes” and will get you rapping along in no time.
My favourite lyrics are in the second verse of the song where Minaj describes the female models that are out there working hard, getting paid and being independent with their “mozzarella.” I also love the consecutive lines where Minaj is able to seamlessly rhyme the ‘no’ syllable with “Galliano” an Italian liqueur, “Filipino”, “Pellegrino” an Italian beverage, “Al Pacino” an American actor most well known for his role in “The Godfather” and “kilo.”
Material girls like Madonna, model for Donatella
Ain’t nothing you can tell her, cause she get the Mozzarella
She look just like Rihanna, she
Work with Wilhelmina only rocking Galliano She might be Filipino,be sipping Pellegrino
Be watching Al Pacino, she could probably sniff a kilo
A chilled beat but don’t get this message twisted. Minaj’s “Warning” serves as a literal warning to any woman trying to flirt with her boyfriend when she finds out from her friend, Kandi, that she thinks her man might have another “Misses.” “Warning” samples Notorious B.I.G’s song of the same name and after listening to both you can hear the similarities and the admiration Minaj has for the rap king, Biggie.
My favourite lyrics from this track is when Minaj explains how the ones closest to her who she went to prom with are the same ones who want to break-up her relationship.
Damn bitches wanna fu** with my man
On the other hand, things ain’t always what you plan
It’s the ones up in your prom picture, salon wit’cha
Now they wanna creep in your man’s jeep
Minaj dedicates this anthem to the men out there despite all obstacles are continuing to strive and persevere. With a soulful beat produced by No I.D. and backing vocals by Minaj and Angel De-Mar, this track highlights the strong men who “don’t snitch” and “take care of all of they kids.”
This is for my ni**as that don’t snitch, all uh my ni**as that don’t bitch
All my ni**as that tore fifths, this is for my ni**as that don’t cry
All of my ni**as that don’t smile all my ni**as that don’t lie
This is for my ni**as that take care, all of they kids
Order some bids, and take ‘em to day care
Minaj in “Letcha Go” discusses her outrage when she finds out that her partner has been disloyal to her after giving him her all. This track samples Fabulous’ “Can’t Let you Go” and includes soothing vocals. However, the catchy instrumental doesn’t detract from Minaj’s enragement when she finds out from her friend Pam, with “the hidden cam”, that her partner was with another woman making Minaj tempted to spike her partner’s “Welch’s Grape” a soda beverage, with “Strychnine” an extremely toxic, translucent poison.
Pam’ had the hidden cam, like Killa
Funny how ya win some, ya lose some
Never worry where your income, would come from
Cause no matter, where you was I held you down
Up north, to uptown, so how you sound
If I’da known you was fake, I’da laced your steak
Strychnine, one time, in your Welch’s Grape
Minaj samples Notorious B.I.G’s “Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems” to once again explain her admiration for him and Mase as she begins her first verse in the same manner. She uses this track to once again assert her dominance as she is the female rapper from “Queens” (Jamaica Queens, New York) with the “platinum sound.”
I’m the Young Queens bitch, with the platinum sound
None of ya girls can steal my shine, Fendi –
Schooled me to the game, now I’m in my prime
Stay humble, stay low, stay on the grind
I don’t need a light, but I stay in the lime
As the title suggests, “Encore ‘07” is also from Minaj’s debut mixtape released in 2007 which samples Linkin Park’s “Numb” and Jay-Z’s “Encore.” “Encore ‘07” serves as Minaj’s release from the pressures of starting out as a female in the rap industry as all people see of her is a “pretty face” without acknowledging her writing and rapping skills. She also delves deeper into the surreal nature of losing her grandmother who was “dead right” that her time was coming “that night” and Nicki’s struggle as she asks God to “somehow…press rewind.”
All they see’s a pretty face, how I ride the base
So I put my hoodie down just to hide my face
They don’t see the tears I cry, the fears I hide
Tend to keep my cares inside, it’s merely pride
Like my grandmother, I wonder if she next to pop
Said the next time I seen her she would be in a box
Damn she was right, she was dead right
How was I to know, that would be her last night?
If I could turn back the time
Dear God, somehow could you press rewind?
Nicki and Drake, you know it’s about to go DOWN! “Best I Ever Had” by Drake alone is pretty good but Minaj’s verse just raises the stakes. Featured as a track on her 2009 mixtape “Beam me up Scotty”, Minaj’s verse complements Drake’s theme of dedicating this song to a certain special someone.
My favourite lyrics highlight how Minaj is like a superwoman as she puts that “S on [her] chest” as people are “vicariously” living through her whilst still having time for her lover.
I figured out that when I go out an all those people scream that’s some of them are living vicariously through me
That’s why I put that “S” on ma chest and I`m gone
But on another note, let’s have sex in my dorm
Off her 2010 mixtape “Barbie World”, “Girlfriend” as the name implies is dedicated to her girlfriend. An up-beat song with a catchy chorus, Minaj explains her strong friendship as whenever she goes shopping she must “buy two” one for her in the “pink” and the “light blue” for her “BFF”. She even bought her friend a new “Range Rover” car for her birthday which emphasises her love for her friend.
However, my favourite lyrics of this song is when Minaj plays with “I.C.E” and “I.C.U” explaining that if they don’t get their diamonds, the jewellers are going to be in the Intensive Care Unit.
Anyway, we VIP, we don’t even need I.D
Put ’em in the I.C.U. If they don’t bring the I-C-E
Mariah and Nicki another duo that is FIRE! Minaj and Carey use this track to tell the “boys” out there that they better get “out of [their] face” if they aren’t serious about relationships. Initially released in 2009 off Carey’s “Memoirs of an imperfect Angel”, she re-released this song featuring Minaj in 2010. And I’m glad she did!
My favourite lyrics from Minaj is in the second verse where she explains that now that she has broken “like tacos” with her former partner, she is now living better in a “penthouse”, leaving him like “Roscoe” with the “snot-nose”, an allusion to the character, Roscoe, in the popular 90’s sit-com ‘Martin.’
Yo, styling on them big B’s, bought the Benz out
Elevator, press P for the penthouse Top doe’s, then we break like tacos
Roscoe’s, on his knees with a snot-nose
A catchy flow, that will get you hooked. Minaj remakes Beyoncé’s 2008 “Sweet Dreams” to address the haters out there that she is more than just rapper but a “brander.” She doesn’t care about the “bloggers” that are spreading negative “propaganda” about her because she is here to dominate with her “high stats” and “hospital flow.” In fact, according to Celebrity Net Worth, as of August 2018, Minaj has a net worth of $75 million.
F**k all your blogs, f**k all your propaganda
Good for the goose then it’s good for the gander
Nicki ain’t a rapper, Nicki is a brander
Please you can never compare to me
All these bit**es is scared of me
I am who they couldn’t even dare to be
With a bubble-gum beat, Minaj’s “I’m the Best” off her 2010 “Pink Friday” album, talks about her confusion of choosing careers, dabbling in acting before finding and harnessing her skills in rap. She discusses that not only does she rap for herself but for her brothers, Micaiah and Jelani as well as the females out there that “never thought they could win.”
You could never understand why I grind like I do Micaiah and Jelani why I grind like I do
All the girls will commend as long as they understand That I’m fighting for the girls that never thought they could win Cause before they could begin, you told them it was the end
But I am here to reverse the curse that they live in
Another memorable track off her debut album, “Pink Friday”, Minaj collaborates with Drake to discuss her achievements in the music industry and despite the rumours that she got “lucky” with her success she clarifies that she persevered to attain her elite rap position because she “put on everything” to “retire with the ring.”
Put it on everything, that I will retire with the ring And I will retire with the crown, Yes! No, I’m not lucky, I’m blessed,Yes! Clap for the heavyweight champ, Me!
Kanye and Nicki make moves on this track. Minaj establishes that her success is the regular and has become a “monotony” now. I particularly love her play on the word heroin and heroine, describing her music as addictive as “heroin” and her position in the rap industry as a “heroine.”
Mothafu**ers ain’t ready, they neva’ been
As long as I am in the game, you’ll never win
I’m on that different type of high, heroin
Put on my cape and hit the sky, heroine!
From her 2012 album “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”, “Champion” is a salute to Minaj’s dedication and hard work thus far in the music industry. With features from fellow rappers Nas, Young Jeezy and Drake, this track goes hard and will have you pressing replay.
However, despite this being a Nicki track, my favourite lyrics are from Young Jeezy’s verse where he references his success of making “over a mill” to his mother and how she used “food stamps” to survive.
Over a mil in three weeks, yeah I did it like a champ
Momma taught me pride, yeah she did it with the stamps
Up-beat, funky and a total mood-booster. “Your Love” from Minaj’s 2010 “Pink Friday” album is devoted to a lover that leaves her mesmerised and “wanting more.”
Minaj explains how his love gives her the ability to understand “thai” and takes us on a fantasy where she is a “geisha” and he is a “samurai” which I think is pretty creative.
Anyway I think I met him in the sky
When I was a Geisha he was a Samurai
Somehow I understood him when he spoke Thai
Never spoke lies and he never broke fly
A total banger. Minaj creates this track to tell the people out there that even if they don’t like her, she is still “shittin” on this rap game. I personally love how her hype man, Safaree, elevates this song by adding humorous remarks in the background.
However, the last lyrics of Minaj’s first verse are my favourite as she suggests that fellow rapper, Lil Kim wants to “turn back time”, (alluding to Cher’s song “If I could turn back time”) because she is no longer a big name in the rap industry and is now “gone” like “Nair”, a hair removal product.
If you could turn back time – Cher
You used to be here, now you gone – Nair
Off her 2014 album “The Pinkprint”, Minaj explains that despite those that haven’t wished her well she still has “love” for them and would never wish “death on em.” She explains the façade of true friendship as those whom she once called ‘friends’ were self-interested and were only there for her because it was “beneficial” for them.
Yo, people will love you and support you when it’s beneficial
I’mma forgive, I won’t forget, but I’mma dead the issue
That’s a wrap for my top 20! I hope you discovered some new Nicki tracks that you haven’t heard before. Also, even if you don’t like Nicki Minaj, you have to give her respect because she has worked hard to get where she is now and her earlier tracks in my opinion go HAM!
If you liked this post let me know, I would love to hear from you!
A Korean-American woman with flair, creativity and an extreme knack for writing. Today’s review is on her debut 2014 book “Floating Brilliant Gone.”
(And yes I know this review is quite late, but I only started to appreciate and properly discover poetry in 2016).
Anyways, I have selected 6 poems from her book that I really enjoyed and provided my own analysis of them. So let’s get into it!
The Well
Choi illustrates in her poem The Well, the immensity of loss from a detached third person perspective. She uses the metaphor of a well to describe how suffocating her life without her lover has become as it is now a “distant moon, a past life.” She highlights the dreariness of her loss as she has succumbed to the intoxicating and numbing effects of alcohol as she is no longer Franny Choi but “Dark-Drinker.” Choi ends this poem by personifying the night as an escape from her current life as she is “all open mouth asking for the night.” However, the night asks her to stay and “she stays.” These last lines stood out for me as it suggests that the night could be Choi’s inner-most thoughts and despite the temptation to leave this life behind and reconnect with her lover, she must resist and understand her present life and how her departure would impact those around her.
Halloween, 2009
Simple, shocking and confronting. Choi doesn’t make use of fancy figurative language in this poem to describe her disbelief on hearing of her boyfriend’s passing, calling his mother “a liar” when she told her of the ordeal. She depicts that despite her conscious mind being unable to digest this horrific news, her subconscious resumes life in mourning as she “put up [her] hair and changed: black shirt, black pants” for a reading of her play. Choi emphasises her disbelief through irony as people say she “looked like a writer” dressed in black without understanding her subconscious motives of her colour choice.
The use of enjambment in the first two couplets also replicates how she can’t comprehend the situation and wants to runaway from it. However, the couplets thereafter become more punctuated suggesting that she must come to terms with this bitter reality.
Pussy Monster
Hilarious, creative and thought-provoking. At first, I didn’t quite understand this poem but once I read and viewed it a couple times it will hit you. Choi reinvents Weezy F Baby’s song “Pussy Monster” from Tha Carter III (which also has one of my favourite songs by him “Mr Carter” check it out haha) by rearranging the lyrics to the song in order of frequency. By using semantic saturation and satire especially of the word “pussy” which is said an unsurprisingly 40 times, Choi highlights the sexism evident in society especially in the music industry.
You can watch her performing this poem (which I highly recommend) here.
To the Man who Shouted “I like Pork Fried Rice” at me on the Street
This is one of my favourites from Floating Brilliant Gone. Choi emphasises the stereotypical nature of how Asian women are exoticized “brimming with foreign.” She describes how the man fantasises about her as he wants to “eat [her] out” as she is “red-light district stuck in [his] teeth.” However, Choi cleverly switches up his traditional fantasy in the end by gaining her revenge as after the ordeal he is left “squirming alive” as she is “strangling [him] quiet from the inside out.” Personally, these last lines left me conflicted with shock but somewhat satisfied as the man is left debilitated, but I guess he got what he deserved.
An uplifting poem and a reminder to be present. I really enjoyed this piece as Choi reminds us of the simple yet delightful pleasures of driving with our loved ones as “blessed are the insides of wrists that wriggle into conversation.” She describes the drive as a “chrysalis in the cushions” depicting the state of comfort and peace she finds within her friends. However, the last lines really stand out as reminder to us that despite the circumstances we must continue the “ever-rhythm of live, live, live.”
Heaven is a Fairy Tale (& Vice Versa)
Coherent, simple and only a sentence long. Choi highlights to us the cold truth that at times “we are all dutifully practising our deaths” and that both heaven and death are just fairy tales.
If you liked the review and would like to purchase the book, you can do so here.
t is easy to manoeuvre and provides you with poems to suit kids, teenagers and adults. Not to mention it covers a diverse range of poetry and poetry-related news. It allows you to listen to poems and provides you with a learning station to fully understand the literary techniques used in poems (because let’s face it, who remembers or even knows what anthropomorphism is, I surely don’t!).
All about intriguing, contemporary, slam poetry! Yes, Button Poetry, probably one of the most well-known modern poetry organisations, has a blog. The team behind Button Poetry’s blog, provides you with reviews, writing prompts (for aspiring writers), a recap of their most watched poems, essays and even a merchandise store!
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