sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Some Photo Poems for Poetry Month

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I am loving that Poetry Month is inspiring me to dig through my archives and share some of my favourite poem posts. Today I bring you not one, not two, but three poems – in the form of short photo poems shared over the years.  First, from 2023:

Next, from the beach at the end of summer, 2022

 

And, last but not least, this haiku from maybe 2022

 

Sharing these has reminded me how simple it is to write a line or two in response to an image. Might be time to open up that photo roll.

Poetry Month: What IS Poetry?

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Continuing my Poetry Month posts, I am resharing a version of a post I wrote a couple of years ago.

I discovered back when I was completing my Doctoral thesis, that while most people have opinions about poetry, few people can neatly define what it is. So, I decided, the easiest way for me to define it was with this poem:

A Poem

A poem

is a whole lot of words

a plethora of words

a smattering, a scattering

a shattering of words

thrown on a page

in carefully created

chaos

to make you wonder.

(Copyright Sally Murphy 2016).

 

Later, when I wrote Poetry for Pleasure and Purpose, I  still couldn’t find a better definition, so I put the poem in there as well, along with a shape poem about how poetry makes me feel. This poem had first appeared here on my blog way back in 2014, looking like this:

 

Poetree

has lots of branches

goes out on limbs

takes lots of chances.

Leaves you breathless

when you twig

the poet’s skill

(it’s quite a gig!)

It boughs to nature

oftentimes

leaves you marvelling

at its rhymes.

Grows on you

after a while.

Poetree

you make me smile

(Copyright Sally Murphy 2014).

(You’ll be pleased to know that the amateur drawing I did was replaced in the book by a professionally made one).

While these two poems are different, I think they highlight the two things which, for me, are key in good poetry – the ability to make the reader marvel or wonder at something, and the ability to make the reader feel something.

Heard in the Hospital: New Poem Online

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I am quiet at present while I process the loss of my mum, who I adored.

But today the news that a poem I wrote during Mum’s admission to hospital earlier this year has been published. You can read it in  Creatrix, the journal of WA Poets.

If you have a mum, hug her for me.

 

Poetry at the AFCC

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How amazing my last week was!  I flew to Singapore for the Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC). Note the first time I have attended this wonderful event and, each time I go it gets bigger and better.

Here are some of the things I did:

  1. Visited three schools (four sessions) to inspire kids (and their teachers) to play with words and poetry. The sessions were loud, energetic and, if I may so myself, amazing.
  2. Presented live on the festival stage to classes visiting the festival in a session simply titled Poetry!  I performed poems from If I Could Eat the Stars and Right Way Down (including the title poem)  and made up poems on the spot using words, sounds, and lots of  audience input.
  3. Presented a session called It Could Be Verse, for adult writers and readers, talking about the wonders of verse novels in general and the process behind The Riding Gallery and Worse Things.
  4. Met readers of all ages in the festival bookstore and at the signing copy, where I was kept busy.
  5. Most importantly, I listened to and learnt from authors, illustrators, publishers and more from around the world, including young readers themselves.

You can see a highlight reel of the event here:

Key takeaways:

  1. Friends are the best! I caught up with friends from previous visits, friends from Australia, and new friends.
  2. We shouldn’t just create FOR children, we need to create WITH them.
  3. Young people are amazing. I already knew this but was freshly amazed by panellists as young as ten, and the insights gained from kids in my audiences.
  4. You can never own too many books. I came home with lots of new treasures.

I could go on, but if you want to see more of what I did, I posted highlights over on Instagram each day.

I  LOVE LOVE LOVE getting to speak to audiences large or small and want to do more of it. If you need more poetry in your festival, school or other event, reach out via the contact form here, and let’s talk.

Look at this Cover!

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How beautiful is this cover? Really looking forward to sharing this beauty with the world – out in late April.

Edited by Rebecca M Newman  and me, illustrated by the divine Briony Stewart , published by Fremantle Press and with poems from established and emerging Western Australian poets, is a feast of poetry for young readers – readers of any age, really.

Available for preorder now from your favourite local bookstore or online.

 

Can’t wait to share more with you!

sallymurphy.com.au