1. I've just hit 51 new books read this year (re-reads were not counted, but included a re-read of the Tiggie Tompson series, several of the YW books, and Monstrous Regiment, by Terry PRatchett.) I'd like to thank Octavia Butler (three books), the Mitford sisters (four books between them, and another one in progress), and particularly Lois McMaster ( Read more... )

Tuesday Poem now has its very own weblog, which I am really looking forward to following, and recommend to all of you out there who are into poetry (especially if you don't know New Zealand poetry very well, or conversely if you *do* know New Zealand poetry well, or contrariwise if you sort of know it but would like to know more ( Read more... )

So New Zealand author and blogger Mary McCallum has been posting a poem every Tuesday. She calls it Tuesday Poems (um, duh) and other New Zealand bloggers have been joining her. I haven't really been writing much poetry since I did a course on it in my second year (who knows why, since I loved the course and it was amazing.) Anyway, I've been ( Read more... )

The Hillabove the house where I grew up ( Read more... )

for posterity, comments, crit etc:

[some placeholder title]

I saw a tree with five birdsnests.
from the bus I reached out my giant hand
and inspected their insides for you.

dolly parton was good music for our weather,
so I sang along to two doors down while
burning the midnight oil. you were jolenemy happiness depended on you. so what did you ( Read more... )

collecting smilesSunday morning. working in the dark, while the cars pass brilliantly, like rapid angels flourescing down the road. I clean the toilets, wiping the mirror and looking at my own eyes, my tired mouth. the milkybar girls stumble in with pallid hair and burnt eyes. big men in dirty caps and greased-up hands smile back at me and lean on ( Read more... )

variation on a theme by lucid 3hips and hibiscus ( Read more... )

dear boy-creature,
this is the poem I am writing to put firmly the distance between us.
I know! you're wondering:
             what do you mean,

between          usthat, my good acquaintance, is precisely the problem ( Read more... )

kind of like a civil warthis is a takeover ( Read more... )

So we have workshop in poetry class every week, and additionally we have to submit a poem every week to the lecturer, and the poems up for workshop this week were just sent around and a couple of them are so freaking good I'm terrified. One guy wrote a sonnet in what I'm pretty sure is perfect iambic pentameter - it's pretty fucking amazing, ( Read more... )