Poetry – words on edge.  On the edges of their seats, at the edges of the known universe, where speaking, writing and telling get shuffled in the language deck. Words on high alert.

That’s Poet Laureate, Ian Wedde’s take on this event where he is joined by poets Amy Brown, Lynn Jenner andAleksandra Lanein a relaxed but edgy dig into what poetry has to offer the Fringe Festival goer.

Poets reading from their own work, and reading from each other’s, and generally giving the idea of poetry as words on edge a run for its money.  

The evening also features klezmer musicians Heather Elder, Rose O’Hara, and David Weinstein together with Lynn Jenner in a short work about Mata Hari. It has a “hint of tango and a dash of schmaltz,” saysLynn.

Wednesday, 15 February 2012, 7.30pm – 9pm
MEOW café, 9 Edward Street Wellington
FREE

Fergus Barrowman of Victoria University Press will steer, and an edgy time is guaranteed.

The Poets

Ian Wedde lives in Auckland, and teaches in the departments of English and Art History at AucklandUniversity. He has published dozens of works including collections of poetry, novels, art catalogues, and a monograph on the artist Bill Culbert. He has worked as a critic for the London Magazine and the Evening Post, and as the head of art and humanities at Te Papa. Ian is the current New Zealand Poet Laureate.

Aleksandra Lanecompleted her MA in Creative Writing at the IIML (VictoriaUniversity) in 2010, and was awarded the Biggs Poetry Prize for her portfolio. Her poems have appeared in various online and print journals (including Sport, Turbine, Snorkel, Takahe), as well as two poetry collections in Serbia, and some of her work will appear in anthologies in NZ and overseas.
Her book Birds of Clay is about to be published by VUP (February 2012).
Amy Brown is teaching creative writing and completing her PhD at the University of Melbourne.  Her first poetry collection, The Propaganda Poster Girl (VUP, 2008) was shortlisted for a Montana New Zealand Book Award. She moonlights as author of the ‘Pony Tales’ series (Harper Collins, 2010-2012) and is currently on the brink of finishing her “epic” poem.”

Lynn Jenner is currently a full time student in the PhD programme in creative writing at VictoriaUniversity’s International Institute of Modern Letters. Lynnstarted writing at the age of fifty after many years working as a psychologist and counsellor. She began studying writing at Whitirieia Polytechnic . She completed an M.A. at VictoriaUniversity’s International Institute of Modern Letters in 2008. Her folio Dear Sweet Harry won the Adam Foundation Prize for Creative Writing in that year and the Society of Authors Jessie McKay prize for Best First Book of Poetry in 2011. Lynn’s poems have appeared in Best New Zealand Poems 2008, 2009 and 2010. Lynn’s poems have also appeared in Turbine, JAAM, Takahe and 4^th Floor.

The event is organised by the National Library through the New Zealand Poet Laureate programme.