Tim Jones's Blog, page 10

Dunedin, That's A Fact!

*See historical note below.

It's fact that Harvey Molloy and I will be holding a joint poetry reading at Dunedin Central Library at noon on Sunday - with an open mike! Come along, and bring a poem to read if you like!



Harvey Molloy and I are both going to be in Dunedin on 9 October, so we thought, why not hold a joint poetry reading? Our publisher Mākaro Press agreed, Dunedin Public Libraries agreed to host the event, and University Book Shop very kindly agreed to come and sell books - so it's on! Please share this event widely.

When: Sunday 9 October from 12 noon-1.30pm

Where: Dunedin Public Library, 230 Moray Place (Dunningham Room, 4th floor)

Details:

A former Dunedinite, Tim Jones maps both land and sea in his new collection, exploring our increasing intimacy with the sea due to climate change. And Wellingtonian Harvey Molloy's collection moves from the Lancashire moors of the poet's childhood to the eco-politics of New Zealand.

Come along to hear these two stimulating poets while they're in Dunedin for an environmental hui, and bring a poem of your own to read.

The University Bookshop has very kindly agreed to handle book sales at the event.

If you can't make it, please share this event with your Dunedin friends.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1848403445380889/

The books:

Harvey Molloy, Udon by the RemarkablesTim Jones, New Sea Land Historical note
If my memory can be relied on (scientific note: it can't), "Dunedin, That's A Fact!" was one of the slogans used by local promoters of the proposal to build an aluminium smelter at Aramoana to convince Dunedinites that the proposal was a fait accompli. Of course, the smelter never went ahead!You can buy books by Tim Jones online! Voyagers: SF Poetry from NZ from Amazon.Transported (short story collection) from Fishpond or New Zealand Books Abroad.

An Interview With Antony Millen

Antony Millen is a Canadian living and writing in Taumarunui. Originally from Nova Scotia, he moved to New Zealand in 1997. In recent years, he has written three novels and seen short stories published in Landfall and Headland with another to appear in the December edition of Antipodes. He also won the 2014 Heartland short story competition, placed third in the 2015 NZSA Central Districts competition and spoke as a panellist at the 2016 Ruapehu Writers Festival.

Antony blogs regularly about New Zealand books and writers at antonymillen.com.


1) Antony, you publish your work independently. Is that a choice you always intended to make, and in practice, how has it worked out? Would you ever consider seeking to have your work published by a conventional publisher?

I always wanted to write a novel and sat on one idea for over ten years. As far as I was concerned, the night I completed the first draft was the night I accomplished my mission. But the draft begged the question, “what to do with it?” I did submit it to publishers. Random House New Zealand returned a very kind rejection letter.

My main purposes in publishing the book independently had little to do with confidence in the story and more to do with impatience. I could have submitted it to multiple publishers, each time waiting months for their verdict. Even it had been accepted, it would have taken over a year to see publication. I guess, after so long working on it, I was keen to see it in print sooner. I’m happy I did, as many of the experiences I’ve had as a writer since would have been delayed if not missed. Having said that, I did submit the draft of my third novel to publishers, but not many. I would be interested in working with a publisher for the experience of working through the process with one. Distribution is a pain, too, so if I thought someone could have help with that, I’d be keen as.


2) You teach New Zealand literature. What age range do you teach New Zealand literature to, and what kind of reactions do you get to that teaching? What types of New Zealand books work best with your students?

I completed my English Literature degree in Canada, so almost of all of the content I studied was Canadian, British or from the Classical world. Shifting to Taumarunui High School from a primary school six years ago has been a joy and complimented my own writing immensely, especially as I have had to immerse myself in New Zealand literature, both classic and modern. My colleagues have been a great help.

Of course, we study a lot of film as well, and our students aren’t reading as much as I would like. However, we’ve enjoyed work by Frank Sargeson, James K Baxter, Katherine Mansfield, Patricia Grace, Witi Ihimaera, Owen Marshall, Fleur Beale, Mandy Hager, and Graeme Lay.. More recently, I’ve introduced them to poets such as Nick Ascroft and Michael Jackson, short story writers like Tony Chapelle from Palmerston North, and snippets of novels by Jess Richards and Bianca Zander – writers I’ve met, reviewed and featured in blog posts. Tim Jones will get a look at some point. All great stuff.


3) And of course, you are also a reviewer. Do your reviews cover books of all sorts, or do you focus on certain types of books? What do you consider your job as a reviewer entails?

I’ll link this response to that recent infamous article in the NZ Listener, supposedly revealing that New Zealanders don’t like their own literature. In some of the Twitter and blog fall-out from that, the common complaint seems to be that not enough is being done to make people aware of what’s out there and how good it is. I see my role as a reviewer including that task: letting people know about some of the good stuff that’s out there.

I’m not an overly critical reviewer, but I try to feature books I genuinely have enjoyed reading, are topical, and that may need more publicity. So I’ve reviewed Anna Smaiil, Eleanor Catton, and Ted Dawe, but also lesser-known writers like Tui Allen and Nix Whittaker. I sometimes review books making the news or by people I know from Canada, but since I started blogging, my main focus has been on New Zealand literature, regardless of genre as long as it’s interesting to me.



4) You're based in Taumarunui. What's the writing scene like there?

I’m glad you asked! I feel it’s really blossomed in a new way in the time since I launched Redeeming Brother Murrihy. For years, there has been an active writing group in the area, facilitated by William Taylor until he passed away. The Taumarunui Historical Society, led by Ron Cooke, of ‘Roll Back the Years’ fame, publishes books about the area on a regular basis.

But now we have myself, along with Nix Whittaker, who works in my English department and writes sci-fi, steampunk romance novels; Stuart Campbell, who writes epic novels about ninja in Feudal Japan; and A.D. Thomas, who is an essayist and poet. Even our head of Social Sciences, Chris Brady, produced a memoir about his experiences living and teaching in London. ‘Iron sharpens iron’ is a good phrase – knowing others are doing it creates a little competition and collegiality. We’re all very independent, but we have our feet in the water. I think I may be mixing metaphors, but you get the point.


5) I grew up in Southland, and I have been back a couple of times for literary events, such as the Dan Davin Festival and its precursor. Taking a writing workshop at one of those events, I was struck by how deeply the writers - especially those writing for a New Zealand audience - felt an isolation and sense of disconnection from the "mainstream" of New Zealand literature. I know other South Island writers who feel this, too. Is this also an issue for writers in and around Taumarunui?

Absolutely. Sometimes it’s easy to take an attitude of ‘I don’t need to be connected’ and strike forward with an independent spirit characteristic of a place like the King Country and, I presume, like Southland. To each their own, but I like connecting and conversing with people who are doing the things I like doing and want to be doing more of. This doesn’t always mean meeting with a group for me. Social media is fun and can sometimes be enough. However, I did appreciate being involved in the Ruapehu Writers Festival last March and, as you know, attending some of the Off the Page sessions run by Thom Conroy and Massey University in Palmerston North.

There is isolation, but there can be ways around it – and I prefer to look at the isolation as an advantage, perhaps offering a vantage point varying from the mainstream, and speaking for those outside it. I don’t mean that to sound like I’m “championing the little guy” as it makes sense that some of the best writers should emerge from all over the place, not just the major centres. Tim Upperton recently pointed out on Facebook that, in his review of Hera Lindsay Bird in Metro magazine, he was acknowledged as a writer and poet from Wellington because, in his own (sarcastic) words, “To be a writer and poet in Palmerston North is impossible.” This is a nominee for the 2016 Ockham award for poetry talking – and, from my perspective, he’s not even from a small isolated place! But I think his comment applies universally to attitudes about where good writing comes from.


6) You're a blogger who is also active on social media. Are these promotional duties you have no choice but to do, or are they a joy to participate in, or a mixture? And how well do these connect you to the wider writing world?

The only duties I have as a blogger are those that I create for myself. However, sometimes I create obligations I resent having to complete. Resent is probably too strong a word, but this is one reason I’m not reviewing as many books at the moment and instead started the Weekend Name Drop series.

When I started the blog, I had no idea what I wanted to use it for. My first post was about an incident on a flight back from Sydney after seeing a Bruce Springsteen concert! Soon, I was reviewing books and writing about events or adventures I was involved in, including mountain biking trails in the Central North Island. These have connected me to the wider world and I enjoy checking the statistics for posts, I’ll admit that.

The Weekend Name Drop has been an interesting challenge, one that brings me weekly joy although there are times I wish I didn’t have to do it and wonder if it has taken the place of other writing at times during the year. I enjoy reconnecting with people who are doing creative things and deserve some wider recognition. I never wanted to write anything but novels, but now I’m blogging, writing short stories and poetry and even some essays lately.


7) You have a lot going on in your writing life. How do you balance that with the other lives you lead? Have you ever felt that writing was just too much on top of everything else?

Yes! In fact, as I write this, I am on the train to Palmerston North to meet up with my daughter. We are flying to Canada for a few weeks – the first time she’s been back since we moved here in 1997. It’s only my second time back. Other than the Weekend Name Drop and these interview questions, I’ve needed to put all writing aside to work and prepare for this journey. That was not difficult in hindsight, but I have been writing in some form almost daily for a long time now. Perhaps it is time for a break.

When I used to run, it read that runners fear missing a day because there is an omnipresent fear they’ll never start again. I think writers feel the same and, to be honest, I’m tired of writers boasting of all the daily pages they do. I can’t do it, really. I need to work and live and write when I have something to write about. I’ve even had to put aside my partially completed novel draft started during my Spinoff residency at the Surrey Hotel in Auckland last July. As I say, I’ve done it for a good reason and no longer worry that I won’t return to it. Just nobody tell Steve Braunias!


8) What, if anything, can you tell us about writing and writing-related projects you're working on at the moment?

The novel I started in July is a young adult novel, shorter than The Chain and less ambitious and complicated in terms of plot and settings. However, there is a depth in the relationships between the characters I am enjoying and challenged by. In short, it’s about three teenagers in a rural New Zealand town. One of them has taken off inexplicably, leaving her best friend confused and opening up an opportunity for the third to develop a new relationship. It also has rodeos, Canadian Mounties, girls beating up boys and a lighthouse.

I’ve been researching a much larger project for a couple of years now. It’s thematically related to my second book, Te Kauhanga, but with an eye to forming a trilogy of sorts. I’ve sketched out possible plans for a series for 8-10 year olds, and I am continually on the look-out for ideas for short stories and essays, particularly if they might lead to prize money or publication. Being honest.



You can buy books by Tim Jones online! Voyagers: SF Poetry from NZ from Amazon.Transported (short story collection) from Fishpond or New Zealand Books Abroad.

The Remarkables To The Sea: Harvey Molloy and Tim Jones Read Poetry In Dunedin On Sunday 9 October

Harvey Molloy and I are both going to be in Dunedin on 9 October, so we thought, why not hold a joint poetry reading? Our publisher Mākaro Press agreed, Dunedin Public Libraries agreed to host the event, and University Book Shop very kindly agreed to come and sell books - so it's on! Please share this event widely.

When: Sunday 9 October from 12 noon-1.30pm

Where: Dunedin Public Library, 230 Moray Place (Dunningham Room, 4th floor)

Details:

A former Dunedinite, Tim Jones maps both land and sea in his new collection, exploring our increasing intimacy with the sea due to climate change. And Wellingtonian Harvey Molloy's collection moves from the Lancashire moors of the poet's childhood to the eco-politics of New Zealand.

Come along to hear these two stimulating poets while they're in Dunedin for an environmental hui, and bring a poem of your own to read.

The University Bookshop has very kindly agreed to handle book sales at the event.

If you can't make it, please share this event with your Dunedin friends.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1848403445380889/

The books:

Harvey Molloy, Udon by the RemarkablesTim Jones, New Sea LandYou can buy books by Tim Jones online! Voyagers: SF Poetry from NZ from Amazon.Transported (short story collection) from Fishpond or New Zealand Books Abroad.

Tuesday Poem: Fey Exchange, by Harvey Molloy - and news of a joint reading in Dunedin!

My Tuesday Poem this week is "Fey Exchange", by Harvey Molloy, from his wonderful collection Udon by the Remarkables - check the poem out below.

But wait, there's more: Harvey and I will be doing a joint reading in Dunedin on Sunday 9 October, from noon-1.30pm at the Dunningham Room, 4th Floor, Dunedin Public Library. I'll have more details next week, including the poster for the event, but for now you can join the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1848403445380889/

Even if you can't make it, please share this event with your Dunedin and Otago friends!

Fey Exchange

A cornflower comb in her hair and a beetle-wing nose stud permitted by the deputy principal for cultural reasons.  We are not to eat her cakesor listen to her singing.
Peer mentors warn the entrant bullies not to be deceived by her stature and to accept  full responsibility for any provoked translations.We are not to teach history or animal husbandry.
Paper cranes build their nestson the light above the whiteboard.Her greatest delight is mathematics.Her most perplexing question:How can we live in just three-sided space?All term we repeat the approved answer:
We know no different.Until the Monday we find her goneback to where the world’s light and shape are different,where nouns are crowned with capital letters, and consonants wear diacritical vowels
like a dandy wears a tricorne hat,and at the festival of braidsthe homecomers in the harbour towerslight paper lanterns the dusty grey velvet of moth wings,and place them on the bay’s slow water
for the faces of those they rememberback in the steel canyons of fast time,where the rectors embroider shadowscast by unspeakable home truths,and there’s a series of unfortunate errorsin the academy’s final examination.
Credit note: "Fey Exchange" was published in Udon by the Remarkables (Mākaro Press, 2015) and is reproduced here by kind permission of the publisher and the author.

Tim says: I think Udon by the Remarkables is a wonderful collection, and I am looking forward very much to reading with Harvey in Dunedin. I like the sly way this poem makes good on the pun in the title, while maintaining its mystery.You can buy books by Tim Jones online! Voyagers: SF Poetry from NZ from Amazon.Transported (short story collection) from Fishpond or New Zealand Books Abroad.

Saving Christchurch's Notable Trees

Tim says: Christchurch has been through an awful lot since the September 2010 and February 2011 earthquakes. I don't think Christchurch residents should be deprived of their much-admired heritage of notable trees on top of all that. If you agree, please donate to help save those trees, as Rebekah Lynch outlines below.

Already convinced? Donate now: Give A Little: https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/saveheritagetrees
 


Saving Christchurch's Notable Trees – We Need Your Help

My name is Rebekah Lynch and I am part of a group of citizens who care about Christchurch's unique landscape character, which is defined by its legacy of urban trees. We really need your help to support the continued protection of some of Christchurch's most significant trees – 80% of which have been proposed for delisting from Council's register, which means they can be felled "as of right".
In particular, we need help to cover the expert and legal expenses that we have had no choice but to incur, in order to speak for the trees through the Court-style Plan hearings being fast-tracked under the emergency earthquake legislation.
Why We Need Your Help

What has made this process particularly difficult for ordinary people like ourselves is that we have had to go through not one but an unprecedented two hearings, which effectively doubled our costs. Our costs were further increased when Council reneged on a mediated agreement that would have seen 56% of the listed trees return to Council's register.
As you can imagine, the second hearing and Council's subsequent action presented an almost impossible hurdle for individual submitters and small Trusts to overcome in order to speak for a public good – and to have any hope of being heard in a Court-style process where outcomes are being determined by expert evidence and legal submission.
Here are some links to articles that chart the Christchurch tree situation and our campaign: ·      Saving Christchurch Trees: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/201788374/mark-belton-saving-christchurch-trees·      Christchurch Tree Owners Allowed to Oppose Protected Status – Again: http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/81847639/Christchurch-tree-owners-allowed-to-oppose-protected-status-again·      Council Reneges On Deal To Protect Trees: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/310195/council-reneges-on-deal-to-protect-trees·      Christchurch Council Makes Another U-turn on Protected Trees: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/310639/chch-council-makes-another-u-turn-on-protected-trees
What We're Doing – And How You Can Help:
Fundraising: We are currently running a fundraising campaign under the umbrella of the Christchurch Civic Trust and donations can be made via:
Give A Little: https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/saveheritagetrees
Or directly to the Christchurch Civic Trust:
Electronically to: KiwiBank Account # 38 9003 0081396 00 (Please include your name and "Trees" as a reference); or
By cheque to: Christchurch Civic Trust, PO Box 1927, Christchurch 8140.
All donations are tax deductible and will be receipted. All funds will be used solely to meet the expert and legal costs of the tree campaign to date and to review the Hearing decisions once they are made.
Social Media and Spreading the Word

You can also help by:linking directly to our Give A Little fundraiser on your own social media pages and/or your blog or website – simply cut and paste in the Give a Little link above; and alsoencouraging others to do the same by also liking and sharing the link.
We would deeply appreciate our cause being shared with other individuals, organisations, groups, or businesses that you believe may care about the fate of Christchurch's Heritage and Notable trees. We believe this will assist us greatly.
Contacts and Further Information:
Please contact the following if you have further questions:
rebekah.lynch@gmail.com
secretary@christchurchcivictrust.org.nz (Attention Lindsay Carswell)
Thank you for your time, your support, and your generosity for a cause that is so important to Christchurch's unique urban character and to its post-earthquake regeneration and recovery.
Yours sincerely,
Rebekah Lynch
You can buy books by Tim Jones online! Voyagers: SF Poetry from NZ from Amazon.Transported (short story collection) from Fishpond or New Zealand Books Abroad.

Going Upstairs: Two Reviews

What with focusing on the New Sea Land launch, I've neglected to post about a couple of reviews I've written of recent New Zealand fiction.

First of all, my review of Dad Art by Damien Wilkins appears in the August edition of Landfall Review Online. I said:

Dad Art is a short, easily read and quickly digested novel, set in a very recognisable contemporary Wellington.... Michael [the protagonist] may be approaching the age at which the best opportunity to catch up with one’s friends is at other friends’ funerals, but he still retains curiosity about the world and a desire to engage with it. I liked Michael, and because I liked Michael, I enjoyed Dad Art.

Next, my review of Mean: Short Stories by Michael Botur appeared on Beattie's Book Blog. I said:

The stories in Mean are gritty social realism, so I wasn’t sure how much the book would appeal to me. But social realism has gone urban since the days of Coal Flat, and that’s where Mean is located: the underbelly of New Zealand’s towns and cities. So it’s the realism of DJs and remixes, drugs and needles, shit and piss and cum.... Michael Botur knows the mean streets of the big city well, and he writes about them with wit, compassion and insight. That makes Mean a tough but rewarding read.

AND ALSO:
Check out the National Flash Fiction Day edition of Flash Frontier, with the winners and placegetters in this year's competition.Helen Lowe kindly ran my poem The Sea, from New Sea Land, as her Tuesday Poem this week, and it was then picked up by Beatties Book Blog. Thanks, Helen and Graham!Issue 26 of Poetry Notes is now available from the PANZA website.You can buy books by Tim Jones online! Voyagers: SF Poetry from NZ from Amazon.Transported (short story collection) from Fishpond or New Zealand Books Abroad.

Photo Post 2: Photos from the Wellington City Libraries readings on National Poetry Day

This week, it's all about photos. On Tuesday, it was more photos of the New Sea Land launch: today, here are a few photos from the Wellington Central Library readings on Poetry Day organised by Mākaro Press. You can find more photos from these events, including photos of the individual readers in action, on Facebook.


Auckland poet Jamie Trower and publisher Mary McCallum
An attentive audience

Enjoying what we're hearing
Stefanie Lash and Harvey Molloy in discussion in the foreground. In the background, Pete Carter watches my one-act play "Man vs. Beanie"
You can buy books by Tim Jones online! Voyagers: SF Poetry from NZ from Amazon.Transported (short story collection) from Fishpond or New Zealand Books Abroad.

Photo Post 1: More Photos from the New Sea Land Launch

My report on last Wednesday's launch of New Sea Land included a few photos from the launch - now, here are some more!

(All photos by Mary McCallum except for the first, which is by Rohan Molloy. Thank you both!)

How to buy New Sea Land

Copies of New Sea Land are currently available from the publisher, from Ekor Bookshop & Cafe (17b College St, Te Aro, Wellington), from Unity Books, and from your local independent bookseller. If your bookseller doesn't have them in stock, they can order the book for you. It helps the bookshop if you can give them the following details:
Title: New Sea LandAuthor: Tim JonesPublisher: Mākaro PressISBN: 978-0-9941299-6-3

The RRP is $25.
The launch crew: Harvey Molloy, me, Mary McCallum, Paul Stewart Harvey launches, George listens in
Sue and Lindsay in the foreground, Niki and (I think) George from Ekor at the back left
A beautifully put together display of New Sea Lands - thanks, Niki and George!
One side of the audience...
... and another side of the audience

The height of elegance: Mark and Julia at the launch
Photographer (possibly a secret agent) lurks behind pile of interesting books to capture photo of launch









You can buy books by Tim Jones online! Voyagers: SF Poetry from NZ from Amazon.Transported (short story collection) from Fishpond or New Zealand Books Abroad.

Poetry Day Is Here! Check Out These Events

I'm planning to post some more photos from my book launch, but today is National Poetry Day, and that takes precedence! There are heaps of events on round the country. Here are three I'm involved in.




You can buy books by Tim Jones online! Voyagers: SF Poetry from NZ from Amazon.Transported (short story collection) from Fishpond or New Zealand Books Abroad.

New Sea Land Launched: Thanks to everyone who made the event a success!

My fourth poetry collection, New Sea Land, was launched last night at Ekor Bookshop & Cafe in Wellington. The launch went really well - lots of lovely people came, Harvey Molloy gave an amazing introductory speech that made me sound like George R. R. Martin crossed with Sylvia Plath (in other words, chirpy and fun-lovin'), and I spent the evening signing books, which is a gratifying thing for an author at a book launch.

Lovely people, lovely bookshop
Thanks to everyone who helped make this launch a great event - Helen Rickerby for recommending Ekor Bookshop to me in the first place,Niki Ward and George for running the event, Mary McCallum and Paul McCallum Stewart of Mākaro Press for accepting, designing and publishing the book, Harvey Molloy for launching it, Claire Beynon for the lovely cover images, William Carden-Horton for the interior images, and everyone who took part in the launch or sent apologies!

This is a cover version of "Possessed to Skate". I call it "Poised to Sign".
(Thanks also to Mary for the photos used in this post. You can find more of Mary's photos of the launch here: https://www.facebook.com/mary.mccallum.566/posts/10210587683551982)

There were a few people I barely got a chance to talk to at the launch - to all of you, thanks for attending, and I hope we'll catch up soon!

No rest for the wicked, though - well, a little rest, but then I'll be taking poems from "New Sea Land" for a spin at three events on National Poetry Day this Friday:

12noon-1.15pm: Poets in the Park: A National Poetry Day Event: Glover Park, Ghuznee St Wellington (STOP PRESS: Due to the weather forecast, this is now "Poets in Wellington Central Library"!)2pm-3.15pm: Buckets of Poets: A National Poetry Day Event: Bucket Fountain, Cuba Mall, Wellington (STOP PRESS: Due to the weather forecast, this is now "Poets in Wellington Central Library"!)7.30pm-10pm: "Poems of the Season and the Land". This event, at St Mary's Church, 56 Woburn Rd, Lower Hutt (see map), features a great lineup of poets. Copies of New Sea Land are currently available from the publisher, from Ekor Bookshop & Cafe (17b College St, Te Aro, Wellington), and from your local independent bookseller. If your bookseller doesn't have them in stock, they can order the book for you. It helps the bookshop if you can give them the following details:
Title: New Sea LandAuthor: Tim JonesPublisher: Mākaro PressISBN: 978-0-9941299-6-3

The RRP is $25.

Tim Jones, Mary McCallum and Paul Stewart. Poet was going for Byronic air of mystery - didn't quite achieve it.
You can buy books by Tim Jones online! Voyagers: SF Poetry from NZ from Amazon.Transported (short story collection) from Fishpond or New Zealand Books Abroad.