GOODBYE Poets Corner:
As the initiator, facilitator and host of Poets Corner @ Pages Café, I'd like to sincerely thank everyone who's had anything to do with the event for their most valuable and much appreciated support and encouragement over the last three years, and say goodbye.
Even if Poets Corner @ Pages Café was never 'cool' according to Janet Jackson, I'm proud to say the chapbook, website, photos and blog have played a vital though often unacknowledged role in the Poetry Community of Perth.
Poets Corner @ Pages Café was a unique and free event: It was important to have somewhere central to the City, so the State Library in the Cultural Centre was easy to get to by bus or train. My Saturday afternoon event (daytime as opposed to evening) intended to encourage the general public to attend, which they did.
By promoting and supporting many poets, the event often provided first performance opportunities for those who were new to the Perth Poetry Scene, alongside well-known and highly-regarded academics. It's great to see those same Newbies are now printing their own chapbooks, running blogs and events.
Of course, Poets Corner could not have happened for the last three years without the on-going and much-appreciated support directed by the then Minister for the Arts The Honorable Sheila McHale to staff at the WA State Library and of course, Pages Café.
Or vitally, the poets who most generously gave their time over the last three years to Poets Corner either as hosts or invited guests for no fee (many more than once) when they would earn one elsewhere.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH:
Afeif Ismail Abdelrazig
Rosanne Bersten (Melbourne)
Peter Bibby
Donovan Blundell-Wignell
Ross Bolleter
al boyd
Andrew Burke
Coral Carter
Lily Chan
Nandi Chinna,
Liana Joy Christensen
Sally Clarke
Sue Clennell
Hal Colebatch
Irene Connor
N.J (Jim) Cornish
Suzanne Covich
Simon Cox
Emma Crook
Miranda Crothers
Jenny de Garis
Jen de Ness & Bill
Lucy Dougan
Marlia Douglas
Meg Dunn (Melbourne)
Gabrielle Everall.
Alex Falconer
Terry Farrell
Sarah French
Tiffany Garvie (Paris)
Maureen Gibbons
Kevin Gillam
Vivienne Glance
Raymond Grenfell,
Danny Gunzburg.
Helen Hagemann
Ashley J Higgs
Debbie Hills
T.A.G. Hungerford
Janet Jackson
Peter Jeffrey
Murray Jennings
Pat Johnson
Beate Josephi
Desmonda Kearny
Marilyn Dorothea King
Trisha Kotai-Ewers
Mike Ladd
Veronica Lake
Paul Langford
Brian Langley.
Andrew Lansdown
Deanne Leber
Elizabeth Lewis
Frances Limb
Dosh Luckwell
Mardi May
Frances Macaulay Forde
John McBain
Shane McCauley
Megan McKinlay
Glad McGough
Graeme Miles
Heath Miller
Ann Morgan
Lucas North
Susan O'Brien
Ron Okely
Alvin Pang (Singapore)
Wayne Pantell
barry parsons
Rachael Petritis
Glen Phillips
Marcella Polain
Dorothy Porter
Primo Lux Poets
Bruce Russell
Zan Ross
Tracy Ryan
Trisha Saggers
Frances Arnett Sbrocchi
Cecily Scutt
Maureen Sexton.
Steve Smart
Flora Smith
Kate Smith
Dov Spinks
Klyth Tan
Andrew Taylor
Barbara Temperton
Kriston Terbutt (Melbourne)
Rose van Son
Rita Tognini
Walter Vivian
Donna Ward
Amelia Walker (Melbourne)
Samuel Wagan Watson
Julie Watts
Mags Webster
Miriam Wei Wei Lo
Annamaria Weldon
Mike Williams
Fay Zwicky
(If I've missed anyone off the list, again - I do apologize.)
Thanks also to those who allowed me the privilege to either host the launch of or feature their books such as T.A.G. Hungerford, Andrew Taylor, Tracy Ryan, Deanne Leber, Afeif Ismail Abdelrazig, FAWWA, etc.
It was always my intention to have guest hosts and many have stepped up to the mike for what is mostly an underrated but important role: Glen Phillips, Lily Chan, Coral Carter, Andrew Burke, Deanne Leber and Andrew Lansdown. (If I've forgotten anyone, I'm sorry.)
Personally, I've enjoyed all the words, enthusiasm for poetry and each contribution to sharing and building a viable Poetic community here in Western Australia since that first flying-by-the-seat-of-our-pants but highly successful WA Spring Poetry Festival in 2003.
Nine days of amazing events where Maureen Sexton and Lynn, al boyd and I set the ground-work for so much more to come, even though we all ended up burning ourselves out. Well done to all those who continue to organize or facilitate, host and encourage others.
I've watched with pride, as many poets who'd never performed in public before appearing at Poets Corner, now confidently stride onto various stages at the many poetic events which happen around the Metro area.
Still, I'm very proud of Poets Corner, that's why, if I can't devote the same amount of time and energy, I must bow out. So Poets Corner is no more.
May your muse amuse…
Frances
