honey and the rock

You might think I do nothing but blog* but I have to reassure you that I also hope and dream and fret and wonder and plot and plan and do and think and make and love.  Occasionally I eat. And I’m actually a really fast typist.

Tonight is Words or Whatever, Betsy Turcot and I are hosting. We have a fabulous line up of features, including:

–        Tiggy Johnson

–        Trudie Murrell

–        Betsy Turcot

–        Myself, Rhyll Tonge in collaboration with Chantel Keegan

–        Angela Willock

–        Liz Bennett

–        Marilyn Roberts

–        Sally Morris

You can read all about them, and learn more about their work, their influences and what they’re bringing to the tabula rasa of WoW.

They will be supported by some men folk, including Andrew Phillips, Jonathan Hadwen, Tony Mutton, John Wainwright, Glen Manga, Thomas Day, and Scott Sneddon.

And we want you to come and see it.

Tonight, because I am mildly psychic, some things are going to go very very right, some things are going to go quite wrong. Things will be both better and less than we dreamed and imagined it. Things will not be the same as we wanted because the things I imagine and dream are pretty freaking amazing and – in many ways – the anticipation of life is sometimes better than its realisation. But things will also be better because you were there, and the subtle shift from imagination to realisation is a freaking thrill. I don’t mind that. I’m looking forward to it no end.

In fact, I just wanted to say one thing before we kick it all off, I’m not sorry.

Not for anything that goes wrong. I’m not in the slightest bit sorry, in fact, I am honoured to share this experience with you, and with Betsy who has been indefatigable despite being super fatigued, with Thomas for asking Betsy and I to program, with all of the features, and all of the quiet tales that you almost heard but were not quite sure.  I’m honoured beyond belief that people share their time, their energy, their art, their play, their dark and their hearts in this way.

If I forget to say it afterwards, I had a really great time.

They say the world has a very short attention span. This is Zoe Keating vs Stef Petrik. I think we’ll both agree that poetry was the winner. For those who have seen Stefanie’s particular energy of spoken word, performance, performativity and poeticspeed, it’s kind of hard to describe.

And yet, this is also not what I have come to expect from Stef. People have been generous beyond previous expectation. What has been such a great delight in the lead up to this event is just how surprised I have felt. This is not how I expected to feel. Expect + get = somewhat good; did not expect + got better = extra good. I’m going to give you a little taste here because probably tomorrow night, unless you are on the god damn time, you are going to miss it.

This must be the paradox of poetic conditioning.

*have you seen how early the sun gets up in QLD