A gift from her to me to you to them to us.
I don’t know if I’m running late, or if it’s just the lunar new year coming to its own, but there seem to be a great number of threads tying themselves up right now in my life.
Everything seems to be ending. And that which isn’t ending is leaving or moving on.
Last month, Betsy Turcot and I were fortunate enough to take our two poetry works, She Stole My Every Rock and Roll and Chosen Family to show in New York, rounding out time spent with both of these stories by performing them to an entirely new audience. Both works are incredibly important to me, they have changed how I write and who I am, and grown me an important branch of new friends and family. But we won’t be able to share those works as easily as before.
Those closures, temporary or transient as they may be, feel gentle in their finality. It’s a good time to rest both those tales. Together, Betsy and I are working on a new work for the Anywhere Theatre Festival and so, in order to make space for that new, we have had to set aside the old.
At the same time, Thomas Day and I have one last opportunity to share DJ Thought Fox vs MC Lady Lazarus, our jointly devised work exploring the works of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. Just one week from now, we will be marking dear Sylvia’s deathday with a showing of this piece which, both in its creation and subsequent delivery, has changed, grown and mutated for me in the most extraordinary ways. I’m older than Sylvia ever was and have her to thank for some 17+ years of words and thoughts and poetry. It’s a heavy debt and a lovely honour. You don’t have to be a die-hard fan of either writer to enjoy the work (although I’m constantly learning more about these writers from audience members!)
Thomas and I are lucky enough to be a part of the excellent suite of readings and events that have been hosted as a part of the Lord Mayor’s Reader in Residence (aka David Stavanger) program at the Brisbane Square Library, you follow the links below for Facebook details etc if you’re able to attend.
– Sylvia Plath Presents: DJ Thought Fox vs MC Lady Lazarus
– Tuesday 11 February
– 6.00pm at the Brisbane Square Library (do come on time!)
Come blow out the candles with us.
eleanor j jackson 