Aquaplaning Overhead: Newcastle Poetry at the Pub Anthology 2014

By Poetry at the Pub Newcastle

Collection of poetry from members and guests of Newcastle Poetry at the Pub.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Poetry at the Pub Newcastle
• Release date: Dec 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781875476039

Book preview

Newcastle is the perfect city to host a long standing monthly meet up such as Poetry at the Pub. Our population size, the city's origins and the current strengthening of our urban, cultural lifestyle are some of the factors that enable these gatherings to survive and grow. And, of course, that is just the foundation for the poets and their poetry.

How thrilling to now have an anthology that captures the poems spoken once a month in a typical Aussie pub. The infamous beer garden, a strong live band line up and regular pub raffles ensure the poetry that arrives at the microphone (on the third and fifth Mondays of every month) is strong, engaging and well delivered.

Pubs are an ideal place for poetry. Pubs are traditionally a setting for impromptu performance, the yarn, the tall tale, word play and entertainment. From the days of ancient Greece when Greek lyric (poetry composed to be performed) was a response to the social, intellectual, political climate, so today, live pub poetry responds, refers or reacts to topical or personally pressing issues.

The spoken word came first. The written word that followed was an attempt to store, to revisit and retrieve words so it is fitting that this anthology is the written celebration of the oral gatherings that are Poetry at the Pub. To deliver poetry orally is to draw on your power of communication, your body language, your ability to express and deliver. The poets brave enough to step up on that stage once a month at The Wicko must feel passionate about what they have to say. To hone their words, consider rhythm, rhyme, this adjective over another, that verb in preference to a shorter or longer one, to delete and edit and rehearse is a stirring creative process when we consider the steps involved. All writers should read their work aloud to check for flow and clarity. PatP can ensure this vital check is done and I am sure the poets return to the editing desk even after they step down from that stage. But, truly, there is nothing more exciting than hearing the words that came from your pen brought forth from your body via your vocal cords.

The Wickham Park Hotel, where PatP meets, is a terrific layout from the wooden floor to the bar's horseshoe shape that enables the bartender to 'work all parts of the room' smoothly. This layout provides the poetry a challenging performance space. The car headlights and traffic lights of Maitland Road outside provide a strong urban back drop to the poets at the microphone, and the very name of the street reminds us all that Newcastle is a city at the river mouth of a large region with over nine major commercial centres from Singleton to Toronto, Nelson Bay and Maitland at the centre.

And the poets come from all over the Hunter region to read and support each other. One of the unique features of Poetry at the Pub is the regular hosting of an established poet - sometimes local, often from interstate. The hard working committee headed up by Clark Gormley invites the published