Eye amm, yew aaar, wee aar Oztraylia!

I have a couple of poems coming out this week. One's in the understated and unpretentious Tasmanian literary bi-annual Famous Reporter, and it's entitled "There's A Wild Jack Russell In the Moon". I'm really happy that this poem has found a home (and in case you haven't noticed by now, I am obsessed with the moon, birds, planes, spaceships and little dogs). You can view details of the issue's contents (plus some of the poems) here. The other is a poem called "City Slacker" that will appear in the (Australian) summer issue of Overland. I'm over the moon (ha) about this one - I've been trying to get a poem in Overland for years, and they set a pretty high standard, I think. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that Overland is one of the few Australian cultural and literary journals worth reading (oh no, I can feel another testimonial coming on). You can view details of the contents of the issue here. But I'll have to wait until February until I can see these journals for myself ... all of which makes me homesick for the little old literary scene I call home. Poetry readings without syrupy muzac - I'd buy that for a dollar! Performance poetry - yay! Little chapbooks put out by poets who don't want to be superstars - beautiful! Collected Works Bookshop - OMG! And, finally, ERN MALLEY!!! Yes, that's right, today marks our official release date for Cordite #23: Children of Malley. Here's the blurb:
Ern Malley, the original dromedary of Australian poetry, has been anthologised, criticised and mythologised beyond belief. It�s perhaps sobering to reflect that while Ern Malley�s creators, his twin Gepettos James McAuley and Harold Stewart along with his original sponsor Max Harris have passed from this world, Ern�s legend lives on. What is it about Ern Malley that refuses to die? The answer to this burning question and several others continues to elude us but the good news is that we are proud to announce the arrival of our biggest issue yet - Cordite #23: Children of Malley! Featuring forty five poems by a range of Australian and international poets writing under strange (and sometimes hilarious) noms de malley, this issue is one we�re extra proud of and we hope you�ll enjoy it too. As mentioned, the contributors to this issue remain, for the moment, anonymous. That�s where you come in. We�d like to know who you think each child o� Malley is - and we invite you to leave a comment or two speculating upon their true identities. Each time the correct identity of a child is guessed, we�ll confirm and acknowledge via some suitably scandalous public admission, or perhaps even an apology. So, put your thinking caps on, and we look forward to your nominations for the real names of these sometimes crazy/ sometimes sweet, long-lost Children of Malley.
Ahhhh, Oztrayliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

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