Dictionaries define poetry as, ‘the purest form of literary expression’, while Greek lyric poet Simonides (556BC-468BC) suggested – more poetically! – that poetry is, ‘painting with the gift of speech’.
Asked if they read, write or listen to poetry a common response is to look away, look embarrassed, shuffle their feet, and mumble something along the lines of ‘Gosh no, poetry’s not my thing; I don’t understand it, and I’ve not read any since leaving school’. If they secretly really are a closet scribbler of verse, they usually prefer to keep it quiet.
Tasmania therefore bucks the trend because reading – and writing – poetry is out and proud here. Poetry in our island state is not the clichéd guilty pleasure it is so often claimed to be, given the perennial popularity of the Tasmanian Poetry Festival that will shortly hold its 37th consecutive annual event. This year’s Festival however will be bittersweet since it will be held without well-known poet and Festival founder Tim Thorne being present.
With his wife Stephanie, Tim established the Tasmanian Poetry Festival in 1985, and he was its president for several decades until handing over the baton in 2003 to Launceston literary and theatre identity Dr Cameron Hindrum. Cameron held the position for over a decade, eventually stepping aside in 2018 when Evie Wood took over. The Tasmanian Poetry Festival is the only literary event in Tasmania that’s devoted entirely to poetry in all its forms, and it’s been an annual fixture on the calendar since 1985, although current president Colin Berry said the 2020 program was necessarily abbreviated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our last normal event was in 2019 and although we still had a few events throughout 2020 we were never sure if poets could travel, or whether we could gather in groups, so a lot of time was spent working out how we could get people together in a safe way,” he said.
Although it is called the Tasmanian Poetry Festival it has always been held in Launceston, traditionally on the first weekend in October. However ongoing uncertainty around travel and the availability of guest poets – who are invited from both the mainland and around Tasmania – saw last year’s Festival held in April. Originally the 2022 Festival was also planned to be held early in the year, when the borders were opened, but following much discussion among the committee after COVID cases continued to rise, it was decided to postpone the event until September.
“Then we discovered Junction [Arts Festival] was being held on the same weekend we’d planned to have ours so we put it off until the end of the month. This took it back to where it always used to be pre-COVID, and where Tim – who was a man of many interests – had always ensured it avoided coinciding with AFL grand finals. Mainly so he could also watch them!” said Colin.
Despite strong and growing support both for the Tasmanian Poetry Festival, and poetry in general, Colin is concerned that the committee has continued to be entirely made up of people, ‘of a certain age’, most of whom have been involved with the festival since its inception. He believes that unless more people from across the generations can be encouraged to become involved in the planning and running of the Festival, its future could be at risk.
“It’s quite an interesting moment in the Festival’s history and one of my pet concerns is the need to transfer the reins to those in their 40s and 50s. I don’t mean to turf out all the oldies but it’s really important to have new people coming through who know some of the Festival’s history, and know the requirements around governance and reporting to various levels of government to show we’re financially responsible, and that the committee has been properly elected and so forth. We don’t want to be left in a situation where ill health, for example, has become such an issue for current committee members they have to step down and there’s no succession plan and nobody there to take over.”
Thanks in part to Tim Thorne’s connections, and the Festival’s growing reputation, finding top poets from around the country and the world has never been an issue. Despite the ongoing travel uncertainty, this year is no exception with a program that includes internationally renowned poet, and a former Colorado Poet Laureat, David Mason. He and his partner – who is also a poet – now live in Cygnet so from the Festival’s perspective, he’s able to wear both an international and a Tasmanian hat.
The 2022 program reflects the varied tastes and styles of those on the committee, but suggestions about who to invite are also welcomed from Launceston’s wider poetry-loving community, and the regulars who attend the monthly Poetry Pedlars open mic sessions at Launceston’s Sports Garden pub.
“The aim is to have a range of genres and types of writing, so we have Dave Mason, and Tasmanian poet, Anne Kellas who are contemplative and intellectual, and others – generally younger poets like Ren Alessandra – who are more performance or slam poets. What I don’t want to see happening though is slam being the only outlet for young poets. Some young writers would be horrified at the idea of being pushed in front of a microphone, yet they might be writing beautiful stuff.
“My concern is ensuring we allow for all those different forms and genres, and we don’t prevent people being exposed to audiences because they’re more writers than performers. I’ve heard some great slam stuff, but I’ve also heard some slam that I don’t want to hear again! Similarly, there are poems I’ve read that I don’t want to read again, yet there are others that have been emotionally stimulating and affecting.”
One guest poet who is making a return visit to this year’s festival is Myron Lysenko. Described by Colin as, ‘an older white bloke and a consummate entertainer with a comic twist’, Lysenko’s Ukrainian background could make the comic aspect to his poetry much darker this year than audiences have previously come to expect.
Although the Festival’s main program will be held over the weekend 30 September – 2 October, two separate yet affiliated events are on Saturday 10 and Friday 23 September.
The ‘Hallelujah’ concert will feature the words and music of Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, and builds on the success of a similar, sellout event held last year that focussed on the words and music of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Those wanting tickets for this year’s concert on 10 September will need to be super quick as it’s already very close to being a full house.
On Friday 23 September a silent auction of some of Tim and Steph’s art and treasure, is being hosted by their musician daughter Lucie, to raise funds for both City Park Radio, where Stephanie volunteered for many years, and the Tasmanian Poetry Festival.
Tickets for the Festival weekend are available through Trybooking, and while Colin said sales were slow and steady for some of the sessions, those wanting to come to Saturday evening’s Poetry Cup event shouldn’t leave securing their tickets too late.
Often the only session some people attend, the Cup has proved to be wildly popular over the years. It’s a riotous evening where poets, non-poets and writers are invited to enter and read a poem that is judged entirely by audience response. A strict time limit means those reading have exactly one minute to do so. Finishing under a minute is fine but anyone taking more than 60 seconds is automatically disqualified. Cup poems can be on any topic but they are frequently satirical, political – and designed to raise a laugh, and the roof! The winning entry always does.
For more information and to buy tickets see https://www.taspoetryfest.org/ https://www.trybooking.com
© 2022 Anne Layton-Bennett
Anne Layton-Bennett is a published writer both in Australia and overseas in both print and online publications. She writes regularly for specialist magazine The Veterinarian, and co-edited: An Inspired Pursuit: 40 years of writing by women in northern Tasmania, (Karuda Press) 2002.
