Winter Readings 2016
July 2016 saw the return of Winter Readings, a popular poetry event in Wellington that I co-organised with Michael O’Leary from 2003 to 2008.
A feature of these events was that Michael and I dressed up as music stars and did tributes to bands and groups that we had admired as well as promoting our recent titles as publishers (HeadworX and ESAW).
This year we did the Bee Gees, whose early work and some of their disco party anthems still resonate with me. It was nice to do a tribute to the Gibb brothers.
Those taking part at our appropriately titled Poetry Gees event were exciting new writers MaryJane Thomson and Polina Kouzminova of Wellington, along with myself, Michael, Jeanne Bernhardt (from Lawrence, Otago) and Rob Hack (Paekakariki).
A report featured on Beattie’s Book Blog, which also included the awarding of the Earl of Seacliff Poetry Prize to Jeanne Bernhardt.
I also edited a small 20-page booklet of the poets at the reading. The anthology included Niel Wright's poem on the Bee Gees first published in my journal broadsheet.
Here's the link: /books/poetry-gees