Article written by Rory Hawkins.
Seen those pink banners yet? Walking 'round the city, they’ve only just appeared. Small in shape but many in number, there’s a message: the Brisbane Festival makes its annual return.
But there’s more going on than that just in September, oh no. As if to squish into the artsy season as well, the Queensland Poetry Festival is scheduled to run late August. Yes, there’s actually enough people in Queensland who care about poetry.
Now, you can’t write for a Literature section without pausing at least once to think: “Maybe I talk a bit too much about books.” There has to be something more than ‘read this, this is good’ or ‘write like this, this is good.’ There has to be a little bump to the monotony.
Festivities and poetry are that bump.
Before researching, I didn’t even know there was this much traction for poetry, let alone a festival. I’ve gone to Brisbane Writer’s Festival events before, but that’s directly part of the overall Brisbane events. Poetry never seemed to be mentioned. As if in answer, their own festival appears.
Running full-speed between August 23rd – 26th, the Queensland Poetry Festival will be centred on events taking place at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts. And that’s in the Valley… yes, not where I was expecting either. But then I’m not much of a poet.
So am I a fan? Plainly put, N-O. Within the arts in general, I’d probably let poetry fall just above the more chaotic side of experimental jazz and that nude performance art protesting ‘Nam in the 60s (Yayoi Kasuma, I’m looking at you).
I’m sure to some that sounds like a brash or insensitive opinion. It is, I won’t deny that – I’d label myself a creative NARRATIVE writer first, so there’s the obvious bias towards one form of writing over another. We’ve all got our own preferences, and mine just happens to be tangible substance over… whatever most of modern poetry is. Or seems to be.
Before I continue down the heavily biased path of why narrative is a definite improvement and generously more substantial than poetry, I’ll say that I can at least enjoy the medium for what it is, but it has confused me from Grade 7 onwards.
To me, poetry is generally short form, at most a few paragraphs. Substance could be anything from love, fear, awe, a hazy in between. Length doesn’t determine how well a piece explores an emotion, an idea, how it affects the person who writes/reads or says/hears. That’s something I’ll say narrative needs to agree with more: quality rather than quantity.
It’s almost like lyrics without being put to song; some will argue the meter or ‘flow’ of lines of poetry is very important. We’ve all studied Shakespeare – iambic pentameter is an interesting read but it is by no means a final form. Poetry’s form, like any writing, is an ever-changing style. It changes with the time.
No, my problem isn’t with style per say – inevitably, trends change and so do individual tastes. We are products of our time.
The problem is besides poetry consciously written as social protest, it’s hard to pin down as a consistent means of expression. Despite being better told “This is what poetry is” in Grade 7, it’s a starting point more than a definition. Like visual art, there’s not any set rules.
This way, poetry can be used as the most personal means of expressing oneself in writing – and that is both a blessing and curse.
Make the medium too vague or airy, too saturated in emotion, and it becomes harder for others to relate to it. It’s not like a narrative – there, you have to make plot coherent and obvious or else your reader’s not going to last x number of chapters more.
By making it too deeply personal, poetry risks alienation. It’s all well and good sharing thoughts and experiences but to function well as a medium for others, you need to give an inch.
In our post-modern age, we have so many means of sharing our creativity and so much more time to do so. One way or another, for better or worse, anyone can claim to be an artist. Poetry already has the stereotype of angst and melancholy – I’ll admit I’ve written or plotted out more than one poem under those feelings.
But that hardly makes poetry inspirational on an academic level (yes, I do sound like a prick!). Because poetry has that current attraction, particular social media is churned with personal poetry – perhaps even self-aggrandising in its wallowing?
That’s why I need to know more. My opinion of poetry at this moment is shaped by the preconceptions I’ve already mentioned. For someone who wants to do more than just bang on about narrative techniques all the time, this is the perfect opportunity. Find something a little quirkier than usual. Try something new.
This year, the Queensland Poetry Festival’s unique spin is: Vital Signs – how our own and others’ stories possess the power to heal when reflected on. Whilst part of me thinks this could go feelings-heavy extremely fast, I have to admit they’re right. Stories do have that power, and I wonder how poetry will commit to telling a story.
Maybe the poets of the Queensland Poetry Festival can heal me the same way those crystal people said my unakite (a pretty green and orange stone) would help me let go of painful memories. It’s never worked – but then I’m not the most spiritual of people when it comes to rocks. Poetry? I continue to hope.
Follow what’s happening with the Queensland Poetry Festival 2018 at: https://queenslandpoetryfestival.com/
For more information on any other upcoming poetry events, check out the Brisbane City Library site… or just go there in person and try talking to someone…
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