For the third month running the featured event of the Live Poets’ Society has a connection to Douglas Livingstone: two months ago extracts from the great poet’s A Littoral Zone were performed, last month Sally-Ann Murray presented her latest collection “open season” which commences with a poem entitled “After Douglas,” and this month a Livingstone protégé will launch his new anthology. He is flying up from Cape Town especially for this event. Here is the gist of a media release being transmitted:
Mystical Poet Launches New Book
Shabbir Banoobhai, the celebrated Durban poet now living in Cape Town, is to launch his eighth collection at the next gathering of the Live Poets’ Society (LiPS). Entitled “water would suffice – reflections of love", it is the second of an intended series of such “reflections”, although his other works also embody aspects of this “many splendoured” subject.
The event will take place in The Quarterdeck of Durban’s Point Yacht Club at 6pm Tuesday 26 June. Elegantly designed by Sumayya Essack and beautifully produced, the book will be available at just R100 – a generous discount from bookshop prices. Mr Banoobhai’s other works will also be available.
Peer Praise
A protégé of the late, great poet Douglas Livingstone who mentored him, his work has been praised by some of South Africa’s leading poets and editors including Joan Metelerkamp and Kobus Moolman. In 2001 he was awarded the Thomas Pringle Poetry Prize for his poem “sarajevo”, an account of his failed attempt to enter that besieged city.
A former anti-apartheid campaigner, he still speaks for victims of oppressive regimes elsewhere. Mr Banoobhai’s personal poems thus frequently carry a political message. Yet as a grand humanitarian, his political poems often extend to spiritual dimensions. He has consequently been compared to the mystical poets of the great Persian tradition.
Do Your Homework
As he is in effect returning home to Durban, Mr Banoobhai has nominated the evening’s theme as “Homecoming”. Those with poems which home in on this subject are invited to present them after the main event. Then in the Poet Pourri session, poems on any subject may be aired.
Entry is free and all are welcome even if they don’t yet write poetry. Guarded parking is available at R5 and there is a cash bar.
For more details on LiPS, contact Brett Beiles – 031 266 4762. For more details on the poet, visit his website: www.veilsoflight.com
Extracts
at least take off your shoes
when you go dancing
on the heart of god.
***
do not wear
your faith
as armour
but as fragrance.
For interviews and alternative pics of Shabbir Banoobhai, please contact him direct:
082 905 1251, (h) 021 671 3337, shabbir@iafrica.com
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Other Stuff
Important – Hard Copies
Many members have long suggested that poems presented during meetings be typed and photocopied so we can see the words on the page as well as hear them.
Tracy Lockly in Australia has generously offered to collate them and send in document form to a volunteer here to download, print and copy. Dorian Swales has kindly volunteered for the latter part of this exercise.
Please send the poems you intend presenting at the next meeting – whether on the Evening’s Theme or for the Poet Pourri session – to Tracy at: tibip@excite.com by Tuesday 19 June.
Please do not send them to me. Thank you Tracy and Dorian for taking on this task.
Last Meeting
Thirteen months after Sally-Ann Murray first guested at a LiPS meeting, she presented her second collection “open season”. Sally-Ann keeps going from strength to strength – not only with her poetry itself, also her professional delivery. Several notes and phone calls of thanks have been received. Here is a typical one, from Daniel Connor:
Sally Anne has really opened new doors for me to explore with my writing. She airs her discourse in her own, quirky, thought provoking way. She truly has her own voice. Something I hope to find in my own work.
Great thanks again to her for giving her time, talent and encouragement.
40+ members stayed after the break, many presenting in both the Evening’s Theme (“Extra/ordinary”) and Poet Pourri sessions – in order of appearance: Graham Lancaster, Hannah Lurie, Irene Aarons, Dorian Swales, Janice Pears, Jacqueline Pahl, Meryl Raw, Siphephelo “Miracle” Mbhele, Charlene Alexander, Vivien van Staaden, Jean-Marie Spitaels, Daniel Connor, Sharon Scott, Tanya (surname unknown) and Christopher Emery. Vivien van Staaden sang us out a cappella out with a beautiful rendition of Go Where Love Goes from the movie Lazarus Child. Well done to all for your participation. It was one of the best-subscribed gatherings we’ve had in a long time.
Apologies for absence were received from Nonni Awerbach, Ritisha Leché and Chris Sutton.
New faces there were aplenty but only one left details – so welcome Colette Murphy, hoping to see (and hear) a lot more of you.
Contributions to the General Expenses Fund amounted to R129, which brings this kitty to R4127.88 after a R29 deduction for out-of-pocket expenditure. The Publication Funds is static at R4493.95.
Bravo!
Jacqueline Pahl on winning The SA Writers’ Circle’s Annual Workshop held in Bulwer.
Irene Aarons on being Highly Commended in SAWC’s Annual Poetry Competition. (I left this out last month as wasn’t aware of it – it wasn’t listed in SAWC’s newsletter. At last November’s LiPS gathering Irene launched her debut collection A Scorpion Sings, another publication from Graham Lancaster’s Trayberry Press.)
And my poem “Death Ratel”, presented at a LiPS meeting quite a while ago, will apparently appear in the USA/SA anthology Crux … (with a convoluted subtitle). Their call for work was announced here some months back, so wonder if any other LiPSomaniacs are in it?
Dye Hard Press
GREEN DRAGON 5 (ISBN: 978-0-620384711) has been published. This issue contains poetry and prose by Arja Salafranca, Kelwyn Sole, Goodenough Mashego, Kobus Moolman, Colleen Higgs, Motjidibane Bapela, Kaye Axon, Karen Press, Dawn Garisch, Lauri Kubuitsile, Haidee Kruger, Joop Bersee, Tania van Schalkwyk, Philip Hammial, Hazel Frankel, Abbey Khambule, David wa Maahlamela, Allan Kolski Horwitz, Richard Fox, Amanda van Rooyen, Gary Cummiskey and Liesl Jobson – those in bold being members of LiPS. Copies available at R65, including postage, directly from Dye Hard Press, PO Box 783211, Sandton 2146.
Hoping to see (and hear) you on the 26th – till then may your Muse be with you
“A poet can survive anything but a misprint.” – Oscar Wilde
