Survivor Poetry - Out Read. Out Write. Out Loud.

Catalyst

presents:

an exclusive new form of performance poetry competition - cut-throat reality style

Friday10th September 7.30pm

Boaters @ ChCh Town Hall

Christchurch Writers Festival 2010

Twenty castaways find themselves stranded on stage in front of a live audience with the hope of surviving three rounds of performance poetry. Each contestant will read one poem in the first round to determine the top ten and then the castaways will fight for immunity in a series of spontaneous writing challenges to compete for a one in five chance to become the world’s first Survivor Poet.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Survivor Poetry is entry by audition only. To be part of this event in the 2010 Christchurch Writers Festival you must attend and audition at:

Catalyst's Poetry Open Mic / Survivor Poetry Auditions

Al's Bar - 31 Dundas St

Wednesday 1st September 8pm. Entry is FREE.

It's good to learn how to let go...

Do not adjust your television... Catalyst's blog is 'changing'... standby for instructions...

Next Catalyst Open Mic

Greetings and salutations for what will be the last post on the blog in this form...

Yes, that's right, we're... transforming. Don't touch that mouse... Catalyst is, well, about to catalyze.

In the meantime - here's the reminder about this months open mic:

Catalyst Open Mic Night
Wednesday 7th July 8pm
Al's Bar - 31 Dundas St
(behind Pak n' Save Moorhouse Ave)

The Return of the Basement Poetic in Lyttelton

Basement Poetic and Socrates Session
7pm Sunday 27th June
$10 waged, $8 unwaged


The perfect end to the Festival of Lights, bring your mind, your wit and your taste for wine to the cozy environs of The Basement! Join local luminaries of the literary ether for a night of poetry and spoken word, and have a go yourself during the open mic. Then 'speak to the topic' in the Socrates Session - a chance to air your own well-shaped arguments on a topic given on the night.

A little birdie told me the topic is CREDIT for the Socrates Session - forewarned is forearmed!

But I could be wrong...

Funds raised go towards supporting Volcano Radio - Community radio as it should be - LOCAL & LIVE!

Poetry keeps you cosy

Wow. Just a quick note about two things. First, Catalyst in May was an absolute rip-snorter. The kinda night that keeps Doc and I excited and determined to keep the open mic running for all you poets out there. Big crowd, totally up for it and some great poetry too. I've got some pics coming soon - let's keep the momentum going for June! And keep in mind the ideas about a collaboration with Poetic Justice in Wanaka (we love those guys!)

Second: We're not the only game in town... if you're desperate for your poetry fix check out:

POETRY FOR PUDDING
Date: Friday 21 May, 7 - 8.30 pm

Place: Borders Bookshop Rotherham St.Riccarton.
Poets and listeners of all levels and ages welcome.

Bring a favourite poem...yours or another's. Come
and enjoy the friendly and relaxed atmosphere.


Now that's cosy.

Next Catalyst Poetry Open Mic...

Wednesday 5th May 8pm
Al's Bar - 31 Dundas St
BYO poetry

Also the same night - the final in this year's series of readings from the Canterbury Poets Collective over at Madras Cafe Bookshop. Featuring each of the winners from this series open mics there. Why not do both? Poetry is ruling the city this week!

Sandra Sarala - live at Al's Bar

Sandra Sarala, singing poet
Wednesday 24 March, 8.30pm
Al's Bar
with special guest, Maryrose Crook.

Coming up this week at Al's Bar is a visiting performance poet, or rather a long lost daughter of Aotearoa returning. We thought y'all should get along and check it out. It's not every week we have a touring poet of this calibre so come along and support!

More about Sandra:

Sandra Sarala. a.k.a. Sandra Dempster, left New Zealand 13 years ago for Seoul and ended up in Berlin, where she's been active in the city's vibrant international community as a singing poet with a sideline in archaic East European folk song for the last eight years.

Her poetic performances are lyrical, satiric, philosophic and story-telling: after studying history from 1989-91 at the University of Canterbury and theatre and film at Victoria University of Wellington in 1996 she was a member of Red Mole's Roadwork's company, she has devised and performed her own work in Wellington, South Korea, Poland and Germany, trained in Commedia dell'Arte in Italy, and developed open vocal technique with teachers from Ukraine, Russia, and Poland.

She's survived several economic meltdowns in various countries, including South Korea, Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany, and has fallen back on farming, journalism, life-modelling and teaching skills in most of those places.

After spending a winter writing, alone on an isolated central Bohemian farm with wood-stove heating/cooking and no running water, she fell in love with the luxuries of Berlin in spring 2002 and moved there, later becoming a co-founding member of the ensemble Polynushka, whose 2008 limited release CD of Russian village song won the German Record Critic's prize for folklore in August of the same year.

Having been born and raised and Dunedin then steadily making her way north through Christchurch, Wellington, Paekakariki, Asia and Europe, she's touring her way back south during March 2010 before returning to Berlin after Easter.

Photos become memories...

Continuing our slightly drunken stagger down memory lane...




Ben - April 2008

Stefan - April 2008

Helen L. - April 2008

Helen Y. - April 2008

Nostalgia is a gateway drug

I realised that the blog has been a bit static and also a bit too wordy of late. Here's a trip down memory lane with some of the poets at open mics in recent years...

Bella - December 2008

David - December 2008

Sean - December 2008

Ricky - December 2008

Poetic Justice, Southern Style

We have a sister poetry open mic in Wanaka!

'The Poetic Poetesses', Laura Williamson and Liz Breslin run an open mic called Poetic Justice Wanaka at Pa Runga Wine Bar, upstairs from Kai Whaka Pai (cnr Ardmore and Helwick Streets, Wanaka)

Check out their blog via the link above or here.

Catalyst's March night was honoured to have Liz in attendance and over several drinks we started to cook up schemes to bring our two esteemed literary salon evenings together. Let us know what you think of that idea and what we could do together!

Next Catalyst Open Mic

Kia ora!

Let Catalyst take you by the hand and lead you into Autumn

Wednesday 3rd March, 8pm
Al's Bar - 31 Dundas St
BYO poetry or whatever

it's hot today...

Happy New Year!

Greetings and salutations for another year! This is just a quick wee post to notify y'all about our first open mic of the year and the special one-off date for it...

Catalyst's Poetry Open Mic Nights are returning in February 2010.

The first one is a little unusual with a slightly different date - for this month only we'll be on the first Thursday of the month. That means the date and details are as follows:

First Catalyst Open Mic for 2010
Thursday 4th February, 8pm entry is free
Al's Bar, 31 Dundas St Christchurch (behind Pak n' Save Moorhouse)

A Very Special Catalyst

Don't you just love Christmas-themed copy writing that starts with headings like that?

Sorry.


Anyway, it's time for our last open mic of the year when we have a HUGE party and then take a couple of months off (the open mics anyay - we'll be making a new Catalyst CD over summer so no rest for the wicked). So. We were mentioning a party...

Catalyst Christmas Party
Wednesday 2nd December, 8pm
Al's Bar 31 Dundas St (Ch.Ch.bro)

featuring a book launch:

Strange Totems
haiku by Doc Drumheller

and Catalyst's Crazy Christmas Sale!

Unbelievable bargains to be had on our back catalogue.
Complete your Catalyst collection or take care of that Christmas shopping in one fell swoop!
Yes, it's poetry for Christmas!!!!

More on STRANGE TOTEMS:

Strange Totems is the latest collection of haiku by Doc Drumheller. Translated and presented in 3 languages - Japanese, English and Te Reo Maori. Strange Totems plays with themes of power and resonance in nature and in cities. The disconnect between humanity and nature and the power of culture and new mythology. The book is published by Clerestory Press who also presented Drumheller's first haiku collection Snake Songs and features photographic montage by the dynamic duo of Johnsin & Fox.

Responses to Catalyst...

A nice mention over on The Creativity Room by the many-talented Ms Lucette Hindin...

Book launch: Songcatcher by Robynanne Milford

Poems for songcatchers by Robynanne Milford aka Bella Boyd

Our City O Tautahi (old provincial chambers)
(cnr Oxford Tce & Worchester Blvd)

December 1 st 5.30pm Tuesday 2009

With songs by the Cecilian Singers
And poems by James Norcliffe, Bernadette Hall, Frankie McMillan, HelenLowe, Jeffrey Paparoa Holman

RSVP for catering Nov 23
bellaboyd@xtra.co.nz Poems available Madras Café Books

Catalyst Volume 8

Poetry Takes Flight

Book Launch & Poetry Performance
with open mic and live music from Le Mot Café

Wednesday 4th November, 7.30pm
Al’s Bar - 31 Dundas St, Christchurch

Poets for Samoa

Poets for the Tsunami

Fiona Farrell

Bernadette Hall

Ben Brown

Jim Norcliffe

Danielle O’Halloran

Tusiata Avia

MC: Victor Rodger

Thursday 5 November, 5.30pm,

Madras Café Bookshop, 135 Madras St.

Fundraiser for the Samoan tsunami relief effort – if you haven’t contributed yet, (or even if you have) here is your chance.

Tickets at the door: $10 donation. Raffle. All proceeds to Samoa tsunami relief.

Catalyst 8 - launching!

Wednesday 4th November - time TBC
Al's Bar, 31 Dundas St
Christchurch

Just advance notice about the biggest party of our year! Please come along, celebrate the launch of the best Catalyst yet, maybe even buy a copy. Or three. We'll be selling subscriptions on the night also: get your Catalyst delivered!

Stay tuned for more information leading up to the launch. Thank you to everyone who's contributed and waited with us for so long!

Fantasy-Fiction Writing Workshop

Check out this great opportunity presented by our pal Helen:

Award-winning author Helen Lowe runs a workshop on writing fantastic fiction, focusing on Fantasy and Sci-Fi. The session includes discussions and exercises on the essential elements of 'fantastic world building', structure and keeping it real. Bring pen and paper.

Saturday 17th October, 10am – 12pm
Venue: Christchurch Central Library
Fee: Free
Bookings: Essential; phone 941 7923

Links:
http://www.helenlowe.info/
http://www.thornspell.info/
http://www.christchurchcitylibraries.com/Events/NZBookMonth/

NZ Book Month & the ChCh Writers Festival

Special poetry event in honour of NZ Book Month, brought to you by the Christchurch Writers Festival. Come and have a glass of wine and see some of Aotearoa's best poets perform their work. Nice.

Friday 2nd October, 5.30pm
Our City, O-Tautahi
cnr Oxford Tce & Worcester Blvd
$10 incl. glass of wine!

Poetry for Wellbeing!

The next Catalyst night just happens to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week and this happy collision means we can celebrate the life-affirming qualities of that elixir we know as poetry!

The theme for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week is 'Winning Ways to Wellbeing - Connect, Give, Take Notice, Keep Learning, Be Active.'

Come and see how Catalyst fulfills all 5 of the Winning Ways to Wellbeing by encouraging poets to connect with each other, take notice of the beauty of poetry, keep learning about performance techniques and new styles of writing, give freely of their verse and er, move around a lot while they perform!

We can imbibe other kinds of elixirs even as we partake of the heady properties of spoken word!

Where do I go for this unmissable evening of convivial verse and comraderie you wonder? Well, glad you asked:

Catalyst Poetry Open Mic
Wednesday 7th October, 8pm
Al's Bar, 31 Dundas St
Christchurch (behind Pak n' Save)
BYO poetry

Next Catalyst Poetry Open Mic

Lots of fun last night at Al's Bar for the Phantom Billstickers launch of their third series of poetry on posters, on the occasion of Janet Frame's birthday. A bit of an impromptu open mic occurred and Al's famous hospitality was enjoyed by a good crowd of poetry-heads. The Janet Frame literary trust also announced the 2009 winners of the Janet Frame Literary Award:

For Poetry: Geoff Cochrane (latest collection - Pocket Edition)
For Fiction: Alison Wong (her first novel As the Earth Turns Silver out now)

Phew! That's some link-heavy action up there. Let's see some of you down at Al's again this coming Wednesday for Catalyst's open mic.

Catalyst Poetry Open Mic
Wednesday 2nd September, 8pm
Al's Bar, 31 Dundas St (behind Pak n' Scab)
BYO poetry & a sense of adventure!

The Phantom of Janet Frame...

To mark the occasion of Janet Frame's Birthday tomorrow, Phantom Billstickers is launching it's third wave of "Poetry on Posters" which includes Catalyst fave Ben Brown. The winner of the Janet Frame Prize 2009 will also be announced.


“Poetry on the occasion of Janet Frame’s birthday”

Al’s Bar, 31 Dundas Street, Christchurch
Friday 28 August at 5.30pm

There’ll be refreshments and entry is free.
Presented by Phantom Billstickers

Art of Mixology

Ragamuffin Children & Ciaran Fox

Poetry meets Music. They have an affair and the result is beautiful children.
Ragamuffin Children.
As part of Fat Eddie's Art of Mixology series of performances, Ciaran Fox is once again joining the Ragamuffin Children for an evening of music, poetry and spoken word.

Thursday 27th August, 8pm
Fat Eddies
SOL Square
Christchurch

If you missed them in the Christchurch Arts Festival as part of Love Letters in the Margin, now's your chance to experience one of the most sublime pairings to take the stage at the Festival Club in 2009.

Book Launch: Frankie McMillan - Dressing for the Cannibals

Congratulations to local writer and Catalyst friend Frankie McMillan on the release of her first collection of poetry. Sudden Valley Press media release as follows:

Frankie McMillan: Dressing for the Cannibals

Sudden Valley Press

Frankie McMillan's first poetry collection, Dressing for the Cannibals (Sudden Valley Press), will be launched on Thursday 20 August, at 5.30 pm at the Christchurch Central Library, as part of the library's 150th celebrations.

In 2001, Frankie McMillan's short story collection The Bag Lady's Picnic (Shoal Bay Press), described as "dazzling" by the NZ Listener, received widespread critical acclaim. Now Dressing for the Cannibals—described by editor, Michael Harlow, as "full of those surprises that quicken the heart as well as the head"—promises to bring the same excitement to New Zealand poetry.

Described by the Christchurch Press's Poetry Editor, James Norcliffe, as "often surreal, faux-naif and dreamlike" the poems in Dressing for the Cannibals reflect the intriguing cover art by McMillan's daughter, NZ artist Rebecca Harris. As shown so often in her prose, McMillan has a keen, but nonetheless compassionate eye for the eccentricities of human life and nature, as well as a sly but also subversive wit.

Frankie McMillan holds a MA in Creative Writing (with Distinction) from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University. She held the Creative New Zealand Todd Bursary in 2005 and her poem, My Father’s Balance, won the NZ Poetry Society International Poetry Competition 2009; birthday boy, was runner up in the same competition in 2008. McMillan's short stories have appeared in Best New Zealand Fiction 5 and 6 (Vintage: 2008; 2009) and Essential New Zealand Short Stories (Vintage 2009) and both her poetry and short fiction have been widely published and anthologised. She is currently a creative writing tutor at Hagley Writers' Institute and the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology.

In addition to the launch of Dressing for the Cannibals on Thursday 20 August, Frankie McMillan and five guest poets (Bernadette Hall, Michael Harlow, Joanna Preston, David Gregory and Ross Brighton) will read at the Christchurch Central Library, from 12.30-1.30 pm on Friday 21 August, again as part of the library's 150th celebrations.

One-Day Short Story Competition

Writers around Christchurch will be digging out their pens and infusing their creativity as they are offered the chance to take part in the One-Day Short Story Competition next week.

Christchurch Art Gallery, Christchurch City Libraries, The Cultural Precinct and the NZ Society of Authors have come together to host the event, which is part of the 150th anniversary of public library service in Christchurch.

On Sunday 2 August, adults and youths are invited to Christchurch Art Gallery to collect their competition packs, containing a list of 12 exciting features in the cultural precinct, competition instructions, a map of the cultural precinct and a blank CD.

To take part, participants will need to follow their maps around the cultural precinct, visiting different highlighted features. They must then write a short story, to a maximum of 1500 words that incorporates at least four of the distinctive features visited. Entries must be submitted on CD, and returned to Christchurch Art Gallery by 4pm the same day.

The competition includes two entry groups, youth aged 13-18 years and adults aged 18 upwards. The winner of the youth category receives $250 and their winning story published in The Press, while the winning adult receives $750, their story in The Press, one night at Classic Villa, dinner for two at the Curator’s House and tickets for the Court Theatre.

The one-day short story competition will be judged by well-known authors Kate De Goldi (winner of the 2009 New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award), Gavin Bishop (renowned children's book author and illustrator, who recently set up the Storylines Gavin Bishop Award) and well-known author Sally Blundell.

The winners will be announced on Wednesday 19 August at the Philip Carter Family Auditorium, Christchurch Art Gallery, as part of the free Literary Shorts event.
The One-Day Short Story Competition takes place on Sunday 2 August from 9.30am – 4.30pm. For entry requirements, visit www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz

For more information call Emily Davies, Communications Advisor on 03 941 8223

Love Letters in the Margin

The two posters, side by side.

Love Letters in the Margin
Saturday 25th July 5.30pm
Festival Club Tickets $15
Pre-sales available from 0800 TICKETEK

Love Letters in the Margin is a performance by 3 poets and 3 bands - poetry powered by songs powered by poetry. Featuring the poetic prowess of Ben Brown, Marissa Johnpillai and Ciaran Fox paired with the musical muscle of The Eastern, Le Mot Cafe and Ragamuffin Children. The show features on the opening weekend of the Christchurch Arts Festival as part of the Wintergarden programme.

Hear Ciaran talk about the show on Plains FM.

A limited edition CD and programme will be available for sale at the show featuring a recording of a live-to-air broadcast show from Lyttelton's Volcano Radio which includes live performances from the poets, and songs from the bands.

Christchurch Art Gallery One Day Short Story Competition

The Christchurch Art Gallery presents:

One-Day Short Story Competition - Sunday 2nd August
Judged by Kate De Goldi, Gavin Bishop and Sally Blundell, this story-writing competition is open to two age-groups. Winners will be announced on Wednesday 19 August

1 day to write a story based on a choice of the triggers provided by the Gallery.

Age groups
13–17yrs: 1500 words max.
First prize $250 and publication of short story in The Press.

18+yrs: 1500 words max.
First prize $750, publication of short story in The Press, one night at the Classic Villa, dinner for two at the Curator’s House and tickets for the Court Theatre.

9.30am: Register at the Gallery and get an information pack, which includes four of the twelve story triggers from within the Cultural Precinct to get your story started.

4.30pm: Entries handed in (late entries will not be accepted).

Foyer / free / for more information click here or tel: (03) 941 7342

Hymns for Her by Marissa Johnpillai

Book Launch! Hymns for Her by Marissa Johnpillai

Wednesday 22nd July, 5.30pm
Beat Street Cafe
cnr Barbadoes & Armagh Sts

Previous Poetry NZ feature poet and well-known Christchurch performance poet Marissa Johnpillai is launching her first collection of poetry next week at Beat St Cafe (a new venue for us poets so we'll see how it goes - it's in the old wooden bicycle shop building for those of you who know inner city Christchurch.)

With introductions on the night by this year's winner of the open section in the NZ Poetry Society International Competition, Frankie McMillan, who's launching her own latest collection next month and live music by flautist extraordinaire Tamara Smith (Mundi) plus some words by the author herself - should be fun times.

Hymns for Her was funded by Christchurch Creative Communities - staunch stalwarts of local poetry and funders of many an interesting underground literature project (we can't sing their praises enough!)

Marissa can also be seen in the upcoming, not-to-be missed live poetry/music salon Loveletters in the Margin as part of this year's Christchurch Arts Festival Wintergarden programme in the TelstraClear Club. Stay tuned for more info on this amazing one-night-only performance but if you can't wait check out the info here.

Next Catalyst Poetry Open Mic

Catalyst Poetry Open Mic
chasing away the winter gloom since 2003

Wednesday 1st July, 8pm
Al's Bar, 31 Dundas St

Come one, come all. Bring yer words, have fun be fun.

Catalyst Live Poetry - Weds 3rd June, 8pm!

Goodness me! It's time for another one!
Wednesday 3rd June 8pm
Al's Bar, 31 Dundas St
Christchurch

Book Launch: Snake Songs

Our very own Doc Drumheller is launching his latest book, a collection of haiku accompanied by original illustrations by Rua Pick.

The launch will feature live readings by the author and an exhibition of the original artwork by Rua. All welcome to attend.

Snake Songs launch
Wednesday 22nd April 6.30pm
Toko Mata Gallery & Studio 82 Lichfield St