The Dinner Party : Reclaiming women in history by Colleen Keating

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THE DINNER PARTY 

A POETIC CELEBRATION 

OF WOMEN IN HISTORY

WHO DEFIED SILENCE

 by 

Colleen Keating

     

A poetic CELEBRATION of THE PASSION AND SPIRIT OF WOMEN 

ON WHOSE SHOULDERS WE STAND

A DINNER PARTY IS NOT JUST A GATHERING, A CELEBRATION

IT IS REWRITING HISORY. 

Recorded history abandoned women and they abandoned history leaving it motherless and unbothered

This is part of the long journey to reclaim the feminine in our worldly story.
Then and only then might we turn this century around 

         

Poetry from The Dinner Party in Women’s Ink by Colleen Keating

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Society of Women Writers put out a call for writings on Women & War Cries. I quickly realised several of the women in my up and coming new book The Dinner Party would fit that theme and hence I am proud to have a centre fold  of poetry  including two poems Artemisia Gentileschi  1593-1652 and Boadicea 61 BCE. It was special to have the first notable promotion for my new book. ARTEMISIA GENTIILESCHI begins:

In her hands
the brush swept the canvas
azure blue, old gold, crimmson red . . .

Poems from The Dinner Party: by Colleen Keating. Her new book to be published in Autumn 2023 by Ginninderra Press (Herstory: A poetic response to a universal dinner party restoring women to history.

        

The Dinner Party A poetic response by Colleen Keating

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Exciting news . . I am thrilled and excited that my new book The Dinner Party  A poetic response is finally up on Ginninderra Press website and can be pre-ordered . . .to be released on May 1st . A long journey to birth this new book but finally I have the first copy in my hand. Grateful to so many people and thanks to Stephen Matthews OAM and Ginninderra Press and to Michael and many poet friends.

 

‘The Dinner Party by the talented poet Colleen Keating brings to light, through beautiful lyrical poetry, what for centuries has been ignored: the power and strength of women. Very little has been made known about the lives of influential women of the past, as women’s lived experience has been suppressed, even erased from history. In this collection, the poet resuscitates the experience of women from prehistory to women’s twentieth-century revolution. Her poetry traces the lives of women who demonstrated their influence, in every field including philosophy, medicine, writing, art, astronomy, suffragists and justice warriors who fought for recognition. Women who gave their lives, suffered, broke barriers, knocked down walls, smashed glass ceilings, pried open doors, who defied patriarchy in some way for all of us. Still today as women are written into history, the struggle for our reckoning towards equality and respect continues. A must-read book that honours women; women who would not be silent.’

– Dr Beatriz Copello

‘With impeccable research and deep empathy, Colleen Keating continues her powerful poetic contribution to feminist literature with the celebration of thirty-nine of the more than a thousand women forgotten, marginalised or written out of Western history. A remarkable and beautifully imagined work.’

– Pip Griffin

Newcastle Writers Festival 2023 : a treat by Colleen Keating

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Newcastle Writers Festival.

10am

The Space before the Stars:  Indira Naidoo in Conversation about finding space for her broken heart  in nature  and the urban landscape.

After her sister died during the pandemic she found on her normal walk a large 150 year old Morton Bay Fig  that she had passed so many times before spoke to her and saved her .

 

11.30

The Power of Art to heal  – the ongoing engagement with the struggle for justice

Damien Linnane, Kathleen Mc Phillip, Sarah-Jane Page,  and hosted by Suzanne Smith.

Judy Beveridge, Keri Glastonbury, Sarah Holland–Batt

and Juno Gemes at the remembering and celebrating Robert Adamsom event.

1.30

Onward:   Celebrating Robert Adamson. Readings by Judith Beveridege, Keri Glastonbury, Sarah Holland–Batt, Robbie Coburn, Mark Mordue with DC Cross and Juno Gemes – his final reading at Brett Whiteley Studio  launch of “Reaching Light’

Sarah Holland–Batt reading in honour of Robert Adamsom

Judy Beveridge reading in honour of Robert Adamsom

 

S

Juno Gemes                                                          The late Robert Adamsom

. This is the last  reading  at the launch of his book  Reaching Light. It was at  at the Brett Whitley Gallery and videoed by Juno Gemes and shared with us today.

 

3.00

Book launch  of two books 

1. Bobish by Magdalena Ball  a poignant poetry memoir of her great grandmother and her escape from the programs of Eastern Europe

and

Willo Drummond in  Moon Wrasse, engages with gender transition from the perspective of a life partner – and disenfranchised grief.

April: Month of mists and mellow fruitfulness and the sunrise

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April 1st  2023

Gazing out at the horizon
which today looked like soft hills
we waited

the sunrise was late 
it had a mountain to climb 
one of cloud  
gentle rolling 
and peaking at the point of sunrise.

More people were out 
standing,   watching
surfing  paddle boarding 
there were fishermen, walkers, some sitting
plovers, pelicans, seagulls, and a heron 
watching,  waiting  
yet as we say 
the light shall overcome
the new sun did not disappoint.

It clambered up
shimmered gold 
along the rim of clouds
and then burst into the world.

April the month of  
of mists and mellow fruitfulness
had arrived

 

 

Feast of the Annunciation and the YES that changed the world

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Feast of the Annunciation
25th March
I am sure many of you, like me, love the art work of Julie Vivas and have poured over many a children’s book (Possum Magic, Our Granny etc) enjoying her work. One that I bought for myself some years ago is The Nativity in which all the characters hail from the Australian bush.
I love this picture of the angel Gabriel having a chat with Mary over a cuppa. Not the fine art that we usually see in depictions of the Annunciation down through the ages, but one which might bring a smile and remind us of our own annunciations around many a kitchen table. Classical or contemporary art, the message remains the same –
“Be it done unto me according to thy word…”
Gabriel and Mary, come to meet us this day and speak to us of God
Thank you Jamboroo Abbey for this beautiful reflection.
How i love Julie Vivas’ illustrations.  And as a child how I loved the Feast of the Annunciation where Mary as a young girl said ‘YES’   and the exact 9 months till 25th December was so neat.

Now I love the idea of our own annunciations
and all our sharing  around our Kitchen table.

Portal to another world by Colleen Keating

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Portal

a narrow passage
between two ironbarks

into an earthy world
of closed off skies

mossy sandstone caverns
moist  soft tracks

each step cushioned 
by sweet smelling

leaf mulch   so absorbing
i feel I’m hardly here

this subtle cut 
into another reality

like crossing over 
to a liminal world

with life’s great tumult 
falling away 

as bark falls from trees 
seduces        slowly

my restlessness 
disesolving 

Colleen Keating

 

 

White Pebbles Haiku Group Autumn Ginko by Beverley George

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White Pebbles Haiku Group Autumn Meeting Report

March 11th 2023

As soon as we met up for this meeting we knew it was going to be a very special one indeed. The sun was gently shining and all the diverse shades of green in the garden were sparkling. Soon we were off for our ginko and silent jotting.  Smiles across the ponds and along the pathways.

At 11 o’clock we gathered at the round table in the downstairs room we hire, which has glass doors that overview a quiet end of the garden. We were very sorry that two of our regular members, Samantha Hyde and Maire Glacken, were unable to attend this time, but were pleased to greet two visitors, Meredith Ferris and Frances Carleton, and our guest presenter, Carole Harrison, each of whom joined in congenially with our group and enhanced the day. Carole was one of the organisers and presenters of ‘Haiku Down Under’ on-line conference October 7-9 2022 and editor and cover-illustrator of ‘Poetry From The Edge’ the conference anthology. Members present at our meeting were Marilyn Humbert, Kent Robinson, Gwen Bitti, Colleen Keating, Verna Rieschild, Michael Thorley and Beverley George.

We shared a haiku we had each brought with us and one we had jotted on our ginko. Then it was time for our main session led by Carole Harrison, who had kindly journeyed up from Jamberoo, as she did for a Bowerbird tanka group meeting in the Pearl Beach Arboretum last year.  Her presentation was to show us how we might write haiku on stones, some of which were partly painted, others left plain. To this end Carole brought with her the stones we would use and Kent brought some dark river stones he had gathered for the purpose. Carole also brought the writing implements we needed and we wrote on two stones each – a lovely way in which to further share and enjoy haiku. It was relevant to add a simple drawing such as a leaf or feather to some of the haiku.

 

Kent Robinson had prepared and distributed an article about writing rengay and spoke briefly about this interesting genre. His thoughts were helpful and appreciated.

At 12:30 our meeting ended and it was up to each person whether to share lunch, journey home or enjoy the Art Gallery, or another garden stroll.  This is an aspect of our meeting location that works well for everyone, especially those who have travelled long distances to be there.

Group photo
seated left to right: Colleen Keating, Michael Thorley, Marilyn Humbert, Carole Harrison, Frances Carleton
standing left to right: Kent Robinson, Meredith Ferris, Beverley George, Gwen Bitti, Verna Rieschild

I am looking forward already to our winter meeting in June.
Beverley George
Convenor
White Pebbles Haiku Group

 

 

 

Author: leanneausthaiku

Secretary, Australian Haiku Society

Seeking escape in nature by Colleen Keating

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waiting out a storm 

when wild weather is forecast                                         
we set out to escape 
plan things to wile away the time 
rather than waiting for it to hit

when clouds blow in dark and threatening 
we pack a picnic 
seek out nature 
and find consolations

in the shadow of 
doctors reports  tests 
verdicts more tests and treatments 
nature is the antidote

the sun on our back 
the wind in our hair
the balmy smells of the outdoors                                              
we find the secret to living. 

Colleen Keating

 

 

                                                        

 

Ku-Ring-Gai Wildflower Garden  for a walk in nature and picnic. It was a hot , balmy day and although we walked a lot in shade the eucalypt aroma was wonderful.

The  heady, healing  eucalypt aroma as we walked  made us feel very positive.