Perth Words... exploring possibilities.

STOP Killing Rhino!

May 15, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

Harry Owen on FaceBook today: “If I can do this, anyone can! Please join in and help raise awareness for the rhino today. Thank you!”

@FrancesMForde #FrancesMacForde @StopKillingRhino #HarryOwen #Africa #Nature #Rhino #Elephant

Posted in Africa, Animals, Books, COMMUNITY, Favorite Writers, nature, Poetry, Writing | Tagged Africa, Harry Owen, STOP Killing Rhino | 1 Comment »

Gillian Anderson & David Duchovny Singing Together!

May 14, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

I can’t believe this – Gillian looks younger than she did in the X-files! She was absolutely amazing in the recent Irish TV Series ‘The Fall’.

The Fluff Is Raging

Scully and Mulder together again

The Truth is Out There about David Duchovny’s singing voice: he really isn’t very good. I am not sure if it even qualifies as singing. It’s more a sort of mumbled warbling, and he obviously brings the same level of energy to it as he does to his acting. Let’s be polite and call it understated. (No doubt it will be lodged in the same cultural memory box as Bruce Willis’ The Return of Bruno.) Still, though, that didn’t stop people from turning out in droves to hear him launch his debut album, Hell or Highwater at The Cutting Room in New York.

Dressed all in black just like a rock star – or a man in mid-life crisis who thinks that being a rock star would be kind of cool – Duchovny hugged the microphone and brought his signature intensity…

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Tony Park interview.

May 12, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

An Australian writing about Africa.

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Perth, Is That You?

May 11, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

Here’s a new view of my gorgeous city. Although, nowadays, I must admit I don’t go into ‘town’ vey often… preferring the suburbs.

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T.A.G. Hungerford

May 4, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

When I met 90 year old Tom, he was a West Australian Living Treasure and an absolute gentleman.

Also the winner of the Patrick White Award in 1992, Tom was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1988 for services to literature, the author of many novels, including The Ridge and The River, Sowers of the Wind, Swagbelly, Birdsnatcher and The Prince of Siam.

He’d been writing for 60 years and celebrated his 90th birthday with a collection of stories & poems which illustrated his life.

At the official launch, I sat in selfish wonder listening to the magnificent voice of Jack Thompson booming, blasting passion into the masterly poetry and prose of T.A.G. Hungerford’s new book.

Taken from the back cover of What’s Happened to Joseph?: “With dazzling ease he moves from prose to poetry, from the ancient past to the present, from the small, absorbing passions of suburbia to the grim demands of jungle warfare. Hungerford makes us wonder just what did happen to Joseph, farther of Jesus Christ- did he continue to work in his carpenters trade, perhaps in Jerusalem – then takes us to the heart of Anzac Day, to the shimmering colours of outback Australia, or to his own front garden, and with every word he illuminates our own experience.”

I loved every word of his book and want everyone to enjoy his insight, his sensitivity and his ability to place me right there, where he was when writing them.

‘ANZAC Day’ is a poem I believe would work well on screen; the opening lines; dense, establishing and heartfelt:

“This spot at the corner of Pier Street and the Terrace

between two churches – Presbyterian one side,

C. of E. on the other – is just made to order

for us Second Eighth blokes to form up for the March

this mild April morning. Wild men we were, all of us.”

When Tom allowed me to host ‘An Afternoon With Tom’ during a very special Poet’s Corner event, devoted entirely to him, the place was packed with lovers of words wanting to hear him read and provide further insight to his writing.

The last poem in his book; ‘Fascination Waltz’ is another favorite and made me cry. That’s why I asked Kevin Gillam, a fellow poet, admirer of Tom and professional cellist to play ‘Fascination’. I felt the love and saw a tear in Tom’s eye, too.

Although he’s gone now I still think of him and his words, often. I treasure the firstly hand-written, then typed letters we exchanged and an (as far as I know) unpublished poem “Grey Ghost”, which would also make a fantastic film.

I want to pay a larger tribute and help make his writings available to more by getting them up on the big screen. Any producers out there, interested?

@FrancesMForde #FrancesMacForde #TAGHungerford #What’sHappenedToJoseph? #JackThompson #Stories&Poems #Poetry #KevinGillam #PoetsCorner #PagesCafe

Posted in Books, COMMUNITY, Favorite Writers, Love, Music, Perth City, Poetry, Poets Corner @ Pages Cafe, Romance, Screenwriting, Sounds, WA Writers, Writers, Writing | Tagged Jack Thompson, Kevin Gillam, Pages Cafe, poetry, Poets Corner, Stories & Poems, TAG Hungerford, What's Happened To Joseph | 11 Comments »

POEM: The Folly

May 1, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

The Folly

Gaeltacht – Irish-speaking area.

Teanga – living language, tongue.

My Gaeltacht friend explained ‘Ye should go t’ see the folly…’

So, like tourists, my man and I actually took a clear-day,

no rain so far drive. A determined scenic dalliance

in sunny sections flashing green and historical grey.

Eventually – with no clear direction, journeying

quite far out of our way… we appreciated the Anglo

interpretation on the road signs, because as foreigners,

we don’t speak the traditional language of Ireland.

Not wanting to barstardise or pronounce phonetically

in error, ‘so’. We enjoyed the lilt and musicality of her

tumbled, seemingly conscientious explanation – story-

telling at a 100 miles an hour. ‘Ah well ye know, ta

get t’da place dat ‘tis, you just go along dis

road, don’t ye know, ‘tis a sort of a wind-y road, den

up t’ hill, don’t ye know and dere’ll be a turn off t’

da right – de left would it be, no, ‘tis definitely

da right… but don’t you be going dat way, d’ye know

‘cos dat’ll get ye into all sorts a troubles, sure

t’ will and all…’ Pictograms pointing to a past not

forgotten although many have tried to suppress their

uniqueness… The soft emphasis or not. A language

echoed through 400 years… the charming emotional

push of Ireland. ‘So’, we go on death-defying strips

of beaten earth, slicing through fields, carelessly carving

up gently rising hills dotted with dwellings, puffing

grey smoke evidencing crisp cold air, we journeyed

on by-ways bordered by stones. Intrusion bands – neatly

trimmed piles of manual labour carefully selected and placed

one on top of the measured other… in spite of wars and cars,

surviving like the teanga, rebelliously, resolutely, knowingly

employed at home in private, upright and proud though sagging

in some areas, often bent by forces who moved on and forgot.

Those walls still exist in places – repaired now, to allow

journey. Showing a path around a sparkling gem waiting…

We chanced intrusion of some one’s private personal space,

a rutted homely driveway – questions of culture, seeking

an un-shy, proud demonstration of Celtic heritage. We

wanted a clearer vision of soulful insistence – difference.

A sculptural acknowledgment, including the heroic past,

clear evidence of resistance – of residence. The Folly!

@FrancesMForde #FrancesMacForde #POEM:TheFolly #SketchingInIreland #Poems #Co.Cork #Ireland

Posted in COMMUNITY, Ireland, nature, Poetry, Romance, Sketching In Ireland | Tagged Co Cork, Ireland, POEM:TheFolly, Poems Written In Ireland, SketchingInIreland | 1 Comment »

GUEST POEM: Bit by Bit.

April 29, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

Photo Source here.

Marisa Wikramanayake : “I’m a journalist, a writer and an editor. Well, actually, I write novels and attempt to survive doing so by having adventures and being a journalist and an editor.”

Take a look at her website where, among many interesting postings, most recently she has started doing videologs in support of Australian Women Writers. I’ve just watched Robin Bowers’ interview.

This poem was posted on Facebook today and I loved it. (Naturally, I asked permission to post it here.)

Were you to break me down into my constituent parts,
Bit by bit,
Build me back up again with IKEA instructions but perfectly,
(I will give you an Allen key),
With each Lego piece in its spot,
Bit by bit,
There would be no place for love.

Oh, there would be a tinkertoy space here, some engine that whirled around,
That makes me good at all the grand gestures,
That would let me let you go if you were happier without me,
Without me blinking,
Because you are made of flesh and nerve endings that will hurt,
But I am made of blocks that can be broken down and rebuilt,
Bit by bit.
So I can withstand it.

But there is the space you would find surrounded by the Fabuland set,
That would be that space that doesn’t quite work,
Perhaps they discontinued that line a long time ago,
Bit by bit,
But it’s the space that makes me wake you,
At three am because I want to talk,
Makes me since I am a brick,
Quite selfish and quite thick,
No good at the small important everyday love,
Ever feeling that my part in any duo would not be enough,
It’s the space that will make me leave you behind,
While I chase things that intrigue my mind,
Where I will stand wondering why I am not the one to be in your part when I know how a gendered romance should go,
That openly states when and how I feel,
Because no one who hears believes it’s real.
It’s the space in me that makes me stubborn,
Want to break down your walls and lay you open.
Bit by bit,
To dissect you, pull you apart so I know how you work,
So I can love you the way you deserve.

And you deserve different, flesh and blood with nerve endings and all,
Not something, half real, built of bricks prone to break apart and fall.
I have built myself up to work like a machine.
Over the years,
Bit by bit,
For maternal, fraternal love,
For grand gestures because I can’t protect you enough,
But not at all adequately for the small love on which you’re keen.

@FrancesMForde #FrancesMacForde #MarisaWikramanayake #GuestPoem #WAWriters #Community #FavWriters #Love #Poetry #RobinBowers

Posted in COMMUNITY, Favorite Writers, Guest Poem, Love, Poetry, WA Writers | Tagged Community, Favourite Writers, Guest Poem, Love, Marisa Wikramanayake, poetry, WA Writers | Leave a Comment »

Wanneroo Folk Club

April 28, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

While blogging about McDaid’s Folk Club I realized that the Wanneroo Folk Club, which I established way back in 1985 will be having it’s 30th anniversary soon!

In it’s 2nd year, I handed over the reigns to the rest of the committee , in particular Judith Shaw and Bob Rummary, who have done an amazing job of keeping the club going for nearly 30 years. Bob Rummary from Loaded Dog and Judith Shaw ran the club for many of those years.

Pictured below: Don Shaw playing Northumbrian Pipes made by G. Wooff gifted to him by Susan Sturcke.

In 1985, David Milroy was new to sharing his music as an original member of Wanneroo Folk Club. Now he’s very much a celebrated and awarded songwriter, performer, director and writer whose plays regularly tour Australia.

My now grown up daughter and I watched him perform in his musical ‘Waltzing the Wilerra’ not long ago and were completely blown away!