Monday, December 29, 2008

To speak of...

Let me unveil the source of my presupposition
Here, devour this... a side dish
Garnished with stale contrition

Watch me as I disarm myself
Presented, plattered up for you
You’re welcomed to feast upon my rendition
Recurring choice of self indulgent volition
Regurgitated, time and again
Insurgent epiphany, I feel it wax and wane...

You see... regrettably, I see through your suppositions,
Your visions, your subsequent propositions
Your assumptions, and your deductions
Implicitly, your statements
Betray something in of themselves
Exposing unacknowledged truths from subconscious realms
They reveal something about you which your admissions belie
I will not deny
I cannot know for sure
What it is that they imply
But I know that they allude to dreams,
Those which are not your own
I have no faith in your authenticity
But I’ve met you before, so it must be me
A different face, the same case
This, the source, to which I alluded in first verse
The illusions I set out initially to disperse.

Convoluted poetic discourse
A cowardly choice, an indirect recourse
Honestly I set out with a purpose - to elucidate.
Make clear what I think of you and your opinions of my opinions of myself.

I offered fuel for the fire
Planned to tie myself to the pyre
Predictable of me and my proclivity to self depreciate
The reasoning? I’ve long since ceased to ruminate.
Still, as I said, I set out with hopes to emancipate
Simplify things through full disclosure

This circumlocution, my only solution
A path of avoidance, a crafted volution
But can you see these words, see how they smother
Attempts to confront turn to dashes for cover.

A vocabulary - ambiguous in its goals
I allow precious words, conflicting roles
A rhyming word can justify the expression of the absurd
Backtrack and question, what it is that you’ve heard
Marvel at how uncomplicated statements can diffuse and diverge
Indulge in the dictionary, splash out, splurge.

But oh, these words
These liberating submissions
Voice to the thoughts, words to the visions
They render my crackling sentiments inert
Yet I find no direct way to speak of the hurt.

By Imbi Johnston

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

RADF (Regional Arts Development Fund) Update

Please note there will be three funding rounds in 2009 under the RADF program. Closing dates are as follows: March 31st (for activities/projects commencing on or after July 1st) June 30th (for activities/projects commencing on or after October 1st) September 30th (for activities/projects commencing on or after January 1st) For information: 4727 9159 Shannon Chadwick Community Cultural Development Officer Townsville City Council mailto:shannon.chadwick@townsville.qld.gov.au

Monday, December 15, 2008

Ode to WITS

With fortitude, tenacity, vigor and vim,
We writers of Townsville are more than a whim.
We write with style.
We write with grace.
We write with adverbs, commas and ...pace.

No grammar eludes us,
No syntax confounds.
We have the knowledge.
Our structure is sound.

But as we write
At our desk and chair,
Oh where to place it,
Oh where, oh where?

We yearn for favour
And small recognition.
So we scribble away
From dreams to fruition.

And in the process
We meet new scribes,
And Wednesday nights
Abound with vibes.

But don't lose heart,
Attend every week,
So with diligence and practice
You'll attain your peak.

A ballad, a poem, a rhyme, a story.
One of these will bring you glory
But if you aspire to a higher plain,
Then cerebral wisdom will be your gain.

They say advice
Is like giving a bald man a comb
But my advice to writers
I have known....

Is never give up
For surely one day
You'll write that best seller.
That one that will pay!




By K.J. Ashwin ( ditties on Demand)

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Welcome to WITS

This is the beginning of the WITS' BLOG. WITS stands for Writers in Townsville Society (Incorporated).
We are a band/group/gathering of like-minded writing souls who write and share our knowledge/inspiration/creativity/ and writing within a nurturing atmosphere.
The long and short of it is that we meet and discuss our writing and eat copious amounts of (chocolate) biscuits. (Tim-Tams to be precise).
On a serious note, we meet at the Riverside Gardens Community Centre every Wednesday night at 7:30pm. Our meetings usually begin with a short writing exercise to stimutate creativity, followed by a cuppa. The rest of the evening is devoted to sharing and critiquing works in progress. WITS caters for beginners to the more experienced writer. All participation is completely up to the individual.
A dynamic group which has been active for over 25 years, throughout the year we host workshops, retreats, information sharing sessions and group writing projects. We have close and productive ties with other writers clubs in North Queeensland and major writing organisations in Australia.