Posts Tagged Poems
Archive
March 17, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Poetry at The Fringe – Sunday, 17 March, 2019
You never know when something special is going to happen. We’re lucky to have too many events and moments of entertainment and distraction, we cannot possibly get to a fraction of them – so how would we know about all the special things we are missing. And the horrific slaughter in Christchurch just this past […]Archive
January 22, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Ali Whitelock: and my heart crumples like a coke can
and my heart crumples like a coke can Ali Whitelock Wakefield Press I finished reading Ali Whitelock’s poetry volume the day I heard of Mary Oliver’s passing. I had been savouring the pages of “coke can”, taking my time, reading no more than four poems in a sitting; deep stories, they require a lot of you (in the best possible way), they sit with […]Archive
January 9, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
John Cooper Clarke: The Luckiest Guy Alive
The Luckiest Guy Alive John Cooper Clarke Picador “Dr.” John Cooper Clarke is, like our own Sam Hunt, perhaps better known for his voice, for his performances, rather than actual words on the page. Both have published books, been anthologised, and recorded audio – but it’s about the spirit of the performance on the night; […]Archive
October 11, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Sweetman Podcast: Episode 137 – Mary McCallum
Welcome to episode 137 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T, Yeastie Boys and La Petite Chocolat. I had a chat with Mary McCallum. She’s just published her first book of poems, the excellent XYZ of Happiness. But Mary was playing the long-game, she’s a known, established poet – having studied under Bill Manhire when his […]Archive
October 8, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
RNZ Feature: Music-related novels
I’m usually on RNZ once a month to have a chat about some new albums. But the other day I got the call up to present a Music Feature for the Afternoons show. This topic was Music-related novels – books written about music and musicians that are not biographies, not non-fiction. We played some songs and talked about […]Archive
September 8, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Kristin Hersh: Nerve Endings – Selected Lyrics
Nerve Endings: Selected Lyrics Kristin Hersh Unbound Though I’m a sucker for a book of lyrics I usually read and discard – realising as I’m reading it that most lyrics deserve to hang in the air, are made for the stage more so than the page; it’s nice to check in with them, really ever […]Archive
August 17, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Sweetman Podcast: Episode 129 – Suzanne Vega
Welcome to episode 129 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T, Yeastie Boys and La Petite Chocolat. Here I talk with one of my all-time musical heroes, Suzanne Vega. We are in a hotel restaurant and there is some background noise. Just a warning. What a thrill to meet her and speak with her. I flew […]Archive
July 26, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Sweetman Podcast: Episode 126 – Helen Heath
Welcome to episode 126 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T, Yeastie Boys and La Petite Chocolat. I had a chat with Wellington poet Helen Heath. She’s released two volumes of poetry, her first, Graft, was nominated for a science writing award and won Best First Book; her brand new collection, Are Friends Electric is a […]Archive
July 21, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Sweetman Podcast: Episode 125 – Russell Self
Welcome to episode 125 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T, Yeastie Boys and La Petite Chocolat. Here I had a chat with Russell Self. He’s a Wellington-based, English-born musician and poet. Russell’s held many jobs, let many more go, he’s been a busker, a troubadour, he recites his own poems and sings covers – he also […]Archive
July 10, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Poems
I never knew if my mum ever read my poems. last weekend we caught up briefly. she couldn’t remember the name of the book she’d been reading, nor the author – but she definitely had it – somewhere – on her kindle. “you’d like her”, she said. “she writes all her stories a bit like […]Archive
June 10, 2018 by Simon Sweetman