Poetry reading and discussion at Japan International Poetry Society (JIPS)

October 24, 2010: Performance and discussion of my poetry at JIPS, the Japan International Poetry Society, established by poets Keiji Minato, Jane Nakagawa, Goro Takano and Yoko Danno, to provide a creative platform for the intersection of world poets, writing principally in English, with Japanese poets. Several times a year poets from eg. US, UK, NZ, Australia are invited to read and discuss their work with a view to exploring poetics, contexts and professional parameters. Contemporary writing is inevitably postmodern in its borrowing, particularly from different traditions and forms. JIPS creates a 'melting pot' for the exchange of ideas, leading to innovative publications. My performance could be seen as both an interpretation as well as an iteration of the poems, greater in some ways than the work on the page, but different, open-ended, an opportunity for meaning-making. My poetry was taken to places where it had not been. The presentation has made me visibly part of the poetry establishment in Australia. I was impressed at the reception I was given as 'an Australian poet', treated seriously for my work and performance. As well, I was representing and promoting CSU as a creative exemplar.