Finally – Gil Scott Heron is on Parole (Picaro Press)
It may have been held in a small bookshop in Carlton, but yesterday evening, a small tidal wave crashed into the face of the current Australian literary landscape – Maxine Beneba Clarke’s first major poetry collection was launched, Gil Scott Heron is on Parole. I don’t usually drag myself out of hiding for a book launch these days – they all seem repetitive, monotonous, same old, same old, just like Australian literature.
What a refreshing change it was to attend this launch.
Overland editor and writer Jeff Sparrow opened the formalities of the night. Jeff has played an integral role in promoting Maxine’s poetry by allowing her to post it on the Overland blog – to me, Jeff is a pioneer in promoting challenging and all-to-often ignored writers. Politics was on his mind at the launch. He spoke of its importance to Australian literature. Current issues of the modern world seem almost ignored by Australian writers. He emphasised this using the example of climate change and that he could count the number of writers on his hand that were writing about climate change, an issue of cataclysmic proportions. I found myself pondering on this – why don’t we write about it? Is it because we feel we’re not informed enough to write about it? But isn’t that our job as writers, to not only tell our stories, but to write about our world’s truths? To keep informed so we can raise our voices against injustice? This is what makes Maxine’s raw, in-you-face poetry stand out – she talks politics, she talks truths, and she doesn’t sugar coat it either.
But it was the speech delivered by Melbourne poet TT.O that today, still resonates. It was well articulated, punchy, unapologetic. He spoke of the Australian literary space being almost afraid to publish anything different to what it already publishes. He spoke of full stops, and semi colons, and how writing courses teach us to write in the same repetitive way, almost disengaging us from our creativity and the English language. The English language should not be seen as static, but fluid and evolving. But in an industry that demands mainstream writing, how are writers supposed to get published? A conversation with TT.O later on clarified this: stay true to your art, keep your economics and your art separate – if you don’t need money then you don’t need them. But maybe this is why writers don’t write politically – because they are afraid of not being published. TT.O mentioned something about how readers want to sit in bed with their books and turn pages of silence. People don’t want to hear the truth. But maybe that’s because they are accustomed to not hearing it.
Maxine treated her captivated audience with a range of her poems including one of my favourites, open letter to the president. A great aspect of Maxine’s poetry is you never really know what you’re getting: she could make you laugh, should could challenge you, she could inspire you. Either way you’re guaranteed to be moved – something inside will shift in some small way. And isn’t that what we all want to achieve as writers? To subtly question and influence our reader’s views and opinions? This is what Maxine’s poetry does successfully.
At the end of the night, Maxine mentioned that her ten-years-in-the-making poetry collection is the first poetry collection of a West-Indian Australian writer to be published by an Australian publisher. Jeff and TT.O may have been talking of the gloom of Australian publishing, but I did leave that small bookshop in Cartlon enlightened, believing that a small step had been taken in the right direction for Australian literature.
Maxine said,
February 19, 2010 at 10:26 pm
Many thanks for this launch review Koraly – and for your support on the night! It was an intimate and eclectic crowd, fitting for my work, and though I’m glad it’s over, I really enjoyed the evening.
Koraly Dimitriadis said,
February 19, 2010 at 11:08 pm
It was a great night Maxine. A friend of mine on facebook was asking me why your book named after GSH since he is a huge fan of your work. I know there’s a poem by the same name is your book. Any other reason? I hadn’t heard of him before your book
Maxine said,
February 23, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Gil Scott Heron’s poem The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is the most famous spoken word poem of all time. He has been often called The Godfather of Rap. He has been in prison for many years due to cocaine possession, has just been released and has a new ground-breaking album, I’m New Here out at the moment. The title is a tribute to the man who took political spoken word mainstream.
Simonne said,
February 24, 2010 at 8:19 am
Great review Koraly, I wish I could’ve been there.
Koraly Dimitriadis said,
February 27, 2010 at 7:23 am
Thanks Simonne, it was an inspiring night.
Mama Shujaa said,
March 3, 2010 at 11:58 am
Thanks for a great detailed review. Felt like I was there. And congrats to Maxine.
Koraly Dimitriadis said,
March 3, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Thanks for reading.
Moritz Schuster said,
March 4, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Hey! I have been following your blog for 3 days now and i should say i am beginning to like your articles.I guess im subscribing now for not missing anything new.
1markt said,
March 10, 2010 at 7:51 pm
It is obvious that you have risen to comment and elaborate on those topics that mainstream media and writers are not comfortable shedding light on. Those of us who will not yield to comfort, must acknowledge truth, going back to Socrates, truth not only can and will hurt those to whom it is being imparted for it exposes the conspiracy to keep it hidden, but it puts at risk those who would dare to just say it. Right on, and I hope that conscious will begin to assert itself and stands up to the lies that seek to brain wash because society as a whole’s mission is to keep the people brain dead. When you get a chance check out 1markt.wordpress.com and let me know what you think. Gill Scott Heron’s music and cultural significance should never be diminished ie. “The Bottle”, “Angel Dust”, “Pray For Becky”, and “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”, So much truth and I am not sure that there were not bigger forces at play that sought to bring to silence, rather than extoll truth. But that is another issue that merits investigation for we are still “Deep in the Cain”
1markt
Koraly Dimitriadis said,
March 11, 2010 at 12:09 am
For me, there is no writing without truth. What would be the point then if not just to regurgitate the same propaganda that blinds us. Yes, I am an honest writer, yes it may put me at risk, and publishers may be reluctant to touch me because I don’t sound like the same bland literary voice out there, but I’ll keep writing what I’m writing until I meet an editor wants to embrace change. Thanks for reading.
Nelle Pecora said,
March 13, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Good post
TT.O. said,
March 15, 2010 at 9:23 pm
dear koraly
all this crap about truth is terrible!
is 2nd grade philosophy
i challenge you to tell me ONE truth (outside
a linguistically constructed one)!!!!
poetry is NOT truth
its just what YOU like
and that isn’t truth!
What the fuck do YOU KNOW about REVOLUTION????
It’s a very ROMANTIC notion of it!
As for Gil Scott-heron he’s regirgitating Barry White
he’s ok, but not great!
love + anarchy
TT.O.
Koraly Dimitriadis said,
March 15, 2010 at 9:50 pm
Hi TT.O, I feel honoured to have you reading my blog let alone commenting on it. I can see what you are saying – what is the truth? the truth according to who? Well said, I stand corrected. One truth about me is that I’m not going to stop writing what I’m writing because the industry may be afraid of my voice. I hope you had a chance to read some of my poetry and you found it truthful.
Also, you may be interested to know that there is a collection of poetry from second-generation Greek-Australian writers that I’ll be contributing too. The book will be launched in August.