so i haven’t written a blog post in, let me check, more than a year. wow. well, that’s twelve months i’m never getting back. like everything in life we tend to neglect, (i’m thinking now of things like yoga, kale, wheat grass shots, tofu, jogging, pilates, etc.), it’s never easy to get back in the saddle. same with blogs. i guess the problem with blogs is, no one actually reads them. but videos seem popular. so i made this video poem in conjunction with my much too talented brother, andrew whitelock, who lives in scotland, while i live on the other side of the world in australia. so cool to collaborate from these opposite corners of the globe. andrew shot the video. i wrote the poem and narrated it. and glasgow snowed obligingly. i hope you like it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IejA31dpJEE

Last night I enjoyed my final cheese scone (in what seems to have become my National Scone Tour of Scotland – I’ve eaten approximately 49 scones since I arrived in Scotland – 1 a day for the last 7 weeks). This latest one was consumed (with considerable glee) at my now favourite Edinburgh cafe,’The Scottish Cafe at The National Gallery’ before heading to my reading at the Inky Fingers Edinburgh poetry night at the Lighthouse Book Shop. Such a brilliantly supportive audience, beyond excellent open mic readers, & massively warm & welcoming hosts. Thank you so much Inky Fingers Edinburgh for having me, to everyone who came & to the brilliantly bookish Vikki Reilly for taking these snaps! So for now it’s au revoir from me #Edinburgh – so long & thanks for all the scones.

#OMG. Glad I took my coat. Inverness was as bracing as it was gorgeous. Stunning drive up through the Cairngorms to Inverness for my appearance at the Ness Book Fest. So much heart stopping scenery – mountains thick with heather, wild stags, fawns, pheasants and surprisingly excellent mobile coverage. (Thanks mum, for snapping me mid-text on the side of a mountain.) Incredibly, my session at the Ness Book Fest was chaired by the extraordinary poet, Magi Gibson (who, incidentally, was the first Poet Laureate of the Scottish city of Stirling in 500 years!) Could barely believe my luck. *Pinches self*

right here in Glen Etive, in a scene that left me quietly reminiscing on the movie, The Queen, i witnessed this great beauty. 

one of the great things about scotland is undoubtedly the scenery. and i’ve seen some of the most breathtaking sights i’ve ever seen. but one of the other, lesser known great things about scotland is the availability of french cheese that doesn’t cost your entire inheritance. 

was i got better. it took almost eight weeks, and 2 further hopsitalisations, but i got there! then i got invited to read at a few events in scotland, so i raced down to the travel agent and booked my flight to glasgow.  my first reading was as part of The Poets’ Republic event at The Edinburgh Fringe 2018 held in the exquisite Scottish Poetry Library. what an incredible honour that was.

so i was meant to be in Ireland reading, had booked my ticket (a great price too, $1287 return from sydney to glasgow – never heard of such a thing!) however i very randomly got very sick, very suddenly and ended up in hospital and had to cancel the entire thing. so that wednesday, rather than sitting on a supremely uncomfortable airplane chair, calling the air hostess to bring me one of those tiny bottles of gin, i was instead, lying in a hospital bed nil-by-mouth. but some glorious people, namely my incredible friend and extraordinary poet Anne Casey, Irish Poet Eleanor Hooker & Australian-Irish Poet Nat O’Reilly read my poems at the readings on my behalf.  A generous and touching gesture i’ll remember till i die. which i don’t anticipate being any time soon. 

Pinching myself. I’ll be reading at the following venues in Ireland alongside the incredible Irish-Australian poets Anne Casey & Nathanael O’Reilly. AND as if that wasn’t exciting enough, we’ll also be reading with Irish poets, Eleanor Hooker & Edward O’Dwyer in Cork & Limerick! And did I mention, the uber-talented musical trio, ‘Three Women Sing’ will be singing at some of the gigs too?  If anyone is in the vicinity, it’d be absolutely fab to see you there. Come come!

Thursday 21st June  Rowan Tree Readings, 11 Parnell Square, Dublin

Saturday 23rd June Galway, (venue to be confirmed)

Sunday 24th June The Salmon Bookshop, Ennistymon, County Clare

Monday 25th June Nelly’s Corner, Limerick

Friday 29th June Over The Edge Poetry Reading, The Kitchen @ Galway City Museum, Spanish Parade, Galway

Monday 2nd July Ó Bhéal Poetry Reading, The Long Valley, Winthrop St, Cork

SYDNEY 

Friday 13th July Official Launch of my book, ‘and my heart crumples like a coke can’ at Gleebooks, Glebe, Sydney

SCOTLAND

Saturday 6th October Appearing at the Ness Book Festival, Inverness, Scotland

SYDNEY

Tuesday 6th November I’ll be one of the Feature Poets on the night, alongside the incredible Mark Tredinnick at The Sydney Poetry Lounge, upstairs at The Friend in Hand Pub, Glebe

It is not too much of an exaggeration to say I’m a little bit excited to be interviewed by the AMAZING Christine Anu this Saturday night 26th May 2018 on ABC Local Radio! Listen in to hear us chat about life, writing and my book, ‘AND MY HEART CRUMPLES LIKE A COKE CAN’.  If you can’t tune in Saturday at 9pm, of course you can listen later online.  I always forget that. Being the techno-phobe that I am. http://www.abc.net.au/radio/sydney/ 

Dearest bloggees,

Well, here it is, my first poetry collection, ‘and my heart crumples like a coke can.’ I’m thrilled and (I won’t lie) a little teary to be holding this book in my hands. HUGE thanks to Julia Beaven, my incredible editor who waltzed wholeheartedly with these poems from day one. Thanks also to Michael Bollen, Wakefield Press director and all round amazing person. Thanks to artist Stacey Zass for the cover design. And finally, thank you to my massively tolerant, French, chain smoking, sage-like partner, Thomas Vacca for, well, everything.  If you’re feeling in a giddy, extravagant kind of mood, you can buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Crumples-Like-Coke-Can/dp/174305534X/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8