the future of Left publications


[Update:’Who’d want to got to a function with a whole bunch of of dykes, poofters, drunks and commos … ‘] As flies herald an arriving dump truck, so a rash of ‘youse are all poofters’ comments signals an incoming Tim Blair link. Truly, he must be proud. It’s a fine movement contemporary conservatism is building!]

I’m participating in an event later this week, organised by the New International Bookshop at Trades Hall. It’s about the future of Left publications. There’s details below.

How are Left-wing publications responding to the challenges of the internet, the financial crisis and climate change? How do they perceive the Left in 21st century Australia? What does the future hold?

AN UNDERGROUND TALK FORUM
6 for 6:30pm Wed 30 Sept
New International Bookshop
Trades Hall, cnr Victoria & Lygon Sts, Carlton
Entry: $5 / $2 concession. More info (email) nibs@nibs.org.au

Lesley Vick Dissent
Alison Caddick Arena
Jeff Sparrow Overland

Jeff Sparrow

Jeff Sparrow is a Walkley Award-winning writer, broadcaster and former editor of Overland.

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  1. Well I dropped over from TIm Blair’s link, and I am THRILLED to see Kevin Gillam’s work here. Loved his book Other Gravities a couple of years ago, and most of all loved his work in the Music Program with our kids. Go, Kevin!

  2. I too dropped over from Tim Blair’s and was so pleasantly surprised!
    Maxine Clarke? Check.
    (The “Gleebooks Annual Poetry Sprint” is hardly a pride only of the left)
    John Kinsella? Check.
    (My, Kinsella’s “The New Arcadia” has been positively indispensible in this household.

    “It’s predictable, and this linear poetry is as expected/
    as the southerly ripping into the valley; sock glyph Jonah,/
    oh word as excited as sock glyph Jonah/

    mountain and the sweat hike powder chiropodist playing canasta samba/
    unfolding of the table/

    sock glyph Jonah/

    fucking whale of a mountain from the right angle, and we love it for it/
    for obscene libel at common law/
    for the stone that walks/
    a hanging over, a garden, a break-away, an abbey/
    dynamically/”)

    Indeed! Preach it Mr Kinsella, good sir!

  3. Great, if you come up with any answers be sure to let us all know. I wondered where these things / came from. Can we just agree they are getting to be a bit of a hackneyed device and move on? By the way, did you get Mr Kinsella’s permission or ask him for it before you reprinted his poem? Perhaps he doesn’t care, perhaps he does, and I’m sure his politics are irrelevant to that question.

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