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January 23, 2025January 29, 2025

Helen Swain’s poetry collection ‘Calibrating Home’ | launch speech by Gina Mercer (Nov 2024)

Gina Mercer, Hobart | 24th November 2024:

So, here is a book. It’s Helen’s book. It’s a very good book. Filled with – and ‘about the goodness of people’. You, all of you – you are a ‘goodness of people’. Gift yourself this very good book. Gift one to any of your people who love goodness. Who need this brilliant balance of balm and grim. Oh, for goodness’ sake – buy a heap. It’ll make Helen happy. It’ll make Bronwyn, the indefatigable and ever-helpful bookseller, happy. And Helen’s perspicacious publisher, 5 Islands Press. And Suzi – why, even the wee spider will be happy.

So here goes, here, I launch this very good book. Helen’s book. Here – it flies into your delighted arms and hearts. Because we know deeply about the goodness of people. That goodness, and this very good book of Helen’s poetry, are our best protection against the weather or whatever is coming.

Read Gina’s full launch speech at Rochford Street Review.

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Categories

  • 3CR
  • A Chides Alphabet
  • ACT Literary Awards
  • Adamson, Bob
  • Adès, David
  • AI
  • Akers, louise
  • Albiston, Jordie
  • Allan, Alice
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  • Amis, Martin
  • Anderson, Pat
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  • Anne Elder Award
  • Armantrout, Rae
  • Arnott, Robbie
  • Ashley, Melissa
  • Austin, Susan
  • Australia Institute
  • awards
  • Azimitabr, Mostafa ‘Moz’
  • Bailey, Thomas Forest
  • Baker, Tim
  • Bandesh, Farhad
  • Barnes, Melanie
  • Barton, Alison J.
  • Bell, Johanna
  • Bernstein, Charles
  • Berry, Colin
  • Bignell, Meg
  • Bircumshaw, David
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  • blog
  • Bolliger, Huni Melissa
  • book launch
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  • Brinklow, Laurie
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  • Brozek, Daniela
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  • Burns, Anna
  • Byrne, Daragh
  • Byrne, Mairead
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  • Calanthe Press
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  • Canetti, Elias
  • Carbis, Gayelene
  • Castlemaine Poetry Readings
  • children's books
  • City Park Radio
  • Clifton, Alison
  • climate change
  • Colette
  • Collins, Anne
  • Colville, Jan
  • Conan-Davies, Cally
  • conversations & interviews
  • Corbett, Nancy
  • Cordite Poetry Review
  • Corfiatis, Thérèse
  • Cossins, Jennifer
  • Couani, Anna
  • Cranston, CA
  • Crucefix, Martyn
  • Csik Zenekar
  • Daiza, Eliza Dune
  • DakhaBrakha
  • Davis, Megan
  • Didion, Joan
  • Dimitriadis, Koraly
  • Donlon, Ross
  • Drabble, Margaret
  • Drever, Chris
  • Dulcetly
  • Dumbly, Tug
  • Easton, Carol
  • Eberhard, Adrienne
  • Edmond, Martin
  • Edwards, Rachel
  • Einaudi, Ludovico
  • Ell, Theodore
  • Estrada, Silvana
  • Eureka Street
  • Evans, Alison
  • faith
  • festivals
  • fiction
  • Filreis, Al
  • FitzSimons, Peter
  • Five Islands Poetry Prize
  • Five Islands Press
  • Flanagan, Martin
  • Flanagan, Richard
  • Flett, Alison
  • Fowlis, Julie
  • Gallego, Ruben
  • Garcia-Navarro, Lulu
  • Giard-Chase, Ann
  • Gillespie, Alyssa
  • Gorton, John
  • Gotye
  • Greenhill, Susie
  • Grove, Simon
  • Haig, Francesca
  • haiku
  • Hay, Pete
  • Hecate
  • Herbert, Elanna
  • Hetherington, Graeme
  • Hey Rosetta!
  • Higgins, Kevin
  • Hindrum, Cameron
  • Hobart
  • Hobart Bookshop
  • Holland-Batt, Sarah
  • Hugo, Giles
  • Hunt, Julie
  • interviews
  • Ireland, David
  • Island
  • Jackson, Andy
  • Jackson, Eleanor
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  • Jones, Jill
  • Joris, Pierre
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  • Kidjo, Angélique
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  • Laing, Harry
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  • Lefroy, Liz
  • Lenker, Adrianne
  • Lilley, Kate
  • Liminal
  • Liquid Amber Press
  • Lomer, Kathryn
  • Lopo, Lisbet De Castro
  • MacKellar, Maggie
  • Mansell, Chris
  • Mantel, Hilary
  • Manus Island
  • March, Annie
  • Marr, David
  • Mason, David
  • McCusker, John
  • McGowan, Shane
  • mclennan, rob
  • McQuilkin, Liz
  • Melbourne Poetry Map
  • Meldrum, Petrina
  • Melrose, Shaine
  • memoir
  • Mercer, Gina
  • Middle East
  • Middleton, Kate
  • MILCK
  • Miles Franklin Award
  • Mok, Judith
  • Moss, Ron
  • New York Times
  • Nic Amhlaoibh, Muireann
  • Nielsen-Creeley, Kim
  • NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
  • O'Loughlin, Michael
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  • Ott, Teresa
  • Ottaway, Esther
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  • Page, Vanessa
  • Paris Review
  • Patterson, Carol
  • Perera, Indrani
  • photography
  • Piko, Gregory
  • Poem Talk
  • poetry
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  • Poetry Says (podcast series)
  • poets
  • Poets on the Line
  • Poets' Express, The
  • Price, Jacinta
  • Proctor, Vanessa
  • Pybus, Cassandra
  • Rayner, Tony
  • Reaburn, Norman
  • Red Room Poetry
  • refugees
  • Reid, Harry
  • research
  • reviews
  • Riekki, Ron
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  • Rogers, Lars
  • Rothenberg, Jerome
  • Rowland, Robyn
  • Roy, Anuradha
  • RSS
  • Ryan, Brendan
  • Ryan, Tracy
  • Sakr, Omar
  • Saltbush Review
  • Schindler, Pam
  • science
  • Sculthorpe-Green, Nunami
  • Seasonal Poets
  • self-publishing
  • Sendra, Tim
  • Sharkey, Michael
  • Sheerwater, Henry
  • short stories
  • Simic, Charles
  • Skilbeck-Porter, Ella
  • Skovron, Alex
  • Slade, Tim
  • Small Press Network
  • Smith, Hazel
  • Sometimes, Alicia
  • song
  • Spaulding, Ralph
  • Spineless Wonders
  • Spoken Word, 3CR
  • Stenberg, Britta
  • Strummer, Joe
  • Swain, Helen
  • Tasmanian Literary Awards
  • Tasmanian Literary Awards 2022
  • Tasmanian Literary Awards 2025
  • Tasmanian Poetry Festival
  • The Richell Prize
  • thinking aloud
  • Thorne, Tim
  • Those Folk & The Inadequates
  • Tinmouth, Valerie
  • Tiny Desk Concert
  • Tokarczuk, Olga
  • Tredennick, Mark
  • Ukraine
  • Uluru Statement from the Heart
  • Uncategorized
  • US politics
  • Vale
  • Van Rijswijk, Philomena
  • Vaughan, Eleanor
  • Victorian Premier's Prize for Literature
  • Victorian Premier's Prize for Poetry
  • Webby, David
  • WestWords
  • Whish-Wilson, David
  • Whish-Wilson, Peter
  • White, Rachel
  • Whitebeach, Terry
  • Wicks, Les
  • wildness (online poetry journal)
  • Williams, Jane
  • Williams, Lucy
  • Winfield, Liz
  • Winton, Tim
  • Witek, Jules
  • Wood, Charlotte
  • Woodside
  • Woomble, Roddy
  • Woorilla Poetry Prize
  • Writers' Week, Adelaide Festival
  • Yee, Grace
  • Young, Damon
  • Young, Mark
  • Yukon Blonde
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