Category: Mercer, Gina

Vanessa Proctor, Helen Swain ~ Whispering Gums

Good, if belatedly, to come across a generous and thoughtful reading on the praiseworthy Canberra-based literary blogsite, Whispering Gums of a couple of poetry collections published over the past twelve months, Helen Swain’s Calibrating Home and Vanessa Proctor’s On Wonder.

The two books were both published in 2024, and it’s a little amusing because Tasmanian poet Helen Swain’s collection, Calibrating home, was published by the New South Wales-based 5 Islands Press, while Sydney poet Vanessa Proctor’s collection, On wonder, was published by the Tasmanian-based Walleah Press.

Helen Swain lives and works in Lutruwita/Tasmania. She has been a teacher, performer (performing in Tasmania, mainland Australia, Berlin and Paris) and community arts worker. Along with Mary Blackwood, Eleanor March, Gina Mercer and Lyn Reeves, Helen was part of a dedicated team behind the publication of Quicksilver Water, a 2022 anthology of women poets who’d been meeting and making art in the heart of Hobart for nine years representing an age group of eight to ninety-three years.

The Hobart City Council generously provided a grant to fund publication of the anthology as well as enabling Oasis to pay contributors, and to further gift some remaining copies to the wider Hobart community … causing one minor hickup, Hobart Bookshop had a purchase enquiry at the time, and got in touch in Gina. ‘Hmmm … not sure, it’s not meant to be for sale, but not to worry, we’ve a handful left’, and I think a copy eventually made its way into the hands of the would-be buyer. Not sure if money actually changed hands….

Gina Mercer launched Helen’s Calibrating Home in Hobart last November, noting ‘this is a very good book’ (you can read the launch speech online at Rochford Street Review) that will

’tilt your world – as you might tilt your glass of clear tea as you sit in the late afternoon sun – admiring the play of light and viscosity and shadow – as you sip both tea and poems… because having your world tilted by Helen’s hands is good. Her hands are steadying and precise and full of thought. Helen’s hands are knowing in all the best ways. They are enlivening, compassionate hands that hold that necessary, slippery “glow-worm” (‘Hospital Waiting Room’) on which we all depend – hope.’

Of Helen Swain’s ‘Calibrating Home’, Whispering Gums notes ‘The poems in this collection slip between past, present and future, often within the same poem, as you can see in “Traced”. There is a sense of struggle, but also of tenacity and endurance. War is evident, in specific poems like “Meeting up (for Michael O’Neill, killed in Ukraine May 2022” and in gentle poems like “Teacups” (“Grandmother’s teacups/survived the war”) where the domestic collides with violence. The shock of violence or war, and the cold displacement of people, is never far away in these poems. But, neither is the domestic, the peace, the connections, the gentleness (in “Suzi and the Spider”), and the humour (in “Mary”)’.

Of Vanessa Proctor’s On wonder, Whispering Gums notes that the book ‘was given to me by on old schoolfriend. It comes from a poet steeped in the haiku tradition, but it meets Swain at various points. One delightful synchronicity occurs between Swain’s “Suzi and the spider” which tells of Suzi gently releasing back into the wild a spider that has come into her house, and Proctor’s “A dragonfly” in which the narrator carefully unravels a spider’s silk from a dragonfly to set it free. Both speak of gentleness and respect for nature, and of connections between living things.

Vanessa’s book has been well reviewed elsewhere since publication in December 2024, including a thoughtful piece by Michael Sharkey in ‘The Australian’ earlier this year as well as another half dozen or so … you can find a couple on Greg Piko’s https://gregorypiko.com/2025/05/04/vanessa-proctor-on-wonder/ blog site, and  Samantha Sirimanne Hyde at Grattan Street Press in September.

Helen Swain’s ‘Calibrating Home’ is available for $26 at Five Islands Press, while Vanessa Proctor’s ‘On Wonder’ is available at Walleah Press for $22.

 

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.

Poets on the Line—featuring Gina Mercer (18th Nov)

‘Poets on the Line’ is zoom event organised by Ross Donlon from Agitation Hill (Castlemaine, Victoria) this Friday 18th November, from 6 – 7 pm.

Zoom link will be posted in a few days. Featured poet for this first event is Gina Mercer.

Format is of a 20 minute reading, then Q & A involving the audience, concluding with Gina’s encore.

 

May be an image of 1 person, cloud and text that says 'Poet on the Line" live via Zoom from Agitation Hill Fri. November 18th 6pm- -7 pm featuring Tasmanian poet Gina Mercer'

Notes from a launch: Esther Ottaway’s ‘Intimate, low-voiced, delicate things’

My take on Jane Williams’ launch of Esther Ottaway’s poetry collection ‘Intimate, low-voiced, delicate things’ in Launceston last year — please visit here.

‘I’ve been a fan of Esther Ottaway’s poetry since her first, small, powerful book Blood Universe some fourteen years ago.’ she said. ‘The long wait has been well worth it and … I suspect Intimate, low-voiced, delicate things could not have been conceived, written, crafted and let go of any sooner because the result is so intellectually and emotionally gratifying. This is a book about the deepest connections we make – with lovers, family, friends but ultimately self.’ (Jane Williams)

Ralph

 

Island 104

Thursday 27th April, 2006 – 5.30pm, Hobart Bookshop, Hobart.

Island 104 was launched in Hobart this evening by Norman Reaburn, Chair of Island’s Management Committee.

Norman spoke of the procedures followed for finding a new editor, how in the past the committee had met behind shut doors and scratched its collective head till coming up with a name. This time, they’d decided to do things differently, instigating a national search for an editor by networking through friends and colleagues across the whole of the continent. And the response, said Reaburn, amazed and astounded, there was a significant number of people interested in the job.

Secretly, in its heart of hearts, the committee had hoped to be able to find an editor who lived in Tasmania. Gina Mercer’s application had been one of the early ones, and in Reaburn’s mind was the vague notion that even at this early stage of proceedings they’d found their applicant. Gina possessed a strong academic background, had published a novel, a poetry collection, had acted as a judge for literary competitions and won critical and academic attention for her work. ‘We took great pride and pleasure in offering her the editorship of Island, and took great delight when she accepted.’

David Owen, retiring editor, spoke of Island as ‘an unpredictable magazine’, but with so much communal support and goodwill ‘it is impossible to see how it could fail’. He named and thanked the work of previous editors who’d brought good things to Island and made it a truly national magazine. ‘I’ve had a few handover sessions with Gina, the magazine is in very, very good hands, I’m absolutely thrilled to be handing over to her.’

‘As for anecdotes,’ David continued … ‘well there were the occasional difficulties, such as with the second issue I edited. A reference I made in the editorial was – I realised – basically a big mistake on my part. This was at eight o’clock at night, just after we’d taken the magazine to the printers. I rang them first thing next morning, “I hope you haven’t started printing yet?” ‘

‘Yeah, just about finished….’

‘So I told them my problem, and they said don’t worry, we’ll just cut the page out, do a cut and paste job & no one will notice, you might at most see a little join.’

Owen said he lived with – and learned from – the experience.

‘And then there’s Island’s letterhead masthead,’ he continued, ‘which on one side says “excellence’ and on the other “variety”. I’ve had quite a few letters just addressed to The Editor, Island Excellence Variety. Or addressed to Rodney Croome; this will happen to you too Gina, so when they come your way, simply reply mentioning Rodney left about nine years ago….’

Owen went on to relate a wee mishap in a portaloo, remarking that ‘if there’s any writer who I felt worthy of pissing on my leg it was him: that’s the way I’ll remember Island!’

Gina Mercer spoke of her vision for Island as a ‘national conversation’, rooted and composted in Tasmania with writing diverse and rich. ‘Tasmania has been a fantastic and welcoming place to come to, as has been the experience of coming to grips with editing the magazine. I’ve always been a reader, but now I’m reading Island six or seven times before publication – and it’s David’s turn to be able to relax and enjoy the magazine for what it is without the responsibility of editing it into print.’

Gina wished David well and invited a half-dozen contributors to read from Island 104. ‘The next Island launch will be on Friday 23rd June’, she continued, ‘as part of The Tasmanian Writers Centre’s Ice Cold Words Festival dealing with writing about the Antarctic.’ Gina encouraged continued support for the magazine. ‘All my family and friends know what they’re getting for Christmas … Island in their stockings. And if you ever feel the need to contact and converse with me, feel free – particularly if it’s at the time I’m stuffing Island magazine into envelopes to contributors and subscribers, I’d love your help.’