Tim Jones: Books in the Trees

New Location, New Look!

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 23:21:00 +0000

After many happy years on Blogspot, my blog has moved - and I have a new website.

Here's my new blog - with all the old content from this site: https://www.timjonesbooks.co.nz/blog/

Here's my new website, where you can easily find my books: https://www.timjonesbooks.co.nz/

I hope to see you over on the new site!

What You Leave Behind: my tribute to Jeanette Fitzsimons

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 03:10:00 +0000

I was asked to write a poem in tribute to Jeanette Fitzsimons for her Wellington memorial service. That service, along with so much else, has now been postponed, but here is the poem - with thanks to Jenny Campbell for suggesting the whakatauki that precedes it.

This poem was published as part of Coal Action Network Aotearoa's tribute to Jeanette Fitzsimons - Jeanette and I were members of the Coal Action Network Aotearoa Organising Group, and here is the full tribute, which has some wonderfully-written pieces about Jeanette.

What You Leave Behind

Whakatauki

Ehara i te tii e wana ake.
It is not like the ever-renewed shoots of the cabbage tree .

Death is final & irrevocable. The tii or cabbage tree is hard to kill, because new shoots spring from apparently dead branches.

The final movement of the last quartet

stumbles to an end. The players

raise their bows from the strings,

stand, incline their heads,

And wait as the silence stretches on.

The hall is empty. Only microphones

connect them with the world. Where

are you, where have you gone?

Gone from the valley, gone from the hill.

Gone your prodigious memory, your mind.

You were not a kind person, you told me once.

But your forte was kindness in action.

You planted a thousand thousand seeds.

Stony ground devoured some. Others

were taken by drought, swept away

by sudden flood and rising sea.

Yet hundreds still grow, seedlings

sheltered so long by the mighty parent tree

now spiraling upwards in the clearing

made by your fall from the canopy.

Silence in the hall, silence on the Hill.

The air lies thick and curdled.

In our lungs and in our bones

we feel the cost of consequences rise.

All voices end. Yours lives on

in wisdom, friendship, in example.

Be kind. Speak clearly. Be unafraid.

Block the gates of power and greed.

The players leave. The music hides

between the pages of the score.

Alone on stage, one music stand,

one violin, one bow, one empty chair.

Blackball Readers and Writers Festival 2020

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 21:25:00 +0000

I'm very happy to have been invited to take part in the second Blackball Readers and Writers Festival at Queen's Birthday Weekend.

Below is info about the Festival from Paul Maunder. Check out Paul Maunder's blog for a lot of very interesting thinking on climate change, just transition and many other things!

As someone who lived for 18 months on the West Coast as a child, I'm especially pleased to be going back to the Coast for this Festival.

The second Blackball Readers and Writers Festival will take place at Queen’s Birthday Weekend, running from midday Saturday 30th May to Sunday evening. This year’s theme is activists, renegades and recluses. It will take place once again in the beautiful setting of the local school.

To begin the festival, biographer, Pat White and editor and environmental writer, David Young will ‘recover’ the work of Greymouth born, Peter Hooper, poet, teacher, novelist, environmentalist and mentor to young writers. Choosing to stay and write on the Coast, he was in some ways, a tragic figure.

After a break, Caroline Selwood will interview Sandra Arnold, whose work includes two novels, a book on parental bereavement, a short fiction collection and her third, recent historical novel, The Ash, the Well and the Bluebell. To conclude the afternoon, Pat White will then read some of his own poems.

After dinner, Paul Maunder’s Waiting for Greta, a remake of the theatre classic, Waiting for Godot will be performed.

Sunday morning, Paddy Richardson will talk with Becky Manawatu, whose first novel, Auē, dealing with ‘kids, gangs and curdled masculinity’, has been very well received. Elspeth Sandys will then speak with David Young about her extensive writing life with a focus on her latest work, A Communist in the Family: Searching for Rewi Alley, a story that combines family memoir, biography, history and travelogue.

After lunch, Paul Maunder will talk with Nicky Hager, NZ’s best known investigative Journalist, whose books have uncovered environmental, political and military skulduggery. How did his work begin? What is the role of the journalist-writer, what is the methodology, what are the ethical issues?

The afternoon will conclude with a panel discussion with two writers, their source material and their motivation, chaired by Kennedy Warne. Tim Jones, whose latest novel is a Cli-Fi book, Where We Land will be joined by Kathleen Gallagher, whose recent novel Inangahua Gold is inspired by local history and environment. The festival will conclude with a dinner at which people can read a letter of importance in their lives, part of the festival’s aim to resurrect the art of the letter. A wide range of accommodation is available in Blackball.

Registration: wkcultur@gmail.com

Full festival: $80, including lunches and Saturday dinner. One day: $40. Session: $20

Two More Great Reviews For "Where We Land"

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 22:23:00 +0000

My climate fiction (clifi) novella Where We Land has been getting good reviews on Goodreads and elsewhere - and it's now had good reviews in Pukapuka Aotearoa and Landfall Review Online as well.

Harvey Molloy reviews "Where We Land" for New Zealand Review of Books Pukapuka Aotearoa

Harvey Molloy writes:

What makes the novella such a compelling read is the fast-paced narration, coupled with descriptions that world-build a future Auckland in bold strokes: “In those years of the relentlessly rising sea, wealth brought elevation: the only people who lived close to the ever-advancing shoreline were those who could not afford to live further away.”

Climate fiction (cli-fi) can sometimes be a dry, ponderous genre…. Not so with Jones, whose sense of mischief is at times reminiscent of Margaret Atwood. There’s … a wry, often dark sense of humour at work.

Thanks, Harvey! For the full review, see New Zealand Review of Books Pukapuka Aotearoa 29(4) Summer 2019, p 35.

Rushi Vyas reviews "Where We Land" for Landfall Review Online

Rushi Vyas writes:

Jones deftly world builds through dialogue and details that underscore language’s impact on how we relate to one another.... This dialogue enables Jones to paint, without exposition, his new New Zealand as a land ruled by xenophobia, sexism, a feared Navy and nationalism.

He wants readers to grapple with difficult questions. What happens when global warming meets nationalism and scarcity of resources? How does language condition our responses to human suffering? Donna’s relatable, easy foul mouth and difficult situation ensures that readers cannot simply assume, ‘yes, I would help the refugee’.

Jones makes us embody the situation, where it seems that struggling to get by competes against helping those on the brink of death. While Jones, a climate activist himself, wished action would have been taken before it made sense to republish this book, Where We Land is still a timely and gripping novella, one that does the stunning work that fiction can do – suspend our disbelief enough to help us rehearse our response to future tragedy.

Check out the full review, in which Rushi Vyas has good things to say about three books: Where We Land, The Everrumble by Michelle Elvy, and Soul Etchings by Sandra Arnold.

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Tim Jones October Book News: Events and Calls for Submissions

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 23:20:00 +0000

After a quiet month on the book front due to protests and elections, I'm back into it! Below are several upcoming Wellington book events I'm going to be at - featuring climate fiction, science fiction poetry, writers from Matairangi / Mt Victoria, and the launch of two new speculative fiction books.

Also, for the writers among us, I have included several calls for submissions. The first, the anthology "Ko Aotearoa Tātou | We Are New Zealand", closes 31 October, so don't delay in checking it out!

Events

Tuesday 29 October: Write, Hear in Mt Victoria, 6.30-8pm, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Moncrieff St: https://www.facebook.com/events/467749827145434/

"On Tuesday 29 October the Mt Victoria Hub is hosting an evening showcase of local writers' work. Join our wordsmith residents from 6.30pm for a wine reception followed by a panel where we will hear from some of our writers themselves talking about their work. All are welcome."

I'm looking forward to taking part in this event.

Wednesday 30 October: Star Words: Voyagers and Beyond: SF and Speculative Poetry, 5.30-7.30pm, VicBooks Pipitea, 27 Lambton Quay: https://www.facebook.com/events/373700766841217/

"It's the 10th anniversary of Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand, the groundbreaking anthology of New Zealand speculative (science fiction, fantasy and horror) poetry, edited by Mark Pirie and Tim Jones and published in 2009.

What's changed in speculative poetry in Aotearoa since then? What's stayed the same?

Hear poets represented in Voyagers read their poems from the anthology - and hear new work by Wellington speculative poets. Let us know in the comments if you'd like to read at the event!

Join us to celebrate 10 years of Voyagers."

Thursday 31 October: Paper Road Press's Halloween Double Book Launch, 5.30-7.30pm, VicBooks Pipitea, 27 Lambton Quay: https://www.facebook.com/events/505091606719099/

"Join Paper Road Press at Vic Books Pipitea this Halloween to celebrate the publication of two fantastic new books:
FROM A SHADOW GRAVE, by Andi C. Buchanan
YEAR'S BEST AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY: Volume I, edited by Marie Hodgkinson"

Tim says: These books both sound great and I am looking forwards to buying them.

Saturday 9 November: CliFi Panel, 7.15-8.00pm, Theosophical Society, 19 Marion St, Wellington

The climate crisis is rapidly worsening - and writers are responding. Climate fiction is a feature of the Verb Wellington Festival - and I'm happy to say I'm on one of the panels about climate change and writing: https://www.verbwellington.nz/festival-2019/litcrawl-clifi

"We’re living amid a crisis of near apocalyptic proportions. Tim Jones (Where We Land), Nicola Easthope (Working the Tang), Maru Nihohino (Metia Interactive) and Jeff Murray (Melt) talk with writer Arihia Latham about how environmental catastrophe influences their creative lives."

45 minutes and right to the point, as part of LitCrawl, the seed from which the Verb Wellington Festival has grown.

Calls for Submissions

Here are some submission opportunities I recommend. The deadline for the first one is 31 October, so you have less than two weeks left to submit:

Submissions close 31 October 2019: "Ko Aotearoa Tātou | We Are New Zealand", edited by Michelle Elvy, Paula Morris and James Norcliffe (anthology of original work)

"The editors seek submissions in fiction and nonfiction, poetry and visual art. Submissions are open through 31 October 2019. Please read the description and send your submission to: wearenzanthology[at]gmail[dot]com"

Full details of this important anthology are at https://wearenewzealand.org/

Submissions close at stated dates: Flash Frontier, the magazine for short-short stories (generally 250 words or less). Check out the individual submission deadlines here: https://www.flash-frontier.com/submissions/.

Submissions close 28 February 2020: "Black Dogs, Black Tales" anthology, edited by Tabatha Wood (mainly original work, but with some space for reprints)

"Many writers and creatives are plagued by depression and anxiety, often referred to as 'The Black Dog.' Ironically, it is during these dark days that our furry friends become our strongest supporters.

I’m working with a fantastic team to put together a horror/dark fiction anthology with a strong, canine theme where all sales go towards supporting mental health and suicide prevention charity: The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand." - Tabatha Wood.

Full submission guidelines for this speculative fiction anthology are here: http://tabathawood.com/open-call-for-submissions-black-dogs-black-tales/

Submissions close 1 March 2020: Year's Best Aotearoa Science Fiction and Fantasy, Volume 2, edited by Marie Hodgkinson (reprint anthology)

"Editor Marie Hodgkinson is now seeking submissions to the second volume of the YEAR’S BEST AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY anthology.

Marie is looking for short stories (less than 10,000 words) from all genres and subgenres of science fiction and fantasy, by authors from Aotearoa New Zealand, and which were first published in 2019."

Full guidelines: https://paperroadpress.co.nz/years-best/

I hope there is something in this list of events and submission calls that catches your eye - and i look forward to seeing you in person and/or in print!

How I Voted in Wellington's Local Body Elections, and Why

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 22:40:00 +0000

Voting in Wellington's local body elections closes on 12 October - and postal votes need to be posted before 8 October to make sure they arrive. I live in Pukehīnau /Lambton Ward and have recently voted in that ward, for Wellington Mayor and for the Wellington Ward of Greater Wellington Regional Council. Below are my thoughts on good people to vote for in those three races.

The main issue I voted on is support for stronger action on climate change - both reducing emissions and preparing Wellington for the effects of sea level rise, more flooding etc. 60% of Wellington's emissions come from transport, which makes your Regional Council vote especially important, as they are responsible for land transport in the Wellington region.

If you want an explanation of how the STV voting system used in Wellington works, read this. You should keep ranking candidates until you get to the point that you can't tell them apart any more.

Wellington Mayor: The 3 best candidates on climate action are Conor Hill, Jenny Condie and Norbert Hausberg. Of the 3 candidates most commentators regard as likely winners, I would rank Justin Lester ahead of Andy Foster, and Diane Calvert last. She is endorsed by the Wellington Party and wants "four lanes to the planes". Don't believe her answers on candidate scorecards - look at her actual policies. Also, the Wellington Party is a National Party front - as the Nats are blocking effective climate action nationwide, I ranked Wellington Party candidates last in all cases.

Justin and Andy have pros and cons on climate action. Justin has got it badly wrong in my view in supporting housing development at Shelly Bay and supporting a Wellington Airport runway extension - both major developments at or just above sea level, and both bad ideas in other ways too.

But as Justin is better on low-carbon transport overall - putting walking, cycling, better public transport and mass transit ahead of building more road capacity - and has generally delivered on other issues important to me, I gave Justin a higher ranking than Andy, who is promoting building more roads.

Pukehīnau /Lambton Ward [3 to be elected]: I gave my top 2 preferences to Green candidate Iona Pannett and Independent candidate Tamatha Paul (who are already working together well - check out their joint campaign video!).

Lee Orchard or Brian Dawson might be worth your 3rd ranking: Brian has been good in candidates' meetings, but I have been less impressed with his performance as a Councillor. Nicola Young was the only Wellington councillor to vote against declaring a Climate & Ecological Emergency - sorry, Nicola, but for that I ranked you last!

Wellington Regional Council [5 to be elected from Wellington Ward]: This top 4 stood out for me: Roger Blakeley, Thomas Nash, Victoria Rhodes-Carlin, and Daran Ponter - the first 3 especially are strong on meaningful climate and environmental action, and Daran deserves credit for fronting on bus issues when other Regional Councillors wouldn't.

Roger has a great deal of experience, is committed to getting light rail for Wellington, and has shown an ability to get good things done. Thomas and Victoria are outstanding new candidates who would bring energy, commitment, knowledge and diversity to a Council that has frequently lacked those qualities.

Jill Ford, David Lee, Yvonne Legarth and John Klaphake are all worth serious consideration for your fifth spot and the preferences that follow that. Jill is great on promoting active modes (cycling and walking), and David Lee, who's stepping down from the City Council at this election, has done good work on strongly opposing the proposed airport runway extension, and other climate action.

Good Reviews on Goodreads For "Where We Land"

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Sat, 31 Aug 2019 22:40:00 +0000

My climate fiction (cli-fi) novella Where We Land has been getting good reviews on Goodreads. Here are some excerpts from those reviews:

On Goodreads:

"This novella set in the near future deals with the human impact of the worsening climate crisis.... Amid societal brutality and xenophobia, there are still a few glimmers of compassion.

"This is a beautifully written novella in the cli-fi genre.... The characters are compelling and the story gripping. Highly recommend it!!"

(Read the full reviews here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46028957-where-we-land)

From Tabatha Wood's review for SpecFicNZ:

"Jones talks in depth about human resilience and the determination to survive. The ability to keep going even when all seems lost. He examines our humanity; how we respond to threats and challenges, but ultimately how we, as a global species, behave to one another. The tension is high, the characters relatable, and Jones deftly manoeuvres you into bearing witness to the unfolding plot. He places you squarely in both Nasimul and Donna’s shoes. What would you do if…? he asks."

Read the full review: https://specfic.nz/2019/08/12/book-review-where-we-land-by-tim-jones/

You can read more of Tabatha's reviews and her writing on her blog.

"Where We Land" is a print novella - but you can also buy an earlier version of this story as "Landfall", an ebook from Amazon.

Winter Readings 2019 – The Black Album Readings: Paekakariki, Saturday 17 August, 1.30-3.30pm

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 05:09:00 +0000

It's been a while since I did a poetry reading, what with the launch of my novella Where We Land!

So I'm very happy to be taking part in the Winter Readings 2019, themed around Metallica's Black Album! Happily, my latest chapbook Big Hair Was Everywhere: Music Poems has a poem about Metallica - even though it refers to an earlier Metallica album, ... And Justice for All, their first album after Cliff Burton's tragic death.

I'll bring along copies of Big Hair Was Everywhere, New Sea Land and Where We Land for sale, and other authors will have their books for sale too. It will be a cash-only, nostalgic time!

You are warmly invited to a poetry reading:

Winter Readings 2019 – The Black Album Readings

This year’s Winter Readings will

be held in August in Paekakariki,

continuing a popular event at the City Gallery

and other venues in Wellington

2003-2008. Each event featured a tribute to an

album or group. This year’s readings form

a tribute to the hard rock group Metallica.

Saturday, 17 August 2019

Poets: Michael O’Leary (Paekakariki), Alex Jeune,

Margaret Jeune, Mark Pirie, Mary Campbell and

Tim Jones (Wellington) and Jeremy Roberts (Hawke’s Bay).

MC: Rob Hack

Venue: St Peter’s Hall, Beach Rd, Paekakariki.

Time: 1.30-3.30pm.

Admission to the reading is by koha. Books for

sale from 1.15pm.

Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop (ESAW) will publish

an anthology of poems (free with koha) by the

readers featured to celebrate the event.

Winter Readings are presented by:

HeadworX Publishers

Paekakariki Community Trust

Poetry Archive Trust

Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop

Metallica, still going strong in the rain in 2019

Where We Launch and Where We Land

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 05:52:00 +0000

"Where We Land" on display

It's been almost a week since the launch of my novella "Where We Land", No. 1 in The Cuba Press Novella Series, at VicBooks Pipitea Campus - and now the book is out there in bookshops, making its own way in the world. Here's news of how to buy a copy, a Radio New Zealand interview, and the launch itself.

How to buy a copy of Where We Land

You can:

- buy it from a local independent bookstore that stocks it - in Wellington, I know that VicBooks and Unity are stocking the book
- order it through your local NZ bookstore. If you need the ISBN, it's 9781988595023
- or if you don't have a local NZ bookstore, order the book here: https://thecubapress.nz/shop/where-we-land/.

Radio New Zealand interview with Jesse Mulligan

I talked with Jesse Mulligan of Radio New Zealand Afternoons on Monday 22 July. We discussed what cli-fi (climate change fiction is), the climate emergency we face, the need for climate change fiction to work as fiction rather than polemic, and The Cuba Press Novella Series. Listen here:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018705197/climate-fiction-in-new-zealand

Launch Photos

Photos by Mary McCallum for The Cuba Press:

Some of the audience for the launch

Janis Freegard launches "Where We Land"

Tim Jones reads an excerpt from the novella - as seen in Tom Cardy's Facebook video.

Photos by Constance Talbot:

Paul, Adam, Bev, Mel, Ellen

Craig, Ryn

?, Leonie

Mark B, Mary, Harvey, Latika, Mark P, Clare

?, Dileepa, Kate, Constance

Tim, Peter, Kate

The name attributions are by me - if your name is missing or mis-spelled, please let me know and I will correct it!

I was very happy with the launch - thanks to the diligent efforts of VicBooks, The Cuba Press, and Janis Freegard who gave an excellent launch speech, plus everyone who came along! Thanks to Constance Talbot and The Cuba Press for taking launch photos.

"Mark B" in the third photo from bottom is Mark Blackham, whose climate fiction novella "A Sea of Wretched Shells" will be published as No. 2 in The Cuba Press Novella Series in December 2019. Mark read an excerpt from his new novella at the launch. I'm looking forwards to reading it.

Invitation: "Where We Land" Book Launch, Tues 16 July, 5.30pm, Wellington

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 04:37:00 +0000

You are warmly invited to the launch of my novella "Where We Land". Here are the launch details:

Date: Tuesday 16 July
Time: 5.30pm
Venue: VicBooks, Pipitea Campus, Ground Floor, Rutherford House, 27 Lambton Quay, Wellington

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/596641077527865/

Can't make it? No worries - "Where We Land" is now available for pre-order from The Cuba Press: https://thecubapress.nz/shop/where-we-land/. Order now and beat the rush :-)

What's it about? Check out the blurb:

"A New Zealand Navy frigate torpedoes a boat full of refugees fleeing a drowning country and Nasimul Rahman is one of the few survivors. First he has to reach the shore alive and then he has to avoid the trigger-happy Shore Patrol, on alert to stop climate change refugees entering the country.

Donna is new to the Patrol. When word comes through that the Navy has sunk a ship full of infiltrators and survivors might be making their way ashore, it sounds like she might get to see some action.

A tale of desperation and betrayal on a shrinking shore in the not too distant future."

This is the first standalone print edition of this novella, which was first published, titled "Landfall", by Paper Road Press in 2015 as an ebook.

I hope you'll be able to make it! Please share this invitation with your friends and contacts.

"Where We Land": Coming this July from The Cuba Press

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 06:34:00 +0000

Coming this July from The Cuba Press - my novella "Where We Land"! More details soon, but here's the cover.

This is a reprint of my 2015 novella Landfall, published by Paper Road Press as an ebook.

This new print edition is available for preorder here: https://thecubapress.nz/shop/where-we-land/

And here's the blurb!

A New Zealand Navy frigate torpedoes a boat full of refugees fleeing a drowning country and Nasimul Rahman is one of the few survivors. First he has to reach the shore alive and then avoid the trigger-happy Shore Patrol, set up to stop climate change refugees entering the country.

Donna is new to the Patrol. When word comes through that the Navy has sunk a ship full of infiltrators, and survivors might be making their way ashore, it sounds like she might get to see some action. A tale of desperation and betrayal on a shrinking shore in the not too distant future.

Big Hair Will Be Everywhere On Friday 3 May

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Sat, 27 Apr 2019 23:25:00 +0000

My hair follicles don't really let me do big hair anymore. But all the same, I've got a new poetry chapbook, Big Hair Was Everywhere: Music Poems.

It will be making its public debut in Wellington on Friday 3 May from 6.30-7.30pm, when I'm reading as part of the Pegasus Poetry Series 2019 with Sam Duckor-Jones, Chris Price, and Chris Tse: distinguished company to read in!

I'll have copies of the chapbook available for $5 - just come and see me before or after the reading. You'll need to pay cash, and I'll have change available.

Big Hair Was Everywhere is No. 34 in the ESAW Mini Series. Here's the cover photo, an alarmingly chirpy picture of me.

And here's the poem from which the title is taken:

The Home Of Country Music

We spent the first day of the Gold Guitar Awards

thrashing …And Justice for All in Andrew’s flat,

taking turns to lift and flip the vinyl.

We mourned Cliff Burton, killed in a bus crash in Sweden,

and pondered the mystery of new kid Jason’s missing bass.

Metallica’s producer knew shit about separation.

We walked down Main Street to the pie cart. Town

thrummed with the energy of competition, musicians

toting pedal steels down Mersey Street.

Big hair was everywhere, bouffants teased

and primped towards infinity. ‘Simple country girls’

and honky-tonk angels vied for the next available chair

as the hairdressers made their annual killing. Men

rechristened Tex for the occasion swaggered in Stetsons,

ordering Jack Daniels instead of their usual DB Draught.

It meant nothing to us, this frenzy of false eyelashes

and fake tans. We returned to Andrew’s upstairs flat,

dropped the needle on “Blackened” again. Jane,

finishing her pie, rested her head on Andrew’s shoulder.

I was too busy with rapidly cooling mince to be jealous.

I fucking hate this town, I said.

Credit note: "The Home of Country Music" was first published, in a slightly different form, in takahē 89 (April 2017).

Poem of the Month for March - "On The One", from my new chapbook of music poems, "Big Hair Was Everywhere"

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Sun, 24 Mar 2019 03:07:00 +0000

If not for that ship I’d have been Rod Temperton.

If not for emigration I’d have remained

In Cleethorpes, where I was born,

Worked in Grimsby for Ross Frozen Foods,

Played in dance bands in my spare time.

Learned to write songs. Joined Heatwave,

A funk band formed by a Vietnam War vet.

Written “Boogie Nights”, that impossibly

Inescapable hit of 1976. Watch that vid

And you’d see me off in the corner,

Playing keyboards and adding harmonies,

Immortalised in a scoop-neck ‘70s vest, singing

“Got to keep on dancing, keep on dancing…”

Been recruited by Quincy Jones, a man

With good ears, to write songs for Michael Jackson.

“Rock with You”, some other hits, and then

The big one: “Thriller”. Everything: words, music,

Even that cheesy spoken-word bit that Vincent Price

Perfected on just his second take.

I’d have coasted along after that,

Staying cheerfully obscure, the unknown

Local boy made good in Hollywood

Till the cosmic actuary’s dice came up snake eyes.

I could have been you, Rod, if we hadn’t left,

If I’d had the slightest glimmering of musical ability.

Could have worked in that fish factory till it went bust,

ironed my funky vests, played in a covers band

And waited for that big break to come:

A ghost Tim, strutting the streets of Grimsby,

Suit sharp, still funky, always on the one.

Credit note: "On the One" appears in my new poetry chapbook Big Hair Was Everywhere: music poems, Number 34 in the ESAW mini series, published by Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop (Paekarariki, 2019), ISBN 978-1-86942-163-0. It is previously unpublished, and was written for inclusion in the chapbook. Tim says: Music was important to my parents, and it's important to me - many different genres of music, despite the fact I can't play a note other than Middle C. My new chapbook Big Hair Was Everywhere brings together my recent poems about music into one neat little A6 package - available from me for $5! Chase me up for a copy at forthcoming poetry readings.

Poem of the Month for February: "Fire", by Tim Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 21:55:00 +0000

It's time to restart "Poem of the Month" for 2019. I've chosen a newish one of my own to start with. I've just had a chapbook published that has some of my happier, chirpier poems of recent times - and I'll tell you more about that soon.

But this isn't one of those poems. I didn't know about Extinction Rebellion when I wrote it, but now that I do, I'm dedicating it to them and their work.

Fire

Fire crawls a sigil up the flagpoles of the world,

erupts in updraft and swirl. Cars torch

like eucalypts, like houses. We seek out

the lowlands, retreat to floodplains, but fire

snaps at the edges, each hectare of letterbox

and ornamental shrub an open invitation. Go

lower, go deeper: crawl to the level of worms,

cowering from the circling threats above.

Every season now is fire season, prodigies

of heat extending tendrils into winter’s

vanishing comfort and hurt, sacrificing

spring’s new growth at blackened birth.

Our infrastructure flakes off like dead skin,

like burning cladding so carelessly applied

when the air was kinder, built to standards

designed for a more forgiving world.

Money still has meaning. There are enclaves,

protections available only to the super-rich,

illusions of safety and permanence. With

enough cash in hand you can relocate

to sheltered valleys, islands buffered

by the slower-warming sea, the greening remnants

of the worlds of ice – twin Goldilocks zones,

two thin rings of life receding polewards.

Or depart the surface world entirely, descend

to the cool of caves and abandoned tunnels

for a life of hydroponic food, recollected pleasures,

imitation picture windows set against blank rock,

gaze averted from the fire that burns above. Flame

swirls the sky, converting atmosphere from oxygen

to soot. The long spiral of lightning and accident

that sped us from campfires to mastery,

our history of combustion, now rains ashes

on our heads. This was always our endpoint,

foreshadowed when some hominid, transfixed,

reached out to grasp the embers of a forest fire.

The Pegasus Poetry Series 2019, Starting Friday 8 February: What A Lineup!

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 03:05:00 +0000

Therese Lloyd and Pegasus Books have organised a wonderful series of poetry readings in Wellington, spanning the whole year.

The readings are on Friday nights at Pegasus Books in the Left Bank off Cuba Mall, starting at 6.30pm.

Just look at the lineup below!

Here are the contact details for Pegasus Books, from their website which includes a map:

Pegasus Books
Shop 204 Left Bank Cuba Mall
PO Box 27335 Marion Square
Te Aro
Wellington 6011
New Zealand
Email: pegasusbooksnz [at] gmail.com
Telephone: (+64) 04-384-4733

I'm very pleased that Therese has included me in the third reading in this series, on May the 3rd, with Sam Duckor-Jones, Chris Price, and Chris Tse. I'll be reading from my latest collection, New Sea Land (Mākaro Press, 2016), and all being well, I'll also have a new chapbook at the reading, Big Hair Was Everywhere.

The Pegasus Poetry Series 2019

Feb 8 Airini Beautrais Maria McMillan, essa ranapiri, Harry Ricketts

March 22 Janis Freegard, Harvey Molloy, Claire Orchard, Magnolia Wilson

May 3 Sam Duckor-Jones, Tim Jones, Chris Price, Chris Tse

June 14 Jo Emeney, Siobhan Harvey, Tracey Slaughter, Ashleigh Young

July 26 Anahera Gildea, Helen Lehndorf, Frankie Samuel, Michael Steven

Optional National Poetry Day Reading (August 23) tbc

Sep 6 Jenny Bornholdt, Lynn Jenner, Anne Kennedy, Greg O’Brien

Oct 18 AJ Anderson-O'Connor, Jane Arthur, Carolyn DeCarlo, Mary McCallum

Nov 29 Amy Brown, Helen Heath, Hannah Mettner, Jackson Nieuwland

In other news, in addition to my Twitter, I now have the beginnings of a presence on Instagram:

And, saving the best till last, this may finally be the year I move off Blogger! Though, in that regard, I haven't moved much further than lento to adagio.

Poem of the Month - November: "Kikoi for sleeping in" by Mary McCallum

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 21:53:00 +0000

With the year nearly over we hitched
north, took a leaky tent, two kikoi
for swimming and for sleeping in,
a kilt pin for protection. Budget of
three dollars a day. Sandra and me.
We climbed the zigzag to be early
at the station, hips out, thumbs
out, first ride to Raumati, and each
ride after taking us further north. We
took turns up front but not the sheep
truck, both of us crammed in there
next to the driver, rigid with the stink
of animal fear. She drew the line,
no more sheep trucks. So it was squads
of station wagons packed to the roof,
‘Shove over, kids. Let the girls in.’
Gritty seats. Sticky legs. Cortinas
with dark windows, soft men with bad
jokes. The kind photographer who
drove us to Gisborne, took our photo
in a field, introduced us to a famous
poet. The hippies who dropped us
at Nambassa, where it rained on the
clothed and unclothed and I got sick,
and Sandra, mud-slick, slid down
a whole bank on her small efficient feet.
Then there was that ute and a side trip
to the satellite dish at Warkworth—
the dish as big as a house, no one in sight,
ute refusing to go. ‘Get on the roof, for
heaven’s sake, jump-start it.’ His voice
whistly, thin with irritation, those
too-light eyes elsewhere. Knowing
nothing—nothing—we climbed up, sat
on our hands on the hot roof, back
to back, legs down past windows, feet
on rims. And we stood and sat and
stood and sat, made it rock like he said,
the satellite dish a blank moon. Fields
and roads blank, too, not a soul out.
And oh, it didn’t fire. And oh, I didn’t
guess. Shiny with sweat, finger to lips,
Sandra leaned down, peered in, eyes
wide, mouthed something. Gestured—
wanker. With one breath we yowled
under that grey dish-moon, leapt
to the ground, blazing, ‘Take us back
to the highway, you prick!’ (The kilt
pin, where was it? Still pinned to my
shorts.) The ute started first turn of the
key. Back at the road we bailed—packs,
tent, kilt pin, kikoi waving like flags—
took off south, incandescent with our
sense of right, a torrent of women
wronged. That’s not the whole
story but it’s the gist. I’m talking
about two trips, both up north, both
on our wits. I packed the kilt pin, we
unfurled the kikoi to wrap around
us when we swam and, dried, to use
as sheets each night. Sandra talked
of Kenya while we fell to sleep. We
took it in turns lying under the leak.

Credit note: "Kikoi for sleeping in" by Mary McCallum is reproduced by permission of the author and publisher from Mary's collection XYZ of Happiness (Mākaro Press, 2018). For more information and to buy copies of XYZ of Happiness, go to https://makaropress.co.nz/submarine-books-2/xyz-of-happiness-by-mary-mccallum/. The book is available from the website and all good bookstores for the RRP of $25.

Tim says: XYZ of Happiness is a collection I read recently with a great deal of pleasure and admiration. While the nominal theme is 'happiness', there are a whole range of emotions and experiences in play, as the wonderful poem above shows. This is much longer than my usual "Poem of the Month" picks, but "Kikoi for sleeping in" is so good I couldn't resist. Thank you for the opportunity to post this poem, Mary!

Book launch on 5 November in Wellington: Saradha Koirala's new poetry collection "Photos of the Sky"

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 23:06:00 +0000

I'm very flattered that Saradha Koirala has asked me to launch her third poetry collection Photos of the Sky in Wellington on Monday 5 November. Here are the details of the launch. You're invited!

What: Wellington launch of Photos of the Sky by Saradha Koirala, published by The Cuba Press.

When: Monday 5 November 2018, 5.30-7.30pm

Where: The Thistle Inn, 3 Mulgrave St, Thorndon, Wellington

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/261164124590533/

I've followed and posted about Saradha's career as a poet and novelist. Her work ticks all the boxes for me: skill, thought, and heart.

Saradha describes Photos of the Sky as follows on her website:

The collection starts with a declaration; ends in realisation. In between is a journey of reaching across the Tasman, shifting to a new home, reaching a place of disquiet and starting again. The full spectrum of emotions brings with it rain, sweat, tears, wildflowers and the promise of snow.

I'm also very happy to support The Cuba Press - a new Wellington press which is really making moves in a range of genres. They are open for submissions until 1 December - check out their submission guidelines.

With Saradha's permission, here is her poem "Confession, confessed". This serves as an excellent introduction to Photos of the Sky. I hope you can make it to the launch!

Confession, confessed

I’ve been the secret and the secret-keeper
the one from whom the secret is kept.

I’ve been a curiosity of connections that don’t concern me
the cause and effect of all that is curious.

I’ve been right and I’ve been wronged
I’ve been righteously wrong.

I’ve been a cut-out shape where I used to be seen
and I too have cut fleshy shapes from my life.

I’ve been the problem and the solution
the floating object of insomnia, rage

a presence off limits
that has in turn been there for me.

I’ve been the reason and I’ve been the excuse.
I’ve been falsely accused, rightly refused.

I’ve been the obsession
the obsessed.

I had an alibi.
I am the reason you needed an alibi.

Poem of the Month - October: "Into our room", by Trish Harris

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Wed, 03 Oct 2018 02:28:00 +0000

Into our room
clanking and rattling
spinning and whirling
sliding and wheeling
come trolleys
       chairs
       trays
       stretchers
       beds
       drips
       pills
       linen
       basins
       and patients.

Hospitals run
on wheels.

Credit note: This untitled poem by Trish Harris is reproduced by permission of the author from her collection My wide white bed (Landing Press, 2017). For more information and to buy copies of My wide white bed, go to https://landingpress.wordpress.com/upcoming-titles/my-wide-white-bed/ . Books are available from the website and all good bookstores for $22.

Tim says: I would have enjoyed and been moved by the poems in My wide white bed at any time, but it was an especially poignant reading experience for me this year after both my father and I had stints in hospital during 2017 - his, unfortunately, terminal.

My Dad spent the last two weeks of his life in Hutt Hospital, which is the same hospital that provides the closely observed backdrop of Trish's poems. So I can say from personal experience that what Trish Harris describes in this poem, and the confusing mixture of the personal and the impersonal one experiences as a hospital patient or even as a the visitor of a hospital patient, rings very true to life.

Book Review: Keith Westwater, "No One Home"

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:59:00 +0000

Keith Westwater, No One Home (Mākaro Press, Wellington, 2018), RRP $25.00
https://makaropress.co.nz/submarine-books-2/no-one-home-a-boyhood-memoir-in-letters-and-poems-by-keith-westwater

Reviewed by Tim Jones

"No One Home" is exactly what it says on the cover: "a boyhood memoir in letters and poems". But though this blurb is correct, the book is so much more. It's both a moving story of a childhood marred by cruelty and neglect and a very interesting and effective formal experiment in how to construct a memoir through a variety of poetic forms.

To me, a word is worth a thousand pictures. When it comes to a new book of poetry, I tend to take a quick look at the cover, think "that looks nice", and head straight for the bio, the intro, and the poems. But this time round, I paid attention to the form of the book first. Between the boyhood photo on the front cover and the title poem reproduced on the back, there are reproductions of hand-written letters between family members, newspaper clippings, hand-drawn maps and diagrams, family photos, official letters, poems, prose poems, haibun, short non-fiction narratives - and more.

The great thing is that it all fits together so well to tell a story of a young boy's upbringing and effective abandonment in the wastelands of mid-20th-century New Zealand. That narrative ends with the young boy's entry into the Army, and is followed by a brief coda of poems looking back. Keith Westwater's two previous collections are as focused outwards as inwards, but do tell a lot of the story that followed his entry into - and in many ways, rescue by - Army life.

Even better, the words live up to the concept. Such a variety of forms could cause the book to spiral out of control, but the author does a well-controlled job of marrying the words to the form, and conveying the pain of separation and loss, the cruelty of neglect, and the despair of hopes abruptly dashed. "Learning to ride", with its crushing final line, is a fine example of how Keith Westwater conveys this:

... When I came a cropper
skinned my arms or knees

you painted them orange
set me up for another go

until I was able to wobble solo
up and down life’s street.

If only that were so.

It's hard to convey the full flavour of this book in an extract: it deserves to be read in full, and I recommend that you do so.

On Sunday 16 September, hear Tim Jones perform poetry about climate change, his father, himself, and the sea

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 02:27:00 +0000

My father and I disagreed about climate change. But not in the way you might expect...

I'm the guest poet at September's "Poetry at the Fringe" on Sunday September 16, 4-6pm, at the Fringe Bar, 26-32 Allen St, Wellington. The event kicks off with an open mike, then Chris Prosser plays, and then I'll be performing.

In my performance, I'm planning to interleave poems from my latest collection New Sea Land, plus other poems both old and new, to tell a story about climate change, my father, myself, and the sea.

I'd love to see you there - and, whether or not you can make it, please share this event with your networks and your Wellington friends.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/287263775421060/

Rise for Climate on 8 September + Poem of the Month: Standstill

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 03:37:00 +0000

I've been asked to speak and a read a poem at Rise for Climate Wellington this coming Saturday, 8 September. That means the poem needs to be relevant and short! Here's the poem I plan to read:

Standstill

We fight the sea to a standstill, accept the tide’s

offer of negotiations.

Asymmetrical warfare: our fixed positions,

the sea changing its demands twice a day,

but at last we agree: blue lines, green lines,

and in between the contestable beach.

We return to our constituencies

bearing pieces of paper:

ours waving bravely in the airport wind,

the sea’s dissolving even as it speaks.

And what I plan to say is that, on climate change, we're not even at a standstill - we're going backwards. But there is still time to change that, if we act soon, and if we act decisively.

I hope you can make it to the Wellington event, or one in your region.

Rise for Climate, Saturday 8 September

Mark your calendar - on Saturday 8 September find a Rise for Climate event in a city or town near you (or create one!).

Real climate leadership rises from below. It means power in the hands of people not corporations. It means economic opportunity for workers and justice and dignity for frontline communities that are the hardest hit by the impacts of the fossil fuel industry and a warming world.

This September, cities, states, businesses and civil society from around the world are gathering in California for the Global Climate Action Summit. Local leaders are now leading the fight against greenhouse gases as governments drag their feet. We need to achieve: a fast, fair and just transition to 100% renewable energy; an immediate end to new fossil fuel projects; reforestation for carbon absorption; and an end to unsustainable land and water use.

Before the Summit, 350.org are planning thousands of rallies in cities and towns around the world to demand our local leaders take effective climate action and Rise for Climate!

We are at a crossroads. By acting together, we can end the era of fossil fuels and save the climate we all depend on.

What’s happening in Aotearoa?

You are warmly invited to the 350 events in the main centres.

Not near a major city? Why not set up your own event?! 350 Aotearoa can give you heaps of support & helpful resources
– contact Claudia Palmer claudia@350.org.nz

Check the 350 Aotearoa Facebook page for the most up-to-date info in all centres. Links go to their Facebook events.

Auckland 350 is calling on Auckland Museum not to take dirty money from the coal industry. Rally Sat 8 Sept, 10:30am. Auckland Museum A. The Auckland Domain, Parnell, Auckland
Wellington 350 is calling on the City Council not to hire out council–owned conference facilities to the Petroleum Summit. Rally Sat 8 Sept 2:00pm. Civic Square, 101 Wakefield St, Wellington
Nelson 350 is launching a new 350 fossil free action group for Nelson. Rally Sat 8 Sept 12:00pm Church Steps, 45 Selwyn Place, Nelson
Christchurch 350 has 2 events, on Friday and Saturday:
1) Spotlighting Local Climate Leadership – Transitional Cathedral, Friday 7 Sept, 7pm – schools, churches, unions etc
2) Trees for Climate – rally at Victoria Square, Sat 8 Sept, 1-3pm – seedlings, speakers, music….
Dunedin 350 is getting together to celebrate their successes to date and plan the future. Meet Sat 8 Sept at 1pm at the Octagon, Dunedin.

Enjoy! The antidote to despair is taking action together and there are many ways to do this.

Bonsai Wellington Launch, Monday 3 September + Poetry at the Fringe, Sunday 16 September

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 08:56:00 +0000

Two more events for you - I hope you can make it to one or both!

Bonsai Wellington launch - Monday 3 September

Monday 3 September, 6.00pm, The Thistle Inn, 3 Mulgrave St, Thorndon, Wellington.

I have a prose poem and an essay in Bonsai: Best Small Stories from Aotearoa New Zealand, a long-anticipated New Zealand anthology of small fictions (short-short stories) and prose poems - and there are plenty of other Wellington authors represented, too. Come along and hear readings from the book and discussions of the topics raised in the essay.

Wellington launch Facebook event.

Other events in the Bonsai launch tour:

Christchurch, Sunday 2 September - Facebook event page
Auckland, Thursday 6 September - Facebook event page
Whangarei, Wednesday 12 September - Facebook event page

Poetry at the Fringe - Sunday 16 September

I'm the guest poet at September's "Poetry at the Fringe" on Sunday 16 September at the Fringe Bar (26-32 Allen St, Wellington) . The event kicks off with an open mike, then Chris Prosser plays, and then I'll be reading a mix of poems from New Sea Land plus new and previously published poems.

Even if you have heard me read from New Sea Land before, I'm planning to interleave these poems with others to tell a story about my father, myself, climate change, and the sea. It's a format I'm hoping to take on tour in 2019 - this is your chance to help shape it!

I hope to see you there.

National Poetry Day Event: Where The Wild Words Are: Friday 24 August, 1-3.30pm, Wellington Central Library

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 00:41:00 +0000

Poem Of The Month: The Final Lap

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 00:51:00 +0000

Rimutaka Hill. Image credit: Michal Vitásek

Another of my poems has been published on the Talk Wellington blog, which specialises in covering transport and infrastructure issues around the Wellington region. This one describes a car journey I took through the Wairarapa on my way back to Wellington from being the guest reader at a Hawke's Bay Live Poetry Society meeting a few years ago:

The Final Lap

The Wairarapa strings moments on the tracks of afternoon,
accelerations, plains spreading southwards from Pūkaha,
where a solitary ferret stalks the wind.

This is the journey warned against by roadside signs,
long straights developing their own momentum,
desire for home outweighing caution,

eyelids drooping as the land’s horizons widen...

Read the rest of "The Final Lap" at Talk Wellington, or in my latest poetry collection, New Sea Land.

My previous poems on Talk Wellington:

All That Summer

Dominion

But wait ... there's more!

What I've been reading

I've recently completed reading two fine poetry collections, No One Home by Keith Westwater and My Wide White Bed by Trish Harris. I hope to have more about these collections for you soon, but in the meantime, I published Keith's poem Learning to ride as my "Poem of the month" in April.

Coming up

I'll be reading poems from New Sea Land, plus some newer poetry, at these upcoming poetry events:

Friday 24 August, 1-3.30pm: National Poetry Day event, Wellington Central Library. (I'll put up a separate post about this event - which features poets published by three local presses.)

Sunday 16 September, 4-6pm, Fringe Bar, 26-32 Allen St, Wellington: I'm the guest reader at the monthly Fringe Bar reading

Saturday 27 October and Sunday 28 October: East-West Poetry Fest, Palmerston North City Library.

Poems of the Month - May and June: Two by Tim on Talk Wellington: "All That Summer" and "Dominion"

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Jones) — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 01:27:00 +0000

Talk Wellington: Kōrero Shaping Wellington was set up in 2017 to be a blog focusing on many aspects of life in the Wellington region, but with an emphasis on geography, climate change, urban design and transport. This year, their focus is on transport:

Region-wide, 2018 is a big year for transport.

So this year Talk Wellington is focussing on how transport is influencing people’s quality of life – from our streets, neighbourhoods, suburbs, to our towns and region.

One of the varieties of kōrero on the site is poetry, and Talk Wellington has been kind enough to carry a couple of my poems with a climate change and transport focus recently: "All That Summer" and "Dominion". You can read them both in full on the site, and then stay for all the other interesting comment Talk Wellington has to offer.

All That Summer

There’s a lot of great kōrero in Wellington about climate change, but what could happen if that talk doesn’t translate to action? This Friday poem is a portal into our city’s future.

All That Summer

Dominion

How cars take our souls as well as our lives.

Dominion

Credit note - and where you can find more poems on similar themes:

From Tim Jones’s latest poetry collection New Sea Land (Mākaro Press, 2016): https://makaropress.co.nz/submarine-books-2/new-sea-land-by-tim-jones/