Blue Fringe Arts History

BLUE FRINGE LITERATURE AWARDS 09

This year saw a change of venue from the opulence of the Carrington, over the tracks to the pragmatic headquarters of the Blue Mountains City Council Chambers. From the moment one stepped from the lift, they were met by the delicate renditions of Liz Murray who later confessed she could have played well into the night!

We filed into the conference room indicatively resplendent in deep blue, strange in its Royal Commission décor…and after a round of acapella for the sole sake of the soul by the Sublime sisters which was as their conductress prompted sublime! We were moved when our welcome to country by Aunty Val Aurisch of the Darug people and her nephew David King of the Gundungarra nation welcomed us to Country. David went beyond the call of duty and spoke in the language of empathy relaying his own struggle with creativity in view of his being from such a strong sporting father. His message was GO FOR IT GUYS! There is nothing more awesome than those of us who pursue our true selves

The first treat of poetry came from the lines of a work that satirized madness, intellectualism and poetry herself in good lyrical form. We heard a diverse range of poems, ranging from short tokens on the lovely miracle of nature to heart rendering wrestles with inner conflict and the will to create. Peter Bishop put it succinctly borrowing a pearl from a dear friend…my abuser poured pain without responsibility…he made mention of this following a poem of his hand, concerning the birth of his most recent grandchild…an attempt to reclaim purity from pain. The most spectacular poet upon the eye was Peter Halmos…adorned ink a special number woven from his own keep needle and thread for the event…chiffon - techno coloured - with pied piper air and Hungarian accent playing his refrain from his poem Universal S???????...if I kicked into a stone that was the way I went. Many pieces had to be read via proxy and who better to read some of these than our dear Kasia who reads with such pulse and poise with her spirit electric flowing over the audience and back to the podium.

The main prizes went to Peter Hall for The Last Taste of Orange … its most poignant line is the scent of burnt toast … a small icon of living in the face of dying. Nikki Read scooped the short story section with The Crab. An autobiographic attempt to capture inclusion, reverie and exclusion felt in the company of loved ones. Her talent has the depth of marrow and the much needed sinew to bridge the page and the reader. Highly commended went to Gypsy Jone for her short story Piano Lessons for Elephants a take on the loss of old friends through new gains. Kasia Olszewski for her spiralling poem In Wonderment. Garth Julian Tohmas’ short piece titled Hospital. We were thrilled to have seven newcomers inducted into our Varuna Writers Group, though almost all were somehow absent from the roll call. We would like to thank all our judges … Julie Gittus, Helen Barnes-Bulley and Blue Fringe committee for their tireless work and special dedication goes out to our typist Pat Jennings who could not share in person the fruit of her loving labours due to nursing a bug.

In summing up – our innovative poet / philosopher Andrew Simons expressed the night in a germ of truth “…Poets need to learn they are the cork in a champagne bottle, an integral part of the evening’s activities then deposited somewhere in the garden…’

After all the fanfare poets/writers brandishing our dainty orchids, we all went back to our various corners to speak and feast on ambrosia’s Table. All sated for three more seasons to elapse and then the next cherished recital of a collective life endured.

Garth MAY 2009