Author: | Nola | Published: | over 7 years ago |
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Tags: | poetry, Adele Jones, anthology, oppression, abuse, hope, empowerment, Smita Sahay, women, social justice, Charles Adès Fishman, Mazzy Adams | Category: | Blog tour |
The evening of 16 December 2012 started out well for 23-year-old Jyoti Singh and her male companion Awindra Pratap Pandey. They went to the movies to watch The Life of Pi and then boarded a private charter bus in South Delhi for the journey home. However, things quickly took a sinister turn. Awindra was knocked unconscious and Jyoti was savagely beaten, raped and tortured by the other six men on the bus. Awindra survived, but Jyoti tragically died from her injuries 13 days later.
This incident created an uproar in India and around the world. Protests led to a re-examination of laws to help female victims of sexual assault and other violent crimes. However, the sad fact is that many women and men still suffer from abuse and oppression. What can be done to create awareness of these issues and seek positive change?
Poets Charles Adès Fishman (United States) and Smita Sahay (India) decided to collaborate on an international anthology of poetry to highlight the oppression and empowerment of women. The result is the landmark book Veils, Halos and Shackles, published by Kasva Press in Israel.
The 555-page book contains over 250 poems from more than 180 poets in dozens of countries. A unique feature of the book is that it also includes statements by each poet regarding the stories behind their poems. For some this was a highly personal endeavour, as they shared about their own experiences of abuse. For others, it was a chance to stand in solidarity with their sisters and brothers.
The book has received excellent reviews and can be purchased from Amazon as a print book or e-book.
I’m fortunate to have my poem Petals in the anthology. A number of my friends have been physically or sexually abused. While those experiences were certainly traumatic for them, I’ve also seen a resilience in those friends as they’ve reached out to help others. My poem reflects the hope that some good can come out of the most tragic of circumstances. You can read the poem here.
My close friends and writing colleagues Adele Jones and Cathie Sercombe (now writing as Mazzy Adams) also have poems in the anthology. On Saturday 8 October 2016 , the three of us will be doing an online launch of Veils, Halos and Shackles on Facebook. The launch will be held from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time). If you log on to the events page during that time, you’ll have the opportunity to join in some interesting discussions, listen to podcasts, watch visual presentations and enter up to six competitions with prizes including books, a gift voucher, a beautiful metallic bookmark and an hour of editing services. Some of those competitions will be extended into the next day, so you can still log on and contribute after the official close of the launch.
In the lead-up to the event, Adele and Cathie will also be blogging about their contributions. Adele’s blog will appear on her website on Monday 3 October and Cathie’s blog will appear on her Mazzy Adams website on Wednesday 5 October.
In the meantime, I’m going to kick off the first competition. The prize is one hour of free editing services from The Write Flourish, (e.g. critiquing, editing or proofreading). This can be taken as a one-off job of one hour or as the first free hour of a longer job. It is available to Australian and overseas participants. If you win and can’t use the service yourself, you can transfer it to another person. The competition starts on 30 September 2016 and continues until midnight on Sunday 9 October (AEST).
In order to enter the competition, think of a protest poem or protest song that has resonated with you in some way (e.g. touched you personally, raised your awareness about an issue, prompted you to action etc). Then find a web link that includes the poem or a YouTube clip for the song and post the link and a few words about your choice in the comments below. If you haven’t posted a comment on this blog site before, you’ll have to first sign up to give your email address and username. These are not used for any purpose other than to give you access to the site. The winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries (i.e. those that follow the instructions).
Please join us on 8 October to help raise awareness of this worthy cause. Sometimes we can feel powerless to bring about change. But if we work together, anything is possible.
Comments read 14 comments
I'll start the ball rolling. One of my favourite protest poems is 'The Cry of the Children' by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. It was written in the 1800s to raise awareness of the plight of children working in the mines in England. The poem is credited with helping to change attitudes. Not long after its publication, reforms were introduced. You can read the poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/43725
Looking forward to the launch and to following up with my blog post next Wednesday. Now, although I'm not eligible for the competition, I found myself thinking of two songs: Big Yellow Taxi (... pave paradise, put up a parking lot) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=94bdMSCdw20&vidve=5727&autoplay=1 and Smiley (...you're off to the Asian war, and we won't see you smile no more ...) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3__s39V3mYE but here's a link to a poem that really touched me the first time I read it: http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/noonuccal-oodgeroo/assimilation-no-0719019.
Thanks for that Mazzy. Big Yellow Taxi and Smiley are favourites of mine. I remember liking Smiley as a child, not fully appreciating that it was about the Vietnam War. I hadn't come across that poem by Oodgeroo Noonuccal before. It's powerful. Thanks for sharing.
Great project, Nola, and great that you, Adele and Mazzy were included.
When I was in a covers band, we'd often sing Big Yellow Taxi but the one that moved me almost every time I sang it was Redgum's I Was Only 19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urtiyp-G6jY.
It had more impact than the more frequently requested Khe Sanh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTjvG4WJD_A.
All the best with the event! :)
Thanks Simon. I love both of those songs. I remember seeing Redgum playing 'I Was Only 19' live at Environfest at Samford back in the 80s. I think that song really raised people's awareness of the plight of returning Vietnam veterans. I like Khe Sanh as well, but the Redgum song moves me every time. Great choice.
Thanks for sharing the confronting catalyst to such a powerful project, Nola. Though ineligible for the competition, I was thinking of the song or poem that most moved me or raised awareness of an injustice. As my brain was tracking back over the years, something very recent came to mind. It was a song by Kelly Clarkson called 'Piece by Piece'. I heard it featured on a radio show once and it reduced me to tears for the plight of children who are abandoned by their fathers (or either parent for that matter), never receiving the validation and love they crave; need. This is perhaps a passive type of wronging, but the consequences are heartbreaking and devastating long term. The beauty of this song is it's not just about abandonment and rejection, it also tells the story of how, for one young girl who felt betrayed and unloved by her father, one good man was willing to stand up and love her unconditionally, not use her, never leave, and 'piece by piece' rebuild the fragments of her shattered heart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=223&v=LqCqYP7hDWI
Thanks for that, Adele. I haven't heard that song before, so will have a listen. Thanks for explaining the story behind it. It's amazing what the power of unconditional love can do. I'm sure many others would have been touched by that song. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I am posting a link to Midnight Oil's Beds are Burning http://youtu.be/ejorQVy3m8E
I travelled through the Kimberley in the late '70s doing pottery workshops in remote communities such as Lombadina, One Arm Point, Halls Creek, and Fitzroy Crossing to name a few. I saw first hand the suffering and trauma among our Indigenous people and also shared love and fellowship with many families. We stayed in the homes of school teachers, community leaders and mission families. I climbed mango trees with kids, picked berries with women and fell in love with a soft and gentle people who gave me much to think about. This song makes me want to dance, then get into the car and head north again! Enjoy.
Thanks for that, JJ. That's a great song. I remember so many Midnight Oil songs from the 80s. Great for raising social consciousness. Your trips throughout those indigenous communities sound amazing. One of my favourite indigenous songs is one about the stolen generations by Tiddas. I'm not sure of the name of the song, but it has the line 'Who's My Family?'. Powerful. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Nola - exciting to have the launch of Veils, Halos and Shackles so soon. I've looking forward to dipping into it, though I'm thinking it could be harrowing at times.
What protest song do that resonated with me - I think Bob Dylan's 'Blowing in the Wind' for the music and the lyrics - a protest against war and injustice maybe summed up by this line
'Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?'
That could apply to a lot of things - and to women as much as men.
Thanks Jeanette. That song certainly is a classic. So simple and yet so powerful. That line could apply to every social issue I'm sure. Bob Dylan has written so many great protest songs over the years. Good choice.
I'm so glad this book has come about, and I cannot wait to receive my copy from Amazon.
My all time favourite song is "Because of You" ~ Kelly Clarkson. It brings tears to my eyes Everytime I hear it. I haven't heard of "Piece by Piece" but I'll have a listen tomorrow sometime. I already posted on the event, but I really wanted to get on here to say "oh my goodness, why haven't I visited this blog more"? I've discovered all your old writing tips Nola, and I'll be slowly working my way through them all.
Hi Jo'Anne - Thanks for posting that link. Will have to listen to it. When you mentioned a song by Kelly Clarkson earlier, I was thinking that it was the same one Adele mentioned. Will have to listen to both songs.
And thanks for your comment re the blog. I was posting writing tips every week for a while, but have been having a break to concentrate on my own writing. But will have to get cracking on the blog again after the conference. Thanks for the encouragement :)
Hi everyone - Thanks for all of your comments. There were certainly some great songs and poems mentioned. I've now done the random draw for the prize, using a random number generator based on the order of comments. I'm pleased to announce that the winner of the one hour of free editing services is JJ Hicks. I'll email you in the next couple of days regarding your prize :)
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