Cirrus@Austlit

First, the good news

Around exam time in 1982, late October or early November (it's hard to have assessment of hundreds of students papers on your mind, and the dole queue immediately following your contract's expiry) Barry Sergeant, Elias Levin, and other young writers and poets around the University of New England suggested over a beer or three in the Bistro that it would be a good idea to stage a reading by poets from the country, at the 1983 Festival of Sydney. The time was drawing near, and a hurried phone call and letter to John Moulton, the Festival's coordinator, brought the response 'Interested, very, but it's a little late; maybe the following Festival?" This was sufficient incentive to practise organizing writers all over the northwest and northeast of New South Wales for 1983, and to have some warm-up readings. After all, Armidale hardly lacks people who are, or who think they could be, poets. Over the past three years especially, links have been established with poets around Tamworth, Lismore, Bellingen, Byron Bay and elsewhere. It seemed a great idea to show Sydney people what sorts of talents were scattered about the hinterland and back-blocks. An active publishing scene has also established itself in Armidale through the efforts of Tony Bennett (Kardoorair Press), Don Gentle (Tap Danz Press), and Winifred Belmont and Michael Sharkey (Fat Possum Press), by way of displaying who's in locations alternative to the Sydney and Melbourne groups, and to the poets with national names who occasionally visit Armidale from Brisbane and other capitals. Armidale has a monthly poetry reading at the Wicklow Hotel, and many other regular readings besides the large event at the university's May vacation school. But enthusiasm isn't everything. Now read on.' (Introduction)