On Sunday, 20th September, OOTA poets took their place in the Perth Poetry Festival through an afternoon of reading. The title of the session was When Things Change. Since March, we have been living in a state of change. Our freedoms have been irrevocably curtailed, our connections with others have become markedly important. Kindness has emerged alongside neglect and gained status where once we were simply too busy to think about it. Covid has impacted on families, states and countries, it has separated people and brought them together.
When things change is when we take stock, think about our lives, think about others and perhaps discover what is really important. The OOTA writer’s group came together today to explore ideas and emotions about what happens when things change in their poetry.
The poets reading included:
Jackson, Rita Tognini, Yvonne Patterson, Laurie Smith, Rose van Son, Kevin Gillam, Gail Willems, Fran graham, Vivienne Glance and Tineke van der Ecken. Their poems ranged over many subjects to do with change, from the environment to the passing of time. The quality of the writing was excellent and demonstrated the fine talent embedded in the OOTA community.
Emily Mills MC’d the event with panache and displayed obvious enjoyment at the richness of language to be heard in the sound of poetry being read.
Veronica Lake
OOTA Chairperson
The photographs
Jackson Emily Mills(MC) Rita Tognini
Rita Tognini Yvonne Patterson Rose van Son
Kevin Gillam Gail Willems Fran Graham
Tineke van der Eecken
