POETRY COLLECTION
A POETIC DISTILLATION ART WORK IN MIXED MEDIA
TWILIGHT POETRY LAUNCH FLYER
Q & A NOTICE FOR SLIDER
MY EVENTS GALLERY
CAT'S WORKSHOP
JANE HARPER
SIGNING BOOKS AT GALLERY M
THANK YOU ANDY, SIMONE, ANNIE AND AMEN FOR HELPING ME CELEBRATE MY FIRST BOOK LAUNCH




THANK YOU ANDY, SIMONE, ANNIE AND AMEN
FOR HELPING ME CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH OF MY FIRST
TWO BOOKS!
CELEBRATING MY FIRST BOOK LAUCH

















CELEBRATING MY BOOK LAUNCH
WITH MY BEAUTIFUL OLD SCHOLARS
SHORTS
BUBBLE
HOMERIC ODYSSEY
POETIC MEMES
Poetic Meme
POETIC MEME #1
We need freedom to express our view,
but freedom comes with responsiblity too.
We must be prepared to enter into genuine debate,
rather than use it as propaganda to incite prejudice and hate.
Poetic Meme
Poetic Meme #4
Friendship is like slipping on an old comfortable jacket
and finding all kinds of forgotten things in the pocket.
Suddenly, your memory grows wings
and your heart lifts up its weary head and silently sings.
Poetic Meme
POETIC MEME #8
Life, for most of us, has a desired arc.
There's an inherit yearning to leave your mark,
leading to the hunger to do something dashingly heroic.
Failing that, we might adopt the mien of the ancient stoic
in the hope of appearing worthy of admiration
to gullible citizens of our great Aussie nation.
 
POETIC DISTILLATIONS
20240501_100945
Poetic Distillation
POETIC DISTILLATION
The latest obsession in our privileged nation
is to compete for the title of greatest victimization.
Poetic Distillation
POETIC DISTILLATION

Boredom is walking blindly through the solid black night,
unable to imagine the possibility of light.
Poetic Distillation
POETIC DISTILLATION

Equality, Fraternity and Liberty are grand ideals worth fighting for
but dying for the undeserving is a lesson in love worth so much more.
Poetic Distillation
POETIC DISTILLATION
Shakespeare taught us that the greatest tragedy of all
is to be the one responsible for our own downfall.
Poetic Distillation
POETIC DISTILLATION
The media is a street-smart tart who knows the score;
love and harmony doesn't sell as well as discord and war.
Poetic Distillations
POETIC DISTILLATION
Feel the powerful silence of a sunlit morning,
swelling with the secrets of a new day dawing.
MEMO TO SELF
Memo to Self
MEMO TO SELF #11
Embrace the day -
sunshine or sadness,
grief or gladness -
don't wish it away.
Memo to Self
MEMO TO SELF #7
What is planted in the soil of my soul
and what can I do to make these gifts grow?
And what of the weeds that strangle and choke
these tender young shoots, the gifts of God's hope.
God has given me the garden, the rake and the hoe;
I must tackle the weeds, so that each gift can grow.
Memo to Self
MEMO TO SELF #2
Never forget that beauty, true beauty,
that illumines and nurtures you,
holds within it pain, disappointment
and turbulent reflection that will
take you down into deep, dark waters
before burning lungs bring you
to the surface, gasping for life,
ready to strike out for the shore
and begin your journey again.
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Welcome to

Benedictus Publishing

Hello Everyone,

Have you ever been to Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens? It has been many years since our family visited and I really wonder why it has taken me so long to go back there. What a spectacular park it is. Admittedly, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to places of great natural beauty in our state and nation, but it is so easy to get caught up in the business of life in the suburbs and not take the time to venture into the great outdoors.

One of the most appealing aspects of these gardens is that they are only a thirty-minute drive from my house. Thirty minutes and your life is transformed! Even as you wend your way up to the entrance, you can feel the weight of the world and its turmoil lighten. You can smell the eucalypts. I was even fortunate enough to see two kangaroos grazing near the car park. I was enchanted when they let me come close enough to take photos. I am convinced that nothing I could buy or do in this world, could rival the delight of spending time in the natural world. And here you have that irresistible combination of the joy of nature and the careful cultivation of those who love the natural environment and want to preserve it and care for it.

I spent a few hours rambling through the bush and writing poetry — my idea of heaven! Let’s face it, walking through these gardens is guaranteed to turn your thoughts to an extraordinary, creative God and the way he has gifted us with an environment that serves us and deserves our devoted stewardship in return.

It was my privilege and pleasure to be part of a cross-curricula day of outdoor learning with Sunrise Christian School, Marion, and that is what took me up the hill to this oasis of beauty. My role was to encourage the students to write poetry stimulated by the environment, but looking beyond it to the lessons in life that we can learn as we observe nature. On the day I drove up to prepare for the workshops, I wrote at least half a dozen drafts and still have more on the backburner, waiting for me to sit quietly, look at my photos, and see what thoughts begin to meander through my mind. I will share one of the poems based on the charred, black trunks and new growth I observed that led me down a philosophical path.

INSPIRED BY CHARRED TRUNKS AND NEW GROWTH AT MT LOFTY BOTANIC GARDENS

 

I wanted my young poets to let the bush speak to them and take them on a journey. Sometimes, nature will be a catalyst for thoughts that send you diving into social and historical documents, as it did in the case of my poem, ‘The Casuarina is King.’ That stunning casuarina took me back to our first arrivals and to the pioneers that came after them. I chose to give the casuarina a voice. To let it tell its own history.

ONE OF THE STUNNING SIGHTS AT MT LOFTY BOTANIC GARDENS

Those two days were just the refreshment I needed, as I completed the manuscript for my new poetry collection. Give yourself a treat. Take a drive up Mt Lofty and be reminded that we live in a wondrous world that can lift our spirits and renew our minds when we pay attention to its staggering beauty. I have a small plaque in my kitchen that says:

‘If you want to feel rich, just count all the gifts you have that money can’t buy.’

Surely, nature is the foremost of those gifts!

My very best wishes,

Julie

Written over years of a life lived in both the city and country, and as an ex-pat Australian in Italy and Thailand, this collection of poems covers a range of forms and subjects. Similarly, a wide range of poetic devices are employed to capture the thoughts and emotions being conveyed. There are 190 poems altogether, organised into nine categories: Cognectivities, Conversations, Crosshatchings, Suburbia, Epiphanies, Memography, Memos to Self, Poetic Memes and Poetic Distillations. I hope you will enjoy the neologisms and the new poetic forms and be both moved and challenged by the ideas being explored.
Yes! As the name suggests, this is a text book that celebrates life and language from multiple perspectives. Besides aiming to impart pleasure, this book has been designed for middle school students to acquire a greater appreciation of poetry through being able to identify the poetic forms and devices used. The tasks have been devised to employ a wide range of thinking skills from Bloom’s Taxonomy and Marzano and Kendall’s Four Levels of Cognitive Processes. They will build mastery in analysing the subject matter, recognising each poet’s perspective, and being able to articulate the intended effect of the poetic devices on the reader. Moreover, there will be opportunities to discuss the students’ understanding and apply the knowledge they have gained in the challenging writing tasks included in each unit.

Freeing the poetic sea stirring within me

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