Taken at the launch of Ken Bolton's latest collection of poetry, A Whistled Bit of Bop (Vagabond Press) at The Rose Hotel, Chippendale on April 18. Kurt Brereton (left) did the launch, a revenant Apollinaire replete with bandaged head cued by the dadaist/constructivist typography of Chris Edwards's smart cover for the book. Ken (second from right) read selections with a wry/dry appeal, and when he said he was glad to be back in Sydney again we loved him even more.
On the far right, Rae Desmond-Jones, avatar punk poet editor of the 1970's poetry magazine Your Friendly Fascist and organiser of the Wollongong Poets' Ball of 1979, possibly the only occasion of public copulation at a poetry event in Australia.
Laurie Duggan has referred to the event in an earlier post. Other poets I remember at the Ball are Dorothy Hewett, Dorothy Porter, Joanne Burns, Nigel Roberts, Philip Roberts and PiO. I'm sure there were others. And there were lots of non-poets (thank you). Maybe you remember more .
The +1 is Alan Wearne (second left), renowned deep poet of the shallows and outspoken protector of the poetic flame. As far as I know he had no direct association with the Coalcliff days, living in Melbourne at that time. Today, he teaches at Wollongong University, a good excuse to be aboard this virtual caravan of pilgrims.
