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REVIEW: Poetry Reading by Gail Hennessey & Magdalena Ball
Submitted by culturehunter-info on 28 July 2010 - 2:48am
It may be indicative of the status of poets in Newcastle that the audience was clustered onto a strip of cold, wet pavement next to a noisy Australia Post van during this reading. The situation was, however, in no way reflective of the quality of the work. Both poets provided interesting and engaging poetry moments although in very different styles. It is hard to imagine that two such divergent styles would be showcased together in the altogether more profitable world of prose but poets must make do apparently.
Gail Hennessey has produced, in “Witnessing”, a collection of poetry that spans over 30 years and is a life’s testimony. The poems are intensely personal and often very moving. “Pink Ribbons”, an expression of hope and despair about breast cancer, and “Alpha”, a vivid recollection of a nervous breakdown, are almost too intimate to share. This is a collection to dip in and out of, to read alone and perhaps cry over, and finally to share with friends the powerful female experiences that Hennessey relates with such facility. It is the simple power of the words that remain after Hennessey stops reading, the poignancy and the final appeal against a death sentence that haunt the listener.
In another world entirely, Magdalena Ball’s work, “Repulsion Thrust” is a collection of poetry on the theme of science. Ball is fascinated with science (she works with scientists and obviously loves the language of science) and with the possibilities of the future. Much of the work is dark in theme and the moments that include a personal element seem somehow jarring. Or perhaps it is just that she is reading after Hennessey has touched and moved us so. Ball is a prolific writer, including a prose novel, and a host of a radio show and website related to reading. The poems she reads to us are full of clever words, the multiple syllables have a cadence all their own that is truly musical. “Polyglot” – a poem that is full of lovely long words – ends with the phrase “language slides to extinction”. It is hard to imagine this happening while Ball continues to contribute.
Both these poetry collections are available at Angus & Robertson in Hunter St, Newcastle as well as at the Newcastle City Library.
Poetry Reading Event: Organised by Magdalena Ball and held at Angus & Robertson on 27/07/2010
Review by: C. Clark
