Rhyming The Dead poetry series

"Forgetting for a moment the dangerous imprecisions of the spirit." 

                                                       Bella Li from Rimbaud in Africa 

This new poetry series from the Red Room Company, in collaboration with several community radio stations and the CBAA, features 10 living Australian poets who have been commissioned to write poems for and about a dead poet of their choosing.

Accompanying the new poems will be interviews with each poet, investigating how and why the poets they select have impacted on their writing lives.

With a broadcast release exclusively through the Community Radio Network, this series will make a great addition to your station's line-up, whether within current magazine programming or as standalone content.

"Recording with the ten poets for Rhyming the Dead has been a pleasure and privilege for me. Hearing the new poems has been wonderful, but even better for me has been listening to the personal stories of how these poets-now-passed have influenced each writer. The breadth of different voices and styles of writing is something that really drew me to this project, with poets from all over the country reflecting on people as diverse as Judith Wright, Rimbaud and Tupac" says producer Maisie Cohen. 

Each of our poets has chosen to converse with another whose life and death has profoundly influenced their writing. 

Episode One - Secrets for Living - 7/10/15 - Extras 2 at 14:04 EDT

Judith Rodriguez (Oodgeroo Noonuccal)
Renee Pettitt-Schipp (Judith Wright)

In this episode, Renee Pettitt-Schipp (WA) reads work inspired by celebrated poet Judith Wright (QLD), and Judith Rodriguez (VIC) discusses her reflection on Aboriginal poet and activist Oodgeroo Noonuccal (QLD).

Episode Two - Emotions are not Hawaiian shirts - 14/10/15
Fiona Britton (Dorothy Porter)
Aden Rolfe (John Forbes)

In this episode, Sydney-based poets Fiona Britton (NSW) and Aden Rolfe (VIC) introduce us to John Forbes (VIC) and Dorothy Porter (VIC), who sadly died at the ages of 47 and 54, while they were still at the height of their creative endeavours.

Episode Three - Chalk is Falling - 21/10/15
Bella Li (Arthur Rimbaud)
Jakob Ziguras (Stanisław Barańczak)

In this episode, we’re packing up and heading overseas, as we hear new poems from Jakob Ziguras (NSW) inspired by the prolific poet and translator Stanislaw Baranczak (Poland). And Bella Li (VIC) leads us through her response to the tenacious teenage poet of the late 19th century, Arthur Rimbaud (France). 

Episode Four - Hands Disappear Into Wood - 28/10/15
Melody Paloma (Jennifer Rankin)
Sam Wagan Watson (Martin Harrison)

In this episode, Sam Wagan Watson (QLD) responds to Martin Harrison (NSW) and Melody Paloma (Vic) responds to Jennifer Rankin (NSW).

Episode Five - The Eyes of Those Who Came Before - 4/11/15
Abe Nouk (Maya Angelou)
Celestine Rowe (Tupac)

In this episode, Abe Nouk (Vic) responds to Maya Angelou (USA) and Celestine Rowe (SA) responds to Tupac Shakur (USA). To conclude, we re-cap some of our favourite poems from the series so far.

For CRN subscribers:

• Rhyming the Dead is being broadcast/distributed by CRN in Extras 2 in five parts, on Wednesdays from 7 October 2015, and will be available for DDN capture
• Download links available by emailing [email protected]
• Download a 30 second audio promo here.
• Program website
• For more information contact CRN staff on 02 9310 2999 or email [email protected].

Not a CRN subscriber, but want to find out more about getting content like this for your station? Read more here.