funny how
on not being a brand
Had to write a blurb about myself – a bio – for Queensland Poetry Festival. Oh, the horror. Describing oneself & talking about one’s work… is there anything yukkier. I hammered out a couple hundred words, only to discover I had been too verbose (who whuddha thunk?) and they needed a brief 100 words for the website & for the programme, an even briefer 25.
25 words! There is a reason I suck at Twitter. The deadline was rife. In a crowded wifi cafe I pulled something out from under my hat and I feel so boastful about it. Whaddaya think?
100 WORDS: “2014 sees two new releases from Cathoel. Her new poetry collection is hailed by Robert Adamson as the work of ‘a born poet.’ The debut album of Cathoel & the New Government was recorded in New York, Melbourne, and at home, by a collective of twenty-eight jazz, folk, and funk musicians. 50s impresario Bob ‘King’ Crawford on first hearing Hey, Big Splendour said, ‘In my opinion you will be one of the greatest artists this country has produced.’ Even fresher new work can be found at houseoflovers.com.”
25 WORDS (woot!): “Cathoel writes poetry and jazz. Robert Adamson says, ‘a born poet.’ Overland journal call her ‘a first-rate artist at work.'”
9 comments on “on not being a brand”
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“I am an insightful, warrior goddess who distils the essence of my life encounters and turn them into poems and stories to inspire others.” 24 words.
My god, I just burst into tears in a cafe. Thank you Brendan.
Spot on Brendan, that is our Cathoel whose words adorn the length and breadth of our island continent, and in fact globally- as shown by her recent ‘in the now’ Euro musings………….
“i am a tree whose branches’ leaves left to find places where faces would read from me” – 17.
great job Cathoel :) not an easy task!
Reading Cathoel is like practicing Mountain asana in the chaos vortex of contemporary city existence
aha Jennifer drink in the pranayama whilst in that effective Mountain asana…..from reading Cathoel
My poems come out of my experience in and feeling for the world and I hope become part of the world’s experience. (22 words)
“I am your Queen, and here at last.” 8 words.