Christchurch – Tim Jones

I’ve spent much of the last two days in Wellington thinking about and trying to get in touch with people who live in Christchurch in the wake of Tuesday lunchtime’s severe earthquake and the extensive death and destruction it has caused. There are many writer friends whose whereabouts and welfare has only gradually become known – and all the news I have had so far about these friends has been good, at least when it comes to their safety.

Most of my effort has gone into trying to find my Dad and step-mum, in collaboration with my step-sisters. With landlines down, it’s been a trek across multiple media to find them, but I was finally able to talk with them at 10pm on Wednesday. It is such a relief to hear that they are OK, that they have got off relatively lightly so far, and that they have been able to help less fortunate neighbours.

But that doesn’t lessen my sadness at the devastation elsewhere in the city. No poems have come to mind in the wake of the earthquake, but rather a song. Bruce Springsteen wrote it in 2000 about the decline of his old stamping ground of Asbury Park, New Jersey, but it subsequently became associated with the aftermath of the September 2001 attacks on New York. Song lyrics don’t often stand up by themselves, but I think these ones do. The song begins:

There is a blood red circle
On the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down
The church door’s thrown open
I can hear the organ’s song
But the congregation’s gone

You can read the rest here: http://brucespringsteen.net/songs/MyCityOfRuins.html

Though I can scarcely claim Christchurch to be “my” city of ruins, it was the first place my family lived when we moved to New Zealand.

My hopes, thoughts and prayers continue to be with the residents of Christchurch and the surroundings towns, and those who are helping them.

UPDATE: This is reposted from Anna Caro’s blog and Cassie Hart’s blog:

Tales For Canterbury

Christchurch, New Zealand, and the wider Canterbury region, was rocked yesterday (22.2.11) by another round of serious earthquakes. This time they struck during the middle of the day causing more devastation, and loss of life, to a city still trying to pick up the pieces from last September’s quakes.

In an attempt to do something, anything, to make a difference, we are putting together an anthology of short stories loosely themed around survival, hope and the future. All profits of this anthology will be donated to the Red Cross Earthquake Appeal, or another registered charity aimed at aiding those in need in Canterbury.

The purpose of this Anthology is two-fold—to help financially, but also, we hope, to provide entertainment and alleviation in a time of crisis. We hope that our words will help make a difference.

We have already begun to approach authors, and the response is encouraging. Mainly due to time pressures, this anthology will be by invitation. However, if you are an established writer, and keen to contribute, please feel free to get in touch with us at just.cassie.hart (at) gmail.com. We are looking for stories between 1,500 and 5,000 words, of fairly upbeat nature in the general, literary, science fiction or fantasy genres.

Feel free to repost this and get the word out!

UPDATE 27/02/11

The anthology has now closed to unsolicited contributions, and it has a website for more information: Tales For Canterbury.

I had a great time reading poetry at Palmerston North City Library, as part of the Stand Up Poetry series (forthcoming readers in that series: Glenn Colquhoun, Harvey Molloy, Helen Heath), a week ago. I enjoyed the open mike session that preceded my reading, I was happy with my own performance, the feedback was good, and I sold plenty of my books. Earlier this year, I had an equally good time reading in Christchurch (despite a heavy cold).

But that hasn’t always been the case. I’ve done readings where the crowd was small, unresponsive, and discinclined to buy my books or any other part of the deal – readings that left me wondering “what am I doing here?”

And if readings are important, especially to poets and small-press authors, launches are even more so. Sales at a launch can make or break the financial success of a poetry book; besides which, the launch is a ritual which marks the entry of your book into the world.

I’ve been at launches where people were queuing to buy the books from the sales table, such as the launch for Helen Rickerby‘s second book of poetry, My Iron Spine, last year. I’ve been at others where the author sits, embarrassed, behind the sales and signing table, while the audience slink, just as embarrassedly, towards the exit.

Why? What makes some launches and readings a great experience for everyone involved, and others a depressing and often humiliating failure?

I wish I knew, because then I could bottle the formula. But here’s a few thoughts on what makes a good book event:

Warmth! If it’s a welcoming temperature at the event and cold outside, participants won’t want to leave.
A friendly, inclusive atmosphere. Literary cliques, leave your affiliations at the door. Everyone should feel free to mingle, or not mingle if they prefer.
The most likely people to buy your book at a launch are friends and colleagues, so make sure you invite them, encourage them to come, and be nice to them when they turn up.
This is a tough one, since it’s hard to predict numbers – but it’s good to have a space where there’s enough room for people to move around, but not so much that they feel isolated.
The ideal sales table/area has room for a face-out display of the book(s) for sale; it’s also best if it’s somewhere where it’s always in easy view, rather than being tucked away in the back of the room where people have to make a special effort to find it.
If you’re in charge of book sales, make sure you bring plenty of change, and, if you can manage it, an EFTPOS machine.
At a launch, don’t wait too long before starting, keep the speeches short (something Harvey Molloy did very well at the launch of Moonshot). Don’t don’t rush people out after the formal part of the launch finishes – encourage them to linger and talk. Food and drink help!
Promote the event every which way you can, without spamming people.

Every reading I’ve done has been a different length and in different circumstances, but I’m finding that what works best for me is to embed the poems in a loose narrative -starting with some autobiographical poems, and then going on to others that are united by theme. That approach makes me more relaxed, and seems to make the audience more relaxed as well.

While I do include some serious poems, I generally make sure to start with shorter and simpler poems, sprinkle the reading with humour, and end with a couple of poems that have plenty of energy. That way, everyone finishes on a high.

I might apply this approach to the next reading I do and fall flat on my face – but I hope not.

What works for you (as a writer or as a guest) at book launches and readings?

Tag: Christchurch

My City Of Ruins / Tales For Canterbury

What Makes a Good Book Launch? What Makes a Good Reading?