When not writing poetry
Extract from The Park, Kookie Issue 8
Just letting readers of Magic Fish Dreaming, and this blog know to check out this beautiful publication Kookie.
Magic Fish Dreaming Gifted to Inuit Storyteller
Some special news!
So lovely to hear of Magic Fish Dreaming’s international journey.
Here it is in Canada where a friend of mine gave it to Michael Kusaygak a well known Inuit author/storyteller of children’s books.
Delighted to know about this!
His response to send a gift of books to me. Waiting for them to arrive!
Ocean Series
In this piece I take a canva template for an instagram post as my inspiration and structure for a poem.
I balance the text and the image and insert a question in the search window.
This is the first in a series reflecting on the ocean and all that it stands for and asks of us.
I will work with patterns of repetition between and within pieces.
(c) June Perkins
Joining International Celebrations for Ridvan!
It was so delightful to be part of the You Tube Ridvan is Everywhere Celebrations online. And a great honour to be the epigrammatic beginning to day 7 with a brand new never before shared poem. This poem is now being included in the next issue of Tokens.
“The “Is Everywhere” Collective, which brought us this wonderful online Naw-Ruz celebration, is celebrating the Festival of Ridvan! They are excited to provide family-friendly programming for all 12 days of Ridvan and this video features their program celebrating the 7th day of Ridvan.
The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Los Angeles (USA) is sponsoring special program for the 1st, 9th and 12th days of Ridvan but every day in between features videos sharing poetry, storytelling, music, art, dancing, cooking, and crafting—all by friends from across the world!
You’ll find the playlist for Ridvan Is Everywhere here on YouTube. You can also subscribe to their YouTube channel for updates.”
(Cited from Baha’i Blog)
Illuminations Launching
My new poetry book, Illuminations is about to be released.
This collection captures the wonder of the act of creation,
the burst of excitement associated with the birth of the new,
and the challenges and sacrifice involved in bringing inspiration to fruition.
Launching June 20, 2020
Author: June Perkins
Illustrators: Ruha and Minaira Fifita
Target Age: 13 to 100 years plus
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 9780980731194 (paperback)
ISBN: 9780648720508 (hard cover, dustcover)
Publication Date: 20/6/2020
80 leaves, 63 pages of content
For more information on this book Illuminations
For International orders see the Book Depository
Direct orders available for Australian customers from Author in Australia
Library available from Peter Pal and soon Wheeler’s Books
Library and Schools New Zealand see Wheelers Books New Zealand
Please be aware delivery everywhere is slower due to the COVID19 even with on the ground delivery in US, UK and Australia so do check delivery dates on any sites you order through.
Your patience is appreciated.
Australia 1-2 weeks
UK 2-3 weeks
United States 5 weeks
The above poem featured in In Your Hands Red Room Poetry Project
More information to come in the following weeks.
Chalking Cheerful
I am chalking cheerful
even though I’m not an artist
from my drive way to your drive way
from my pathway to your pathway
wherever you are
HOPE.
I am chalking unicorns and dragons
teddy bears
and love hearts.
I am thinking of the grandparents
missing their grandchildren
the people stuck in their homes
the people without homes
the playgrounds without children
the children who never had playgrounds.
And flying towards us is a dragon
in his talons a vaccine
And the teddy bears send a hug to the doctors and nurses
and the teachers and all those looking after us
Unicef says to draw the real life heroes of today
they are all around us.
I am chalking cheerful
Will you join me?
June Perkins
Readings for Families at Home
To all the wonderful families visiting this site I am sharing some readings of my poetry to assist you in your homeschooling. Consider them a small personal author visit.
I am putting up some of these readings not just here, but on Instagram.
If you are stuck inside or in the city, these poems will take you to the great outdoors.
If you have never been to Far North Queensland, they may give you a sense of that beautiful place.
These are recorded on my phone or by my laptop from home. So enjoy!
I will let you know if there are any online workshops as well.
If you would like to order the book, of course you can as post offices are open and I will package it up and send it out, but most of all be safe, be kind and see you on the other side of the virus raging world wide.
Power of poetry, power of art, power of story, power of community!
Congratulations to all the team in Spooktacular Stories!
Congratulations to the producer and contributors of Spooktacular Stories on becoming finalists in the Book Excellence Awards!
This is a special anthology to be part of, firstly because for every book sold, one is donated for readers stuck in hospitals, looking for both courage and entertainment.
Secondly, because some hugely talented writers are featured within.
I chose to contribute a story about a family’s encounter with a storm. ‘Storm Girl’ channels a lot of personal experience into an authentic story for children on how to deal with the memory of a natural disaster. It has taken a long time for me to truly write this story.
But I like to adopt many tones and purposes for story and also contributed a humorous poem about facing fear!
A huge thank you to Share Your Story for providing opportunities for others to have a voice, and in mentoring, in both writing and business.
May the Share Your Story anthology projects go from strength to strength, and their contributors build amazing careers as writers, illustrators and storytellers.
Magic Fish Dreaming 