‘Australian Love Poems 2013 is a Raunchy Read.’ Says David Tacey

It was the hometown launch of Australian Love Poems 2013. There was champagne and heart-shaped shortbread biscuits topped with strawberries. There were two balloons that made it to the event and a raucous story about the other eighteen that didn’t make it through the peak hour traffic.

The editor, Mark Tredinnick made it though, on a plane caught by weather, through the peak hour traffic with a taxi driver who lost his way. In he walked just as the audience of over 100 people gathered for the formalities. There were people from everywhere there. Gregory Day drove up from his home on the Great Ocean Road, Liana Joy Christensen, Janice Withers and Helen Brett and their friend Elizabeth were over from Perth, Paul Hetherington happened to be in town from his home in Canberra for a few months. People drove, bus, trammed and walked to be there.

Irene Hayes, from The Carmelite Centre Melbourne welcomed everyone and David Tacey spoke warmly and passionately about the link between sexuality and spirituality, and the surprisingly large number of Australian poets who have been both writing about and doing  sex and love and spirituality for quite some time.

‘This book should be taught in schools.’ Tacey said. ‘It should be on University syllabuses. It is so good,’ he claimed toward the end of his speech, ‘that everyone should read it, and the best way to do that is to get the Archbishops to ban it.’

After the calls for banning we heard from poets Jordie Albiston, Paul Hetherington and Alicia Sometimes. Then Sandy Cull told us how she went about designing this beautiful book. Then there were more readings from Bronwyn Lovell, Lisa Jacobson and Gregory Day. And after Mark Tredinnick told us that Hafiz and the Sufies were his main influence in bringing this book together the rush was on to buy another copy.