Posted in Poetry, Writing on October 16, 2009| 1 Comment »
Seraph Press invites you to celebrate the launch of
Watching for Smoke
by Helen Heath
on Sunday 18th October at 3.30 pm
in St Peter’s Hall, Beach Road, Paekakariki
This hand-bound poetry chapbook will be launched by Dinah Hawken, and will be available for sale at $15 (RRP $20)
Posted in MA, Poetry, Writing, tagged writing is like giving birth on October 15, 2009| 7 Comments »
So we finished classes yesterday and now have just over 3 weeks of editing before we hand in our books. Everyone is a bit nervous.
I guess because the MA is nine months long there are inevitable analogies of pregnancy and childbirth connected to the process. A couple of months ago I started feeling like I was in labour with this book. I was pushing and huffing and hurting. I don’t know what’s going to come out, or if it will have any birth defects.
There’s a point in labour called transition, you can tell you’re in it when you start whinging “I can’t do it, I caaaaan’t!!! I never want to do this ever, ever again!” It’s the most intense part of labour; some women vomit or shake all over. Midwives like this point because they know it means any minute a head will be making its way out.
I wonder if Chris (our teacher) sees herself as a midwife of books? Either way I felt like I was in transition with my manuscript, I’m tired, I caaaaaan’t!
Right now I think the head must be crowning because it hurts, I’m tired and I don’t know what I’m doing but the end is very close.
To get me through I tried to remember how the post-birth adrenalin felt, a massive surge invulnerability and awesome, death defying prowess. ‘I made this!’ And you are looking down at your ugly purple squished up crying bundle covered in cheesy looking vernix, thinking it’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. You forget the pain and decide they need a sibling.
Show Your Workings 