TalkWrite
Renee Liang is a poet, playwright and random other writer. She is an MC at Poetry Live, Auckland's weekly poetry performance event. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing from The University of Auckland and is working on her first novel.
"I'm one of the legion of 'emerging artists' who read this site every week, and I'm also 'out there' in the Auckland arts community getting into lots of stuff. On this blog, I aim to talk about some of the things I see and think about, and also figure out (rather publicly) some things about being an 'emerging artist'. "
"I'm one of the legion of 'emerging artists' who read this site every week, and I'm also 'out there' in the Auckland arts community getting into lots of stuff. On this blog, I aim to talk about some of the things I see and think about, and also figure out (rather publicly) some things about being an 'emerging artist'. "
Renee talks to New Zealand's Poet Laureate, Michele Leggott and explores what use poetry has for kiwis, how the delivery and enjoyment is changing and if poetry can ever really be free?
Renee explores the difference between street art, graffiti art and tagging.
Watch the interview with street artist thisisrabbit on TBI YouTube.
Transient art and Guerilla Poetry (+vlog)
"Something changes about poetry once it's been chalked on the street. The very act of chalking transforms. Terrain, position, where the cracks are, where people walk, inclement weather, overprotective security guards (more on that later), chalk breakage and so on - change the poem, force us to leave out words and lines, write around corners or stop for a day or a week. Also, people stop and read over our shoulders as we write, turning what we do into a performance. There's something poetic in the thought that the actual stuff of the poems will melt away - carried away on the wheels of strollers or the striding heels of businessmen too busy to stop and see the real world. The more prominent the placement, the more people see it - and the faster it disappears."
Watch: Auckland Guerilla Poets on TBI YouTube
Renee looks at some of the weird and fascinating interrelationships between politics and art.
"NZ may not be the only country which lampoons its politicians as they campaign for election, but doing it by means of sellout plays must surely rate as classy. In the last few months I have seen both The Hollow Men, an adaptation of the now notorious email sting by journalist Nicky Hager, and On The Conditions And Possibilities of Helen Clark Taking Me As Her Young Lover (OTCAPOHCTMAHYL for short)."
Renee has sent us Letters from Japan from the little city of Tokushima, the famed cultural meccas of Kyoto and Osaka are just a bus ride away, while she holidays and works on a novel.
She talks about some of her writing strategies and asks for your suggestions.
"I've made good progress in my draft by using a couple of special focusing techniques. Both of them involve potential embarrassment. Firstly, I keep a daily writing log online, where I post my progress (haven't done so well today!). And secondly, I ask someone I highly respect to set me a deadline and not to let me wriggle out of it. Of course, these techniques are based on my own admittedly rather warped psyche, so they may not work for others. I'd be pleased to hear any more suggestions - please comment!"
Comment on the stories or email Renee at docrnz@gmail.com. She is keeping up a daily writing blog here.
Use the comment box below. Let us know which blog you enjoyed most this year, and why.
December 2008