[Tim Murphy]

Another acceptance from the great Les Murray. I'm getting good at reading his hand writing, for he's taken about twenty poems in the last three years. The poem is Work Early, an ambitious one, and I thank all of you who helped beat it into shape. Gray's took Filial Piety, recently workshopped here. And our G. Michael Palmer has gotten a go-ahead from CPR to review Mortal Stakes, Faint Thunder, Hunter's Log, and Alan's Psalms of King David. Mike is a very perceptive reader of verse, and I look forward to what he has to say.

[Janice D. Soderling]

Well, that is what I call having laurels to rest on. Congratulations, Tim.

An aside. I heard a fascinating radio program about a month ago with Les Murray. A Swedish journalist had interviewed him in Australia and I was spellbound.

All the venues are good of course, but it's cool you are gaining a readership in Oz after being introduced there by Paul. Who is missed.

[John Whitworth]

Good on you, Tim. What's Gray's and pardon my ignorance,

[Tim Murphy]

John, Gray's is Gray's Sporting Journal. I am the house bird hunting poet, and I am very pleased that John Beaton, whom I introduced to the editor, is our fly fishing poet. They have a readership of 68,000, and they publish a ton of our stuff. I forgot to mention that two new LGBT anthologies were published this week by Squares and Rebels Press. Men's volume, women's volumes. Raymond Luczak is the proprietor and the editor of the men's volume, which has a generous selection of new and unpublished poems by me. Thank you Raymond.

And thanks, Janice. Actually, I was introduced in OZ by Les long before Paul and Peter launched their superb zines. Did you see the story about the Norwegian who swerved to avoid a moose 255 km north of Oslo and hit a bear this week?

[Chris Childers]

That's all great news, Tim--congratulations!--but it's not very nice of you to hunt house birds. Those are people's pets, for Christ's sake!

[Tim Murphy]

Chris, friends of mine in the Amazon tell me that red-headed parrots, humanely killed with a blowpipe, are very tasty.

[Janice D. Soderling]

Actually, I was introduced in OZ by Les long before Paul and Peter launched their superb zines.

Oh! I was probably too young to read then.

[Charlotte Innes]

Aaargh on the bird-killing! (Or are you saving them from domesticity? Using a metaphor?) But congrats Tim! Quite a haul on the poetry publication front.

Charlotte

[Tim Murphy]

Janice, I wrote two poems on A D Hope, an epistolary poem in the early 90's, really just a rabid fan letter, and a dream vision of his funeral, The Cortege, which came to me intact in sleep the night of his death, of which I was unaware. Rising, having typed the poem, I learned the bad news from a Hope scholar. Les published them. Catholics and farmers, we've been friends ever since. Living in America's Outback, I am fascinated with Australian literature.

I've told this story before, but some essayist identified our Paul Lake as "one of Australia's best young poets." To which I responded, "Australian?" "Young?" God bless Les!

[Catherine Chandler]

Nice work, Tim! Congratulations!