[Ann Drysdale]

Important to note that Australian thongs are not the same as European thongs.

[John Whitworth]

it was financed by the CIA, as was the Excellent Encounter. It's nice to know the CIA hs some use in the world.

The Staggers was financed by Russian cash when Michael Foot was editor. The Ambassador used to stuff tenners into his pocket.Or was that the other thing Foot edited, Tribune.

The question is, did any of this influence the content? I rather think not.

If the CIA want to finance me directly I don't mind. And I will take Vladimir Putin's money too.

What is the difference re thongs? And what are budgie-smugglers while we are about it?

Les is the poetry editor of Quadrant and his word is law. In that sense he publishes me. And the Quadrant Book of Poetry is also his. Buy it while stocks last. It is the best anthology of modern poetry. And by no means all formal.

[Janice D. Soderling]

Back to the original subject. (I do wish people could keep to the topic instead of making every thread sound like a gaggle of absent-minded geese.)

Catherine McDonald, I was quite interested in this when I read it, as I will be in the US at that time. But the organizers only take cheques in payment, and cheques are no longer used where I live--payments are all electronic, via Paypal or similar or credit cards.

[Ann Drysdale]

Sorry, Janice. I'll get me coat.

[Janice D. Soderling]

I knew some innocent lamb would think I was pointing at them. That is what I get for being mealy-mouthed. When will I ever learn?

Forget I ever opened my big mouth.

[Quincy Lehr]

The CIA's problem with Quadrant was that they found it too right-wing and warmongering. I'm not making that up.

[Catherine McDonald]

Wow, I was just catching up on the thread. So much learning. How wonderful Catherine that, as Ross points out, you were published by one of, "Australia's Greatest Living Poets." (I've been a fan of yours since reading Coming to Terms a couple of years ago and love what you did on Wattpad with Margaret Atwood.) Dan Chiasson, who read at the farm two summers ago, wrote an intriguing piece on Murray in The New Yorker, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...printable=true, Ross, Chaisson says, Murray is "now routinely mentioned among the three or four leading English-language poets." And, Chaisson claims Murray's politics are leftist? Well, then, now, from I've read of Chiasson's piece and what John, Quincy and Ross said here, I really, really want to read him!

Ann, don't leave. I want to know the difference! Right now thongs on feet or elsewhere might be a little chilly here as Frost's Farm is getting buried again in snow as I type. I've lost track of the snowy evenings here in Derry. But it might indeed be warm enough for thongs of all sorts in June as we will be days from *the lightest evening of the year.* And we are a short distance away from some nice beaches and ocean-side towns...so pack thongs, Australian or European versions, whatever you have on hand, foot or otherwise.

Janice, OMG, we'd love, love to have you! The powers that be have a solution. You, and anyone who can't pay by check, can email Robert Crawford, Conference Director, at Hylabrookpoets@gmail.com. Next year we are scheduled to go electronic.

Oh, and feel free to keep chatting about anything. I'll throw in tidbits about the conference or farm doings when they apply. I'm fascinated by the wealth of information and perspectives here. I'd love to just sit and listen to as many of you talk poetry as possible over beverages in June.

John, one of our evening spots has Wi-Fi...maybe we can Skype you in? Ross, Quincy, Ann, Susan, Catherine? That might be a blast.

I have so, so much to learn from all of you!

[ross hamilton hill]

I heard that rumour too John and Quincy, I wrote for Nation, a communist funded magazine, was rejected several times by Quadrant. This was back when the cold war was raging. Quadrant is a current affairs/politcal magazine, it's not a literary magazine, but publishers poetry as part of the mix. It was very obviously right wing back then (when Australia became very socialist).

Les Murray accepted many writing grants from the socialist Labor party when they were in power, then he changed his tune and said literary grants were pernicious and poets should 'get off the government teat'.

We also now use the term thong to refer to ladies underwear, but we still call the rubber Asian sandals thongs, we also call them flip-flops. We also refer to someone who can't make up his mind as a flip-flop.

'budgie smugglers' a great term, are 'Speedos', a brand of swimming costume, the male ones are brief and light, people have used them to smuggle budgerigars out of Australia, the inference is they show off the male genitalia. The current prime minister is very sporty, he used to swim marathons in 'budgie smugglers', but his wife got a bit worried that he was revealing too much and banned him from appearing in them (that was the story).

I saw Les Murray at a poetry reading, I thought he was terrible at reading his poetry, I walked out, alone in the foyer of this big theatre, by then another equally boring poet was reciting, I saw Les take a huge, and I mean huge slice out of the large camembert that was part of the buffet, in wait for after the readings, he walked towards me and smiled, rolling back his eyes, I'd like to say I made some witty remark, but I didn't.

He mostly writes in free verse but does, very rarely, write formal poetry. He writes a lot of what I think is flawed work but when he gets it right it's as good as poetry ever gets.

[Michael Cantor]

Hey, Ross - John - and Anne - this thread was set up to generate some publicity and information for the Frost Farm Poetry Conference - the kind of thing we should be interested in. John Whitworth jumped on it immediately to talk about his favorite subject - himself - and off we went with all the geese jabbering at each other about everything but the conference, and Catherine politely trying to herd the poets.

If you're not interested in the conference, why don't you simply buzz off. Or start another Les Murray or Quadrant or aren't England and Australia Grand thread. It's been months since we've had one. But, for Chrissakes, if somebody's trying to announce a Poetry Conference, don't start gossiping about your own totally different interests.

[ross hamilton hill]

Michael, Catherine encouraged us to babble on.
But I do agree with you, chattiness has also spread into the poetry sections.