THAT POETRY THING
Merri Andrew (CBR), Sandra Renew (CBR)
No mic
7-9pm Monday 8 April (Doors open 6:30pm)
Smith’s Alternative, Canberra
$10/$5
Free event. Book launch of Merri Andrew's Holds up When Shattered (Kith Books) and Sandra Renew's She Goes To Town (Gazebo Books).
Merri Andrew is a Canberra-based writer and community organisation worker. So far, her poems and stories have tended to be about human connections, scenes of strange beauty, work (its satisfactions and frustrations), illness, bodies and yearning. Merri’s work has been published in Cordite, Baby Teeth, Be:longing and Island’s former online publication, Islet. She has other stories and poems in various sci-fi, fantasy and literary magazines, which you can read via her website www.merriandrew.com. As well as looking after her two children, Merri works as a health promotion officer for Women’s Health Matters, a local community organisation. She has previously worked as a researcher at the Australian National University, where she holds a PhD in politics, and in organisations focused on ending gender-based violence.
Merri has been a featured artist for the Noted festival, won a Red Room #30in30 daily poetry challenge and was shortlisted for the Australian National University story competition. She is a member of the organising group for That Poetry Thing That Is On At Smiths Every Monday. Her chapbook, Holds Up When Shattered (published by Kith Books in 2024) is her first book.
Sandra Renew’s poetry has been awarded two Canberra Critics Circle Awards. One in 2023 for Apostles of Anarchy, Recent Work Press 2023, and in 2019, with Moya Pacey ‘for their influential work in exposing Canberra women’s poetry to view through their biannual online journal for women’s poetry, Not Very Quiet 2017-2022.’
Sandra’s collection, It’s the sugar, Sugar (Recent Work Press, 2021) won the ACT Writers Notable Awards for Poetry 2021. Acting Like a Girl (Recent Work Press, 2019) was the winner of the 2020 ACT Writing and Publishing Award for Poetry, and was also shortlisted for the 2020 ACT Book of the Year.
She writes on Ngunnawal and Ngambri land (Canberra) and Yuin land (Cobargo).
Sarah St Vincent Welch will launch Merri Andrew's book and KA Nelson will launch Sandra Renew's book with short speeches, followed by the poets reading.
Presented with the support of That Poetry Thing.
NOTE: Please always confirm full details with event hosts for non MARION events when arranging tickets as programs may change at short notice.