Week 4 Newsletter

Greetings Symposiasts!　

Calendar & Updates
Firstly, my apologies for not posting this newsletter last week, but I’m back on top of things now!

Week 4’s theme was childhood and admittedly, although one childhood book was read, the remainder of the time was spent watching snippets from childhood TV shows while eating our favourite pizza!

Afterwards however, a few keen symposiasts attended An Evening with Odysseas Elytis. It was a wonderful experience, learning about a culture, and a man, most of us knew little of. I found it amazing to be first bewildered by many of the poems, to then see their beauty as the cultural and translational references were explained: by Dr. Alfred Vincent, whom lectured the evening.

Some of the poems however, needed no explanation; they touched a very basal place in the collective human experience that transcended both age and culture. Once such poem was an extract from a series of letters entitled ‘Maria Nefeli’

For those of you who are interested, Caitlin will keep us posted about future excursions and lectures, keep checking our facebook page for updates!

 

Entertainment Corner
What We're Hearing

In the spirit of the theme, I’d like to share with you an old favourite, as recommended by Grant:

The NingNang Nong Song

Writing Challenge

To concur with this week’s theme:

write a poem to a child, teaching them the lessons you wish you had learned at that age.

POETICA GRATIA POETICAE



Sincerely,
Katelyn

Ps. Feel free to pop by our facebook page and recommend books, movies or songs for our entertainment corner

Week 3 Newsletter

Greetings Symposiasts!　

Calendar & Updates
Firstly, my apologies for not posting a newsletter last week, I was unfortunately unable to attend the meeting and the other lovely execs have been very busy (submitting chapters of their theses no less)!

Last week, the theme was foreign languages. Jess and Felicity both read gorgeous French poems: ‘Le Peintemps’ by Théophile Gautier and ‘La Niut D’Aube’ by Luc Benimont. Caitlin read Eis Demetran, a Homeric Hymn and Lan read some beautiful Vitenamise works—an extract from ‘The Tale of Kiêū’ by Nguyen Du and ‘Trāng Gîang’ by Huy Cân, which she translated herself!

Next week, the theme will be ‘favourite TV shows as children’. You could bring a rhyme from a favourite cartoon, a theme song maybe, an ode to the Wiggles…all those happy childhood memories!

We also have some very exciting news; Symposium is going to the Australian Poetry Slam Workshop on Thursday, September 8, and the slam contest on the Friday after. Anyone interested should RSVP to the event on our facebook page, so we can book enough places for everyone who wants to go.

Also, for our history enthusiasts, you are all invited to An Evening with Odysseas Elytis on this Friday, the 19^th August 2011, 7.30pm at the Greek Community Centre (29 Edmondstone Street, South Brisbane.  

We’re going to have the traditional post-Symposium pizza dinner during the meeting so those who want to attend the evening can leave a little earlier and get the bus together. When this week’s event page is posted, just comment with your pizza preference!

Here's a little bit more information about the evening--

“The event will celebrate the centenary of the birth of the poet Odysseas Elytis, who was awarded Greece’s second Nobel Prize for Literature in 1979 and will be co-ordinated by Dr Alfred Vincent (Emeritus Professor, University of New South Wales). The evening will also feature the young musicians from the Southside Parish Music Group.”

Entertainment Corner
What We're Hearing

I’ve been doing a bit of research into poetry slams and have found some wonderful spoken-word artists. These are two of my favourites; the power of their words is breath taking:

Sarah Kay

Kate Wilson

If you find any poetry slam artists whose work you like, leave a comment below and we can watch them at next week’s meeting!

Writing Challenge

In light of our in-depths discussions about perceptions, this week’s fun writing challenge is:

think of someone you admire; or someone who you wish you were like. Write a poem through their eyes—from what they see at their best, and what they see at their worst.

Remember we are all human; everyone is an exception to the rule!

POETICA GRATIA POETICAE



Sincerely,
Katelyn

Week 1 Newsletter

Greetings Symposiasts!　

Calendar & Updates
Last week’s them was history and, a historic event it was. We heard Geraldine’s rendition of William Pitt the Younger’s speech to abolish the slave trade in England and our president and vice president shared with us some gorgeous poems from both Tennyson and Yeats: ‘Maud’ and 'Byzantium'. We were delighted to hear Brian sing for us his original song ‘She Says “Love Me”’. The song very beautifully referred to the uncertainty of love and new relationships, a theme which we all were able to connect and indentify with. It was an inspiring moment and received an eruption of applause from the audience!

Michael has posted a list on our facebook page of suggestions for themes this semester. Please vote for your favourite!

Entertainment Corner
What We're Hearing

This week we are of course all entranced by Brian’s beautiful songs, which can be found on his youtube channel.

For those of you who have already started to batten down your study hatches, I would like to suggest Adele’s new album 21 as a good study playlist. The songs are all very pensive and lovelorn, but at the same time speak of power and resilience. Perfect to inspire your intellectual will!

Writing Challenge

In light the discussions at last meeting, this week’s fun writing challenge is:

Write using a strict rhyme scheme. Then re-write the poem without rhyme, focusing instead on meaning. See how different the invited readings of the two poems are.

POETICA GRATIA POETICAE



Sincerely,
Katelyn

Welcome Back

Greeting Symposiasts!

Welcome to yet another semester of fun, lollies and poetry of all forms. We had an excellent day at Market Day, and welcome our new members and all those who expressed interest in our club. This semester we are keen on getting involved in some external events such as poetry slams and competitions, we’re also getting our first poetry anthology off the ground so it’s going to be a fairly exciting semester!

Our next meeting is this Friday, the 29^th of July: bld 39A, rm 209.

If you’re interested, please come along, even if you aren’t a member. We’d love to meet you!

I’d also like to welcome everyone to tell us about your favourite books/bands/songs on our facebook page. We love hearing about what everyone’s entertaining themselves with when they’re not at symposium and your recommendations may even make it into the entertainment corner of our newsletter!

We’re also continuing our writing challenges again this semester. The first challenge will be posted after the first meeting this week. Watch this space!

This is going to be Symposium’s biggest semester yet and I look forward to conquering the world every Friday evening with you all!

POETICA GRATIA POETICAE



Sincerely,
Katelyn

Week 10 Newsletter

Week 10 Newsletter Greetings Symposiasts!　
Calendar & Updates
Last week’s them was wisdom and, although we were without our beloved president—for Caitlin and Josh were out attending noble duties—we carried on to gather what wisdoms we could. Many sage lessons were shared; Brian read for us an insightful Bible verse, Geraldine recited 'The Storie (sic) of William Canynge' by Thomas Chatterton, and these were but a few of the gems shared. Laura shared some of her favourite Roald Dahl poems—a perfect finale to the meeting.

Entertainment Corner
What We're HearingThis week, Michael shared the powerful and moving song that had come to him in the wisdom of a dream. It was sung by a wise old woman and warned him of troubled winds ahead.
On our facebook page, Brian linked us to a rather awesome video he made for Green Day’s ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams.’ Check it out!

Writing ChallengeThis theme for the second official Symposium writing contest is:

Describe an animal in a way converse to their stereotypical portrayal
Good luck, entries are due at the final meeting of the semester.


POETICA GRATIA POETICAE



Sincerely,
Katelyn

ps. Please leave book/story/blog/etc recommendations on our facebook page! Our "What we’re reading’ section is ver sadly empty this week.

Week 9 Newsletter

Greetings Symposiasts!

I hope you all had a nice break and are refreshed for another term of poetic greatness!

Calendar & Updates

This past Friday was out first meeting of the new term sadly, with the impending doom of assignments and exams, turnout was smaller than usual but we encourage you all to come along for a much-needed break and a chance to wind down before you plough into another week of study. Last week, we heard poems that tied into the theme of colours. Josh shared with us a classic Yates poem, Geraldine read a delightful snippet from a PG Wodenhouse story involving gambling for a footrace at a village fair and a poor choir boy named Harrold. We also heard Lan’s heart-breaking and soul-touching drabble that related to both the colour and man-as-a-flower themes. Lastly were some fun poems about the colour—or some argue tone—black.

For those of you confused as to the venue change for out movie night, we are back in our usual place—General Purpose—on Fridays at 5pm. At the next meeting we are going to discuss details of the next writing contest and also our poetry-slam/cocktail fundraiser.

Entertainment Corner

What We're Hearing

This week, Brian shared with us a fun song about the colours of love: New Indigo. It seems this song—and its artists—have an underground following at symposium with many members confessing they follow its producers on youtube!

What We're Reading

Over the next few weeks it seems most of us will be reading textbooks and lecture slides, but the UQ Alumni Book Fair last week was a chance to pick up a few good reads for the study breaks. Feel free to bring along some of your poetry finds to symposium meetings!

For those of you who missed out, the Lifeline Bookfest is from the 11-14 June at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Writing Challenge

This week’s fun writing challenge is to make a few critics cringe and go purple with prose! Have fun breaking all those writing rules.

POETICA GRATIA POETICAE

Sincerely,

Katelyn

Week 8 Newsletter

Greetings Symposiasts!

It’s the last week before the mid-semester break and I’m eyeing off all the chocolates that are building up in the grocery stores; I foresee a lot of chocolate goodies being consumed at Symposium after the holidays!

Calendar & Updates

This Thursday (NOT Friday!) is the Symposium Pizza & Movie night! We’re going to be watching Bright Star, a take on John Keats’ later years, and a breathtaking one at that. But please note, the movie night is being held in the Hartley Teakle building (83), room S301. Please don’t come to the wrong room on the wrong day!

Last week the theme was music and, thus, the remainder of this weeks’ newsletter is dedicated largely to music recommendations; go and have a listen, you mind find something new to keep you grooving.

Entertainment Corner

What We're Hearing

Here's what we're all listening to at the moment—

Thames:

Some sad songs:

·         Gary Juels—‘Mad World’

·         Barbarossa—‘Stones’

A happy number:

·         Elemental—‘Cup of Brown Joy’

Brian:

·         Jimmy Wong—‘The Face Behind Me’

·         Alan Lastufka & Luke Conrad ft. Kristina Horner—‘Mirror Song’

·         His very own youtube channel!

Geraldine

·         Elvis Perkins—‘While You Were Sleeping’ 

Josh

·         Patrick Wolf—‘The Magic Position’

·       Sigur Rós—‘Gobbledigook’

Lan

·         The Band Perry—‘If I Die Young’

Michael

·         Joshua Kadison—‘Sanctuary’

What We're Reading

This week, I would like to direct you all to some of Lan’s famous Harry Potter fanfics! She has both Draco/Hermione and Harry/Pansy fanfiction works and her website looks like a great place to hang if you’re getting sick of making flash cards and eating chocolates this holidays!

Once you’ve gone back to your Harry Potter days—a nostalgic journey for many—my aunt and I are tag-team writing the sequel to her first novel! A comedy crime about an overzealous blonde whose not all too handy with weaponry as she solves crime on the Sunshine Coast, the novel will appear piece-by-piece on her blog.

Writing Challenge

If you’re still looking for a bit of fun over the break, here’s some more writing challenges to keep you busy (and don’t forget to email us your entry for last week’s!)

·         In contrast to our first challenge, write a poem describing a woman as an item of weaponry.

·         In light of last week’s theme, write to the phrase they fought with music.

·         This has happened to me many times this semester so answer the question why does it always rain when I wear my red shoes?

·          A bit of romance: write a poem from the point of view of a historic character you admire to their lover.

·         For those into Sci-Fi: A scientists mutates worms to have clover-shaped DNA. What happens to them?

·         Write a poem describing your favourite meal.

·         Answer the question: what is one piece of advice you wished you’d listened to?

·         In the flavour of Easter, describe the world from the point of view of a rabbit.

·         Again, also in the flavour of Easter, describe the world from the point of view of a Lindt Chocolate Rabbit, in either prose or poetry.

·         Finally, write a poem to that person. You know who they are.

POETICA GRATIA POETICAE

Sincerely,

Katelyn