Ginninderra Press

My Poem, “When Will It End?”

~ Libby Sommer ~ 6 Comments
Have a read of my poem “When Will It End?” first published in Quadrant Magazine. I wrote the poem in response to the war in Ukraine. “When Will It End” is one of the poems in my second poetry collection “Flat White, One Sugar” (Ginninderra Press).

I hope you like it.

When Will It End?

The woman is weeping for her husband,

his ashes lined up with the unclaimed

urns at the crematorium.

How could this happen again?

The man is weeping for his dead wife

& unborn child stretchered out from

the bombed maternity hospital.

The woman says, “We had to flee. His ashes

were left behind.”

What use is a city of rubble?

The brother is weeping beside his mother at the grave

of his twin. The brothers had strapped on fatigues,

taken up weapons, knowing they may die—sons,

brothers, husbands & fathers.

Each day the mind grapples: no power,

no water, starvation,

but Ukrainians, bigger than their fears,

face the Goliath. Church bells ring

calling the world to stand beside them.

Look at this man in body armour on the news

saying farewell to his wife and child.

Last week a teacher of children, today a soldier,

when will he see his school again?

Copyright 2024 Libby Sommer

My Poem, ‘Breaking Out’

~ Libby Sommer ~ Leave a comment

Have a read of my poem ‘Breaking Out’, first published in the Canberra Times Panorama Arts Section. ‘Breaking Out’ is one of the poems in my recently released second collection titled ‘Flat White, One Sugar‘ (Ginninderra Press).

I hope you enjoy it.

Breaking Out

See that white terrace house?

You could live in the attic there.

Yes, I like an eyrie, looking

out on the world. I wanted to be locked

in a tower, a princess in a fairy tale,

when I was a child.

I’m still the girl dreaming of breaking out.

Maybe she’s learnt to abseil now.

Some terraces have small colourful gardens

at the front. I prefer fragrant cut flowers

in a vase. I belong to

that discreet sect of law-breakers

who snip buds over a fence. A close escape

gives me an adrenaline kick.

Copyright 2024 Libby Sommer

My Poem, ‘That’s All You Can Do’

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fire in the bush

Have a read of my poem, ‘That’s All You Can Do’ first published in ‘First Refuge Poems on social justice‘ (Ginninderra Press). First Refuge is a collection of poems marking the twentieth birthday of Ginninderra Press as an independent Australian publisher. ‘Beyond a celebration of years, this collection reflects the vision of Stephen Matthews to open up opportunities for Australian poets who so often give their voice to the unheard.’

That’s All You Can Do:

The news reports:

at watch and act today  total fire ban

smoke haze  poor air quality  asthma sufferers

and other respiratory problems stay indoors.

Hot north westerly winds

west and southwest of Sydney

properties cleared and prepared

an anxious night    distant sirens  confusion

to leave or to go?

Springwood, Yarramundi.

Residents report:

rescue our animals  and get out of here

a new fire break

it’s always your family  that’s more important

pack up your photos  that’s all you can do

temporary accommodation

photos are what you’ve seen and experienced.

On amber watch today

200 houses destroyed so far

hoping and praying for the best

containment lines  will they hold?

Exhausted fire fighters

people’s lives are the most important

fire crews keep back-burning

what else can you do?

Despite ember attacks on homes

Rural Fire Service to link up bushfires as winds drop.

Today has started off cool.

Copyright © 2023 Libby Sommer

The Cellist, a Bellydancer & Other Distractions

~ Libby Sommer ~ 5 Comments

I’ve received final proofs from my publisher, Ginninderra Press for my first poetry collection, ‘The Cellist, a Bellydance & Other Distractions’. In the home stretch now for publication of my sixth book. Happy happy.

So what are final proofs?

Proofs created by the printer for approval by the publisher before going to press are called final proofs. At this stage in production, all mistakes are supposed to have been corrected and the pages are set up in imposition for folding and cutting on the press. To correct a mistake at this stage entails an extra cost per page, so authors are discouraged from making many changes to final proofs, while last-minute corrections by the in-house publishing staff may be accepted.

In the final proof stage, page layouts are examined closely. Additionally, because final page proofs contain the final pagination, if an index was not compiled at an earlier stage in production, this pagination facilitates compiling a book’s index and correcting its table of contents.

Wikipedia

I’ll let you know when the book is released.

Australian Poetry Publishers

~ Libby Sommer ~ 7 Comments

I am thrilled and delighted that my first poetry collection, ‘The Cellist, A Bellydancer & Other Distractions’ has been accepted for publication by Ginninderra Press. The book is due for release in May 2022.

Below is information about the Australian Poetry Publishers directory.

AUSTRALIAN POETRY PUBLISHERS – Poetry Sydney. The Australian Poetry Publishers directory is a portal for poets to have their poems published, to encourage Australian poetry to be purchased and to support Australian Poetry Publishers in enabling poets to have the opportunity to be published.

Here is the link:

https://poetrysydney.org/australian-poetry-publishers/#:~:text=AUSTRALIAN%20POETRY%20PUBLISHERS%20%E2%80%93%20Poetry%20Sydney&text=The%20Australian%20Poetry%20Publishers%20directory,the%20opportunity%20to%20be%20published.

Good luck with your submission.

By the way, when I attended an online course recently titled ‘Pathway to Poetry Publication’, we were told to aim for 100 rejections a year. To apply for everything.

A box of books has arrived

~ Libby Sommer ~ 8 Comments

Big news! My new book, LOST IN COPPER PARK has just been released by independent award-winning Ginninderra Press. Just in time for Christmas. Huge thank you to my wonderful publisher Stephen Matthews. The book is available direct from www.ginninderrapress.com.au or print and ebook editions from Amazon, Book Depository and other online booksellers, $27.50 or ask your bookstore to order it in ISBN 978 1 76109 042 4.

Cover image by Russian contemporary artist, Zoya Kriminskaya.

Bring on the celebrations.

Poem: Bronte Beach

~ Libby Sommer ~ 5 Comments

 

cafes, buses, palm trees, bright blue sky, cars on Bronte Road, Bronte

I like to create a strong sense of place when I write. I find it grounds my stories and poems. Pre-pandemic, Bronte Beach was one of my favourite homes-away-from-home. I used to hang out in a cafe there writing in my notebook. My poem Bronte Beach is entirely grounded in place.  It was first published in Wild anthology (Ginninderra Press,  2018). Have a read. Hope you enjoy it.

 

Bronte Beach:

The surf’s been hammered by rain,

and along the pavement open-faced cafes wedge side by side:

compact, glass-fronted, in flattened

Art Deco buildings, with competing blackboard menus.

Rain drips from the edge of the canvas awning,

and a smell of fried fish in rancid oil

through the mouth of the sliding door

as an oversized bus pulls in and blocks the view.

Marooned on the swell are wet-suited board riders,

unwavering as the cliff face above the rocks that define the beach.

Beyond the rock pool the waves

remain stubbornly low spreading a shallow calm.

The rain settles, rusting roof racks in the salt air,

and those expired meters will upset the fattened

people-who-lunch in the darkening afternoon.

All day the treacherous ocean scours

the man-made sea pool, where

all-weather swimmers scan the water

for migrating dolphins or whales.

A white-hulled speedboat appears

in the grey-blue, travelling north,

and the black-clad board riders wait,

grounded, legless pigeons who can,

in a heartbeat, fan their iridescent wings.

Squabbling seagulls swoop and dive

and chase each other between the palms,

each white slow and steady flap of wings

picked up by the whiteness of the backwash

of the speed boat out there on the pastel-pink ocean,

disappearing behind the haze.

 

Copyright 2018 Libby Sommer

 

 

‘Lost In Cooper Park’

~ Libby Sommer ~ 16 Comments

 

a path through the trees in Cooper Park
Cooper Park, Sydney

I’m delighted to tell you that my fifth manuscript, LOST IN COOPER PARK has been accepted for publication by small but prestigious publisher Ginninderra Press. Ginninderra is an award-winning independent publisher based in Port Adelaide, South Australia. They publish thought-provoking books for inquiring readers.

Thank g-d for Ginninderra. If it weren’t for them, my books wouldn’t be out there in the world.

LOST IN COOPER PARK is set in Cooper Park, a unique, large, natural green space in the  Eastern Suburbs of Sydney with hidden trail walks, tennis courts, picnic areas and dog walking. A great location for a writer like me to come up with a story idea. The book is a continuous narrative this time, rather than a collection of linked stories.

Ginninderra Press’s unique philosophy is:

We believe that all people – not just a privileged few – have a right to participate actively in cultural creation rather than just being passive consumers of mass media. Our culture is revitalised and enriched when everyone is encouraged to fulfil their creative potential and diminished when that creative potential is stifled or thwarted. We love to observe the transformative possibilities for people when they see their work published and acknowledged. Getting published can and does change lives.

Information about Ginninderra on the website includes:

‘Ginninderra is part of Canberra’s Belconnen area, in which Ginninderra Press operated for its first twelve years before moving to Port Adelaide in 2008. Ginninderra is an Aboriginal word said to mean ‘throwing out little rays of light’.

‘Ginninderra Press, described in The Canberra Times as ‘versatile and visionary’, is an independent book publisher set up in 1996 to provide opportunities for new and emerging authors as well as for authors writing in unfashionable genres or on non-mainstream subjects. In the words of one of our authors, we are ‘a small but significant publisher of small but significant books’. Many of our titles have won awards (to see a full list, click here).

‘Ginninderra Press recognises the fact that many people have good ideas for books but cannot get them published, either because of their inexperience in preparing manuscripts or because the potential sales are insufficient to interest a conventional publisher. Ginninderra Press offers expert editing and proofreading, as well as design and lay out services. To see submission guidelines, click here.’

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Ginninderra Press. LOST IN COOPER PARK is due for publication in November 2020. So exciting!

Launch: Stories from Bondi

~ Libby Sommer ~ 2 Comments

painting of girl lying on beach in torquoise bikini reading a book

I was very lucky to have award-winning Australian author Susanne Gervay OAM launch my 4th book STORIES FROM BONDI on 2 November at the Blue Mountains Heritage Centre.  Susanne and I first became friends about seven years ago when I stayed at her hotel in Woollahra for three weeks while recovering from major surgery. I’d mentioned our mutual friend Sharon Rundle and Susanne had said that anyone who was a friend of Sharon’s was a friend of hers. Susanne would notice me each morning in the corner of the cafe at the hotel working on my stories and she’d often come over and have a chat. Since that time she has continued to show an interest in my work and my writing career. She would encourage me to enter competitions and always remained positive about publication possibilities. Susanne is now one of my best friends. Lucky me.

It’s been a twenty year journey to book publication. I had five book length manuscripts written before I had one accepted for publication by Ginninderra Press. I am forever grateful to Stephen Matthews for giving me a chance. MY YEAR WITH SAMMY, the fifth book I’d written, went on to be Pick of the Week in Spectrum Books in the Sydney Morning Herald and was winner of the Society of Women Writers Fiction Book Award 2016.

So then I sent Stephen Matthews at Ginninderra Press manuscript numbers four, three, and two. He has published one book a year since 2015:  MY YEAR WITH SAMMY, THE CRYSTAL BALLROOM, THE USUAL STORY and now, STORIES FROM BONDI.

A massive thank you to my publisher.

And thank you to all those who supported me at the launch by buying copies of  my books.

In an animated entertaining presentation Susanne Gervay launched STORIES FROM BONDI by saying in her introduction:

‘Libby’s a red head. That’s the only thing I can think of for her extraordinary life. From my intense research, I know that redheads represent less than 2% of the population so they are a rare breed. They are sensitive, fiery, passionate, and also have more sex than blondes or brunettes. Sorry Libby, I learnt that from Cosmopolitan magazine.’

Susanne is a wonderful guest speaker. She had the whole room laughing wholeheartedly.

stories from bondi amazon cover image