Our May reading is fast approaching, and we’re excited to be featuring Ann de Hugard and Rob Wallis as our two guest poets, who will be favouring us with a performance piece called “Human Zoo: Demons and Angels”.

As Les Murray once said, “Poetry is a zoo in which you keep demons and angels.” Ann and Rob’s poetry explores this human zoo.

Demons and angels abound in their family reminiscences. Parents and friends confront their own demons, a boy learns to swear in his uncle’s paddock, a girl is seduced by the charms of her mother’s friend and a grandmother battles a doctor in a nursing home.

War provides both poets with a range of the good and the fearful. Some family members are haunted by a Nazi past, a Japanese soldier long after World War Two has ended searches for the bones of his fallen comrades and the Vietnam War continues to haunt a contemporary relationship. More recent wars leave many survivors battling with their inner demons and refugees struggle to make sense of their new world.

Other characters in this zoo include historic figures such as Sylvia Plath, Sofia Tolstoy and that Shakespearian horror Macbeth, along with those people in our society who bring out the devil in all of us, a stalker in a supermarket, a group of bikies and those who mangle the language with modern jargon.

In this zoo both poets use a variety of forms and voices, from the serious and provocative to the humorous and satirical.

Ann de Hugard is a Castlemaine poet and founding member of Castlemaine Word Mine. Her first collection, A Question of Translation, was published by the APC in 2010. She was runner-up in the Ubud Writers Festival Slam in 2010. In 2011 she was Castlemaine’s first official Cafe Poet. Ann’s second collection, Breath, has just been published by Mark Time.

Rob is a mainstay and long-time supporter of CWM. He  has had 3 poetry collections published, the most recent being Man In A Glass Suit (Mark Time Books) in 2011. His poems have been published in various magazines, including Woorilla, The Mozzie, Poetry Monash, Wet Ink, Westerly and Blue Dog.

The night will include an open mic reading (one piece only, maximum 2 minutes) and Q&A with the guest performers, as well as our usual raffle and book swap table (bring a book, take home a different book). Any CWM members who have stuff to sell – art or books and stuff – are welcome to bring it along for sale on the night.

It’s all happening on Wednesday May 30 at 7.30pm, at the Anglican Church Hall on the corner of Kennedy and Forest Sts. Entry is by gold coin donation and membership forms will be available at the door. The night is BYO – we can provide glasses.

See you there!