Editorial
"WORDS ARE BULLETS ..."Ern Malley, the original dromedary of Australian poetry has been anthologised, criticised and mythologised beyond belief. It's perhaps sobering to reflect that while Ern Malley's creators, his twin Gepettos James McAuley and Harold Stewart along with his original sponsor Max Harris have passed from this world, Ern's legend lives on. What is it about Ern Malley that refuses to die?
Continue reading ...Usually I despise the practice whereby editors place their own work in an issue of the publication they're editing. Apart from denying a place to someone whose work is probably better, such actions often signal a kind of desperation, a "look at me" attitude or, to put it bluntly, a crude vanity best ignored, if not completely forgotten. All of which does little to explain the placement of one of my poems in the current issue of Cordite.
Continue reading ...Our 21st issue, Domestic Enemy, sees Cordite finally obtain its majority! From our humble beginnings in 1997, it's been a long and dusty road, filled with many pit-stops, refuels, vehicle and driver changes, roadblocks, fake abductions, detours and [insert your own road-related images/metaphors here].
Continue reading ...Submerged is the best place to be on a hot summer's day: somewhere in the shady corner of the pool, cross-legged on the bottom, blowing bubbles until you run out of air. Submerged is where Tony Soprano's psychiatrist tells him some of his problems are. Submerged is what the truth is, anytime Donald Rumsfeld talks.
Continue reading ...Last year saw the emergence of a two-horse race in the "Best of " stakes in Australian poetry: I'm talking about UQP and Black Inc. going head to head with their respective anthologies.
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Well they said we'd never make it. This, the nineteenth issue of Cordite Poetry Review, has turned out to be our biggest and most varied so far for 2004. With nineteen poems (appropriately enough) plus a collection of Slivers by Ian McBryde, Anti/Heroes is packed with more poetic moments than a tin of sonnets.
It's been a hectic couple of months here in the Cordite bunker, following our server crash and its attendant dramas. Nevertheless, we're pleased as punch to announce that Cordite has come of age, with our 18th issue now online!
Continue reading ...Issue #17 has pulled into the carport two days ahead of schedule, and is ready for your persual.
Continue reading ...A funeral service was held today for Australian poet Bruce Beaver, who died in his sleep last Monday, aged 76. John Tranter's obituary in last Friday's Sydney Morning Herald illustrates the high regard in which Bruce Beaver was held by both practicing poets and readers of poetry, who have enjoyed his verses for the past fourty years.
Continue reading ...Happy New Year to all our readers, and what better way to kick out the jams than with a fresh batch of poems - Search Poems, to be exact.
Continue reading ...Now that the embargo imposed by the Australia Council has ended, I'm free to inform you that Cordite Poetry Review has secured further funding under the Council's "Presentation and Promotion" category. The funding will be used to pay Australian contributors and to cover production costs for five issues in 2004.
Continue reading ...It is with sadness that we report our poetry editor for the last four issues, Terry Jaensch, has decided to hang up the spectacles in order to concentrate on some exciting new projects.
Continue reading ...Well, it's National Poetry Week again but we all know poetry is dead so who cares?
While we quietly sit and rot down here in our warm little Cordite graves, up in the real world poets are planting trees, boring their readers to death with readings that go on too long and biographies that never fail to mention the fact that their work "has been published in various journals".
Continue reading ...It has come to my attention that we're publishing a lot of poems and articles about the living dead, but none by them. This seems, I hardly need point out, discriminatory. We direct our gaze at the zombie, but the zombie, subjugated to the position of object, is denied the opportunity to participate in the discourse. Is this fair? Surely, even taking into consideration the zombie's unpleasant stench of death, it is not.
Continue reading ...It has taken us just over three months but today, as of this posting, Cordite has compiled a century of entries in its new incarnation.
The Test Match issue (March - April) got us off to a terrific start, with a flurry of poetry, reviews and features - not to mention several insights into the mind of cricketer and poet, Nick Whittock.
Since May 1, we've made some changes to our technique, striding back out to the crease to continue the innings as the Inter(im) National team. While the emphasis on poetry, interviews and reviews remains the same, we're also conscious of using the blog medium to promote upcoming poetry events - including our second anniversary launch this coming Wednesday!
We're hoping to make further changes to coincide with the beginning of our Zombie issue on July 1. Expect to see (and hear) more quality stuff in the near future. In the meantime, it's back to the crease. Who knows where our next shot might be aimed?
What better time to remind you that submissions will soon close for Cordite Issue #14 - ZOMBIE? Not meaning to put a hex on anybody, but the closing date is this Sunday, the 15th of June.
What's it all about again? Well, the logic behind ZOMBIE is that if poetry is dead then we're all zombies: walking-talking thanatoids obsessed with Edgar Allen Poe. And it turns out we weren't too far off the mark: zombie poems have been pouring in from all corners of the globe. I get the feeling this one's going to be a (sorry) monster.
There is still time. Send us your gore. Alternately, our new reviews page lists books we have recently received for review. What are you waiting for?
The theme for this, the lucky 13th issue of Cordite, is International. As Michael Caine would say: "Not many people know that."
Cordite #12 is now officially complete. Check out the archives for a full list of entries.
Issue #13 will begin tomorrow. Our blog editor, Carlie Lazar, will be taking the reins for this issue.
Thank you to all the contributors, commenters, correspondents and cricketers who helped make Issue #12 a real thriller. Howzat!
Give or take a minor miracle, this will be the last post for Cordite #12 - Test Match.
As the first Test between Australia and the West Indies continues in Georgetown, Guyana, Cordite #12, like a nervous lower-order batter, nears its half-century mark, sitting on 45 not out.
While it may not amount to much compared with the astonishing events of the last three days - Chanderpaul's lightning-fast century, Ponting and Langer's responses, Lara and Ganga in recovery mode - fifty entries posted over a two month period, more or less every day, is tough on any ground. Let's hope we get there.
[EDITORIAL]: The word "cordite" has an explosive meaning. The "smell of cordite" emanating from a smoking gun has become somthing of a cliche in western culture, conjuring up images of corrall shoot-outs, hard-boiled detectives and street-fighting years.
Given the current events in Iraq, do you think it's appropriate for a poetry magazine to have such a name? Also, our slogan has always been "words are bullets", a phrase coined by former Australian politician Bill Hayden but is this tactless? Or are we being too precious? Let us know what you think - leave us a comment.
In a victory for predictability, Australia last night retained the World Cup, after defeating India in the final at Johannesberg's Wanderers stadium.
Continue reading ...Welcome to the latest incarnation of Cordite Poetry Review. Previously a print magazine, then a static website, Cordite is now produced using a content management system known as Movable Type. This allows the Cordite editors to post poems, reviews, feature articles and news items on a daily basis. It also allows you as readers to make comments on the content of the site.
In keeping with the potential for the Internet medium to compress time and space, from this issue (#12 TEST MATCH) onwards, we will be accelerating our publication schedule, with the aim of producing at least four issues per year. Whether we manage to maintain such a disciplined output remains to be seen. We hope, in any case, that you will continuie to contribute to and appreciate the magazine, in all its ragged glory.
Visit the Editorial Archive.