March 19

Stopping all Stations has choofed off down the tracks and into another year of readings. And what a way to begin. Aside from our open readers, Sandy Jeffs had the audience a hundred percent engaged – either transfixed or falling off their chairs laughing. Her poetry was inspiring and a testament to her creative strategies for living with schizophrenia. (Check out how it moved Amber Beilharz, a regular at Stations and one of our open readers.)
Next month, Saturday April 16, we have Alex Skovron and Claire Gaskin. Tell your friends and put the date in your diary now.

Sandy Jeffs

Happy New Year lovers of the spoken word and welcome to another Stopping all Stations line-up. So far it's looking good! I'm away for some of February so we're starting back on Saturday March 19. Can't wait.

We're kicking the year off with the amazing Sandy Jeffs. Check out her bio below.

In the meantime, get writing. See you in March!

Sandy Jeffs has published five books of poetry and in late 2009 the Vulgar Press published her memoir called Flying with Paper Wings which was awarded SANE Australia's book of the year 2010 and short listed for the Age book of the year and a Human Rights award. Much of her writing has been concerned with madness, based on her experience of schizophrenia. She also writes about living in a family traumatised by her violent father and alcoholic mother. On a lighter note, Sandy has written about the trials and tribulations of playing midweek ladies' tennis. She has performed at various venues and has been published in many journals. Sandy appeared at the Melbourne Writers Festival in 2010.

November

Having Lisa Dempster read from her book Neon Pilgrim was a great way to finish up the year for Stopping all Stations. Loads of fun and, as always, a great vibe. Thanks to all the open readers and especially to Shari Kocher-Campbell, who read out her winning poem from the 2010 Page Seventeen Poetry Competition, 'Dreaming in Auslan: a Study in Yellow and Grey'.

And thanks to our sponsors, and Tiggy donating a copy of the latest Page Seventeen and Lorraine McGuigan some back issues of Poetry Monash, everyone went home with a door prize!

We're taking a well-earned break until next year when we kick off again in March with Sandy Jeffs, author of Flying with Paper Wings.

All the best to everyone for the festive season. See you in 2011.

Lisa Dempster

Lisa Dempster, our feature reader for  Stopping all Stations this month, is the author of Neon Pilgrim and editor of The Australian Veg Food Guide. She is also the Director of the Emerging Writers' Festival. 

Lisa assures me she is NOT a poet, but if you check out her website you'll see she's had quite a year and will have plenty to talk about.

Looking forward to seeing you at the LAST Stopping all Stations event for the year. (We'll be starting up again in March 2011.)

October

It was great to see so many people turn out to enjoy some good company, good food and of course some excellent poetry on such a cold and wet day. Tiggy read from her new collection, First taste, and then some of her new material after the break. Tiggy's poetry is always accessible and taps into what we can all relate to. And it's guaranteed to make you laugh somewhere along the way.

Some fantastic open readings, too. If you weren't there you missed hearing about bossy bus drivers and a wonderful poem about a giant.

Pics are a bit fuzzy. Sorry. A new camera is on the list.

Tiggy Johnson

Come along on Saturday October 16 to hear Tiggy read from her new collection, First taste. It's the penultimate Stopping all Stations for the year so write something to read in the open section or dig out something from the archives.

Tiggy Johnson began telling tales as a youngster when she told her mum her brother had hit her. With maturity, she developed skills to make stuff up that doesn’t necessarily come true. Her science degree and past life as an insurance loss adjuster did little to prepare her for her current work as a stay-at-home mother, writer and editor of literary magazine Page Seventeen. Her short story collection Svetlana or Otherwise was released in 2008 and her poetry collection First taste in 2010. Tiggy lives in Melbourne’s Dandenong Ranges with her husband, Bryden, and their children, Hamish, Claudia and Dylan.

September

How lucky we were not only to have Jennifer Harrison and Myron Lysenko as featured readers, but to have the services of the most beautiful fairy butterfly to draw the lucky door prizes!