Almanac Music: When Will You Fall For Me?

We all have those songs that go round and round in our heads, and get stuck there – this can be for days on end. In this Friday’s column, KD writes about his current one.

Almanac Art: Wednesday night – Disrupted

Kate Birrell’s latest, on listening to Raf Epstein during Melbourne’s latest lockdown.

Almanac Poetry: ‘These Shifting Greys’ – Tommy Mallet

The bush may be tough when there’s work to done but its natural beauty cannot be denied as Tommy Mallet’s poem ‘These Shifting Greys’ implies.

Almanac Poetry: Five Miles from…

In this Monday’s poem, Kevin Densley looks at the situation of the most iconic dog in Australian folklore.

Almanac Poetry: Miner Poets – ABC Radio National ‘History Listen’

‘Miner Poets’ is an ABC Radio National ‘History Listen’ program examining the songs and verse from the mining communities of west coast Tasmania.

Almanac Humour: He’s Got The Whole World In His Pants – Mondegreens

In this Friday’s column, KD writes about the unusual and typically amusing phenomenon of mondegreens – those mishearings/misinterpretations usually associated with songs and poems. [Thanks to ‘Swish’ Schwerdt for using the word in a response to a previous post of mine; it inspired this piece – KD]

Almanac Horse Racing and Poetry: Sporting concussion and a national poet.

We welcome Lindsay Smelt with his debut piece on brain injuries and Adam Lindsay Gordon. Lindsay is currently writing a book on the famous Australian figure of the nineteenth century.

Almanac Poetry: ‘Women’ – Tommy Mallet

Death is the theme of Tommy Mallet’s poem ‘Women’ as an old man lies dying and his family awaits the inevitable.

Almanac Poetry: Irish

This Monday’s poem from Kevin Densley draws on family history, in particular his Irish ancestors, who, like many of their countryfolk, left their native land to start new lives around the world.

Almanac Poetry: ‘Country’ – Tommy Mallet

Nothing like some country music playing on the ute radio reflects Tommy Mallet in his poem, ‘Country’.

Almanac Music: She Passed By Me At The Fair (Song Lyric)

Something a little different from Kevin Densley – his most recent song lyric, written only weeks ago. ‘With Irish ancestry on both sides of my family, this lyric for a traditional-sounding Irish folk ballad was bound to come out sooner or later. Imagine these words in a brief, melodic song, wistfully sung.’

Almanac Music: Favourite Songs of the Half-Remembered Kind

Do you have songs you really like but, for an extended period of time, can only partially remember them? In this Friday’s post, KD asks Almanackers this question, and puts forward an example of his own.

Almanac Poetry: ‘Piece Rates’ – Tommy Mallet

The beauty of a tall dead tree rising through the fog is a welcome distraction from the hard slog of tree planting Tommy Mallet’s poem ‘Piece Rates’ points out.

Almanac Poetry: Triptych

Kevin Densley’s poem reworks a classic 19th century French painting into an imagined three-part contemporary picture that critiques today’s consumerist society.

The Weightlifter Retires

With the Olympics in mind, Damian Balassone has a quick and pertinent poem for the reader’s contemplation.

Almanac Poetry: ‘The True Believers’ – Bruce Dawe

‘The True Believers’ is a footy poem from Bruce Dawe, one of Australia’s greatest and most loved poets.

Almanac Poetry: ‘Statues’ – Tommy Mallet

Tommy Mallet’s poem ‘Statues’ tells of a precious moment when everything is out of reach, except for love.

Almanac Poetry: A Change in the Atmosphere

Kevin Densley describes this week’s poem as “full-on Gothic horror”; eat your heart out, Poe!

Round 18 – Haiku Bob: slammed shut

Haiku Bob found similarities between the current Covid situation and the performance of Collingwood in Round 18.

Almanac History: Almanacs Through The Ages

In this Friday’s column, KD presents a very short history of almanacs in words and images.