Delighted to have this little tanka awarded.

I watch the milk

upon the stovetop

rise and rise

all white froth and spirit—

oh, to live so lightly

Anne Benjamin,

Toongabbie, Australia

The first thing that caught our attention in this symbolic tanka lineated in a short/long/short/long/long pattern is the poet’s authentic and relevant voice. The poem’s universal appeal and emotional impact will resonate with readers. We can all relate to how the external pressures of life in this modern world often foster internal feelings of inadequacy and a longing for change. This writer has deftly employed juxtaposition and punctuation to strengthen their message. A pause at the end of line four slows the pace of the work after the “rise and rise” sense of anticipation. The tanka builds effortlessly to an engaging, original, and rather whimsical conclusion. We applaud the author for sharing this life experience so eloquently, and for their recognition of what it means to be vulnerable in an increasingly overwhelming environment. (an’ya and Debbie Strange, Judges)

I came across this link to another interview I did a few years ago on ABC radio. That was with the wonderful Rachel Kohn when she invited me to speak about my memoir about India, Saffron and Silk.

Here’s the link to the podcast: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-spirit-of-things-abc-rn-141837/episodes/marriage-of-love-and-justice-16443229

People tell me they enjoy the book. You can order it through my BUY page on this site or online through most book outlets.

Very happy to receive this award from the United Tanka and Haiku Society for the 2023 Fleeting Words Competition. I include a photo of the cactus orchid inspiring the tanka – and the midnight vigil.

And also, first place in Eastwood-Hills FAW monthly competition for my ode/elegy, “Urban Fox”, written in the style of a Keatsian ode.

And earlier in the year, the Eastwood-Hills FAW Pauline Walsh Award for a short story, for my story about a political candidate’s wife, titled “For Better, for Worse.” The story was good fun to write. This win was my fifth for the Pauline Walsh Award.

Early in December, I was interviewed by Meredith Lake of ABC Radio National’s Soul Search about my reflections in poetry on the gospels, After all this Time. You can listen to the interview here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-gospel-of-john-and-the-poetry-of-belief/id75423045?i=1000590232752. The interview is about 30 minutes in and lasts for about 30 minutes. I hope you enjoy it and gives some background to the book.

The book is available from Coventry Press, https://coventrypress.com.au/after-all-this-time

I’m happy to announce the publication of my new book, “After all this time”, published by Coventry Press in Melbourne.

The publisher describes it this way:

“In After all this time Reflections on Jesus, Anne Benjamin invites us on pilgrimage with her, to rediscover the sources of her faith and to express in contemporary language what it means to accept Jesus of Nazareth and his teaching as an authentic way to shape life and give meaning in our world.

On this journey, she brings insight, scholarship, poetry, reflection and prayer as she uncovers the people, the traditions, the religion, the customs, the social reality of first century Palestine so necessary to understand the life and teaching of the man who is at the heart of our faith.

Anne invites us – as individuals and within groups – to reflect on incidents and events from the Gospels, offering context, commentary, practical help for sharing, responding, discussion, prayer – and, above all, opportunities to deepen knowledge and to grow in faith.”

Copies of the book are available from the publisher at: https://coventrypress.com.au/after-all-this-time

After a long time, I am returning to this website. It has been a busy time for my writing with two books published and a third presently with a publisher.

Leadership in a Synodal Church, co-authored with my colleague Associate Professor Charles Burford, was published early in 2021. Subsequently, Garratt Publishing named it their in-house Book of the Year.

Late in 2020, Australian Catholic Educators 1820-2020, co-edited with Seamus O’Grady, was published. This is the first hard-copy publication for a longer-term project, the Biographical Dictionary of Australian Catholic Educators that I have been working on for some years. It honours the lives of those women and men who have served children and their families in Catholic schools in Australia over 200 years.

Thrilled for my poem, “Last Night on Mount Zion” to be Highly Commended in the 2019 ACU Poetry Prize. The poem was sparked by an evening in July 2018 when a group of us from the Abrahamic faith traditions met on the roof above King David’s Tomb to pray for peace. A memorable moment.

I was very pleased to learn on Saturday that another story of mine, “Roman Attraction,” had won this year’s Pauline Walsh Short Story Award in the Eastwood-Hills Fellowship of Australian Writers. This is very encouraging.

Pauline Walsh was a loved member of Eastwood-Hills Fellowship of Australian Writers. Each year, the group of which she was a member offers a prize in her name with a trophy. It is an honour to win this award.

I was encouraged to learn my poem “Lute Music” was shortlisted in the 2018 ACU national Poetry Prize and was published in the chap book, Empathy. 

The winner was Annie Hunter with her powerful “Athene noctua”. Emeritus Professor Chris Wallace-Crabbe AM was the Finals judge.

                             

I’m very pleased to announce the publication of Saffron and Silk, An Australian in India by Chennai-based Notion Press. This was made possible through the generosity of my Australian publisher, David Lovell Publishing.

Saffron and Silk is now available in bookstores across India: Delhi (Oxford), Bengaluru (Gangarams), Noida (Book Cafe), Mumbai (Title Wave), Kolkata (Story Book Store), Secunderabad (Coffee Cup) and Chennai (Odyssey and Higginbothams).

It is also available on the following online venues: notionpress (https://notionpress.com/read/saffron-and-silk), amazon.in, infibeam and flipkart.com.

For readers in Australia, it is still available through the BUY page on this site. In Europe, USA and UK, through Amazon.