ARTbop is delighted to share with our readers the recent success of Sam, the ARTbop Poetry Editor.
Sometime ago Sam told me he had been contacted through his Linked in entry by a member of The Australia Times about publishing some of his poetry. Anyone who has ever written anything, and submitted it, knows that exquisite feeling of elation when an independent entity affirms you by accepting your work for publication.
Congratulations are in order for Sam who is one of this month’s featured poets in The Australia Times Poetry Magazine. Sam has two of his poems published there with an edited biographical statement and image www.theaustraliatimes.com
Sam and I are sitting in the 18th Avenue, Tauranga cafe QVis on mid-winter/Matariki Sunday morning reviewing the ARTbopSHOW. SHOW Producer and Director, Dhaivat Mehta (a poet and performance poet) has not been able to join the meeting this week so it’s just Sam and I. Among fragrant hot chocolates, date scone ,vegetable tart, jotter pads and tablets, I read online the work of a smiling and creatively validated Sam.
Sam has self-published several collections of his poetry and currently has a novel and other works proceeding to completion. Sam is representative of nearly all of the contributors to ARTbop, quietly and persistently pursuing a creative talent in addition to their “normal” lives. I’m including Sam’s autobiographical author’s statement:
“Sam is my pseudonym, a nickname I prefer to be called. I began writing a long time ago and have published my poetry online and in traditional book format.. I have just completed my third book of poetry and I am currently finalising a work of fiction. Since my twenties I have been interested in the teachings of Zen masters, and those still alive today, like Thich Nhat Hanh, a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist from Vietnam. Thich is respected throughout the world for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace. His key teaching is that, through mindfulness, we can learn to live happily in the present moment-the only way to truly develop peace, both in one’s self and in the world. Since moving to Tauranga, I have found an extraordinary Buddhist teacher, Tarchin Hearn, and attend his group meditation and teachings Now in faithfulness and with wisdom, I’m inclined to say, all I hope for, is for openness and everyone in this world to love each other, to forgive, and forgive with understanding.
Since coming to Tauranga I have joined the Tauranga Writers Inc group and attend Poetry at the Incubator. I am also the ARTbop Poetry Editor.”
The Australia Times is a free online magazine. It describes itself as “non-aligned, grass-roots magazine..with a blend professional and citizen contributors” There is a significant range of magazine topics and a large archive of magazines and articles www.theaustraliatimes.com
If you have original poetry you would like to contribute to the Poetry Section of ARTbop WORDS please forward it to info@artbop.co.nz for the attention of the poetry Editor Sam Woodward. We prefer the work is emailed in docx format We appreciate one or two jpg images (not enormous ones as they become an uploading issue for ARTbop) and a brief biographical author/poet statement.
Rosemary Balu. Rosemary Balu is the founding and current editor of ARTbop. Rosemary has arts and law degrees from the University of Auckland. She has been a working lawyer and has participated in a wide variety of community activities where information gathering, submission writing, community advocacy and education have been involved. Interested in all forms of the arts since childhood Rosemary is focused on further developing and expanding multi-media ARTbop as the magazine for all the creative arts in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
