Crossing Boundaries – interview with Beth Spencer

Posted on August 8, 2025 by magdalenaball

I did an interview with Beth Spencer about her book The Age of Fibs some time ago for my Compulsive Reader Talks podcast.  Beth enjoyed the session so much that she turned it into a transcript which she then submitted, by invitation, to Coastlines Journal, an online literary magazine run by Southern Cross University. The discussion was far ranging and included things like public and private histories, how The Age of Fibs came together, identities and popular culture, memory, climate, hope, and despair – all the good stuff!  You can check it out here: https://coastlinesjournal.com/issue-10-crossing-boundaries-finding-hope-beth-spencer

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Perth Poetry Festival!

Posted on July 29, 2025 by magdalenaball

I’m delighted to have been invited as a guest to this year’s Perth Poetry Festival!  The WA poetry scene is very strong with superb poets and a wonderful community and I’ll be joining in 3 big events including the Festival Gala on Friday night, running a “Memoir in Verse” poetry workshop on Sat the 30th, and as a featured poet in the Saturday night poetry session. There are a whole series of terrific workshops all weekend.

Tickets to the Friday night gala available here:
https://events.humanitix.com/ppf2025-gala

Tickets to the workshops are now available here:
Perth Poetry Festival Workshops

Tickets to the Saturday night Poetry session here:
https://events.humanitix.com/ppf2025-satpoets

If you are able to come along to any of the events, please say hello!

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Poetry D’Amour

Posted on July 27, 2025 by magdalenaball

Given I’m heading to Perth for the Perth Poetry Festival very soon, I’m particularly pleased to be on the longlist for the Poetry D’Amour competition this year along with many other poets whose work I admire deeply. I honestly think that a large part of the pleasure of being on a long or shortlist is being part of the community of others also on the list, but then I think that at least some of the great pleasure of being a poet is in community.  Winners will be announced on Thursday the 28th of August at the City of Perth Library.

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Australian Jewish Writer Awards

Posted on July 25, 2025 by magdalenaball

It was my great pleasure to have been invited, along with Katia Ariel and Jessica Abelsohn, to be a judge for the The Szymon (Simon) Klitenik Award for Jewish Fiction as part of the Australian Jewish Writers Awards.  The shortlist is now out and judges comments are available in the link below. The winner will be announced on the 24th of August and wins a prize of $5,000.

https://www.shalomcollective.com.au/programs/jewish-book-awards?p=our-offerings&m=2025-awards-the-szymon-simon-klitenik-award-for-jewish-fiction-

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Sydney Launch of Gold Digger by Lisa Collyer

Posted on June 26, 2025 by magdalenaball

On Saturday, the 27th of September, I’ll be MCing the Sydney launch of Lisa Collyer’s much awaited new poetry book Gold Digger, which will feature a launch speech by Willo Drummond and readings by the author and some special guests.

Gold Digger challenges the enduring myths of domesticity by portraying women as breadwinners, unearthing the

realities of labour, aspiration, and social mobility. Collyer deftly reveals how women’s work – often overlooked or undervalued – has always been present, from the kitchen to the corridors of power.

The event happens from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Better Read Than Dead, 265 King St, Newtown

For all the details and to book visit: https://www.betterreadevents.com/events/gold-digger-lisa-collyer-with-willo-drummond-and-magdalena-ball

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Dublin: The Circle Sessions

Posted on May 20, 2025 by magdalenaball

Spending Bloomsday in Dublin has long been on my bucket list, and this year I’m not only going to be in Dublin on June the 16th, I’ll also be a feature poet at The Circle Sessions.  These acoustic sessions take place every Monday from 7-11, featuring Spoken Word Poetry, Storytelling, Music and Performance in the International Bar, 23 Wicklow St, Dublin. If, by some coincidence, you are also going to be in Dublin on Bloomsday, please do come join me.   There’s an open mic which you can sign up for from 745.  The beautiful pub, mentioned in Ulysses, is over two hundred years old.

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Judith Feature

Posted on April 17, 2025 by magdalenaball

The Wonderful poet, essayist, translator and scholar Rachel Neve-Midbar has created a beautiful feature of me and my work (and a few of my tiny delights) at Judith Magazine. Judith is a Substack-based showcase of Jewish arts of all kinds and is an absolute treasure trove of complex and meaningful work.  “There are no easy solutions in these poems, but oh, how they help us to think and rethink.” You can find my feature here: https://judithmagazine.substack.com/p/a-broken-world-introducing-the-poetry

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Lake Macquarie Write Here events

Posted on March 15, 2025 by magdalenaball

I’ve got two fantastic events coming up with Lake Macquarie’s wonderful Write Here festival. The first is a literary cruise.  I’ll be leading attendees in a series of writing exercises focusing on the beautiful Lake Macquarie while we enjoy a delicious Devonshire tea. The cruise leaves from Booragul Public Wharf on Friday the 16th of May at 10am and has already begun booking so get in quick if you’d like to join us:  https://library.lakemac.com.au/Events/Relax-and-Write-Cruise-with-Magdalena-Ball

The second is a free session with the stunning performance poets Rob Walker and Sara Crane on Saturday, 17 May, from 2-3pm at the Windale Hub, bilyabayi. Rob and Sara are both seasoned and powerful poetry performers (bring tissues!), and I can’t wait to tease out their secrets for you!  Details here: https://library.lakemac.com.au/Events/Poetry-and-Performance

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2 poems in Science Write Now 11 – Synergy

Posted on March 13, 2025 by magdalenaball

Science Write Now is a beautiful publication – presented free online, with a wide range of works – poetry, nonfiction, fiction and art, and I’m very pleased to have two poems in the latest edition: “Interdependence Intricacies” and “Metanoia”.  Each of the poems has an audio recording with it as well. You can check out the whole issue at the website here: https://sciencewritenow.com/

 

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Newcastle Writers Festival 2025

Posted on February 23, 2025 by magdalenaball

The Newcastle Writers Festival is a highlight of my year.  Held the first weekend of April, I’ve been involved in every festival since it started in 2013. It’s now one of the largest regional literary festivals in Australia, and I know I’m biased but I feel like the vibe is just perfect – down-to-earth and very accessible while still being grand enough to attract some of the biggest names locally and internationally.  I also love how the NWF gives plenty of airtime to local writers, and has worked very hard to make the festival accessible, with all main venues are accessible by wheelchair. This year I have 3 events including:

April 5th, 1pm: Ailsa Piper talking about her gorgeous new book For Life. 

April 5th, 3pm: I’ll be hosting a launch of five new books from Flying Islands: The Heart’s Lush Gardens by David Adés; Tadpoems by Tug Dumbly; Bitumen Psalms by Lizz Murphy; Filmworks by Brian Purcell; Separation Blues: Poems 1994–2024 by Nathanael O’Reilly; and Stranded by Bronwyn Rodden. Plus I’ll be launching the new 100 Poets Anthology.

April 6th, 2:30pm, Writing Identity and Inequality with Jumaana Abdu, Eda Gunaydin, and Paris Rosemont.

All my sessions are free – first in best dressed and I suspect the rooms will fill up fast so best to arrive a little early!

For all the details including the full program, visit: https://www.newcastlewritersfestival.org.au/

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