Features

More Than Luck: Ideas Australia Needs Now is an anthology of ideas for citizens who want real change and a to-do list for politicians looking to base public policies on the kind of future Australia needs. Produced by The Centre for Policy Development this book shows the practical steps we can take to share this country’s good luck amongst all Australians – now and in the future.

"REALITY IS SUCH A PROMISCUOUS CONCEPT"

"PORTALS" is an anthology of short stories, poems and gonzo journalism by artist, filmmaker and Undergrowth editor Timothy Parish.

Selected from writings over five years, including short stories previously published in anthologies NOMADOLOGY, The JOURNEYBOOK, HERDING KITES and RANDOM MOLECULES. 

TALES FROM THE UNDERGROWTH

 8pm THURSDAY 29th JULY, 2010

LOOP BAR, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne CBD

‘Tales from the Undergrowth’ is a night of three book launches by authors from the independent publisher and art collective Undergrowth. The night will feature readings and performances from ‘Portals’ by Tim Parish, ‘ALUC(i)NA’ by Benjamin Wild and ‘Mercury’ by performance poet Si, as well as spoken word by conscious hip hop artist Hugo, and spoken word by Aime Lou, Tarir.

 "UNHEARD VOICES FROM A FORGOTTEN LAND" IS A GRAPHIC NOVEL BY AN ANONYMOUS ARTIST AND WRITER. IT DETAILS IN STARK AND BEAUTIFUL IMAGERY THE HISTORY OF THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE FOR WEST PAPUA. 

 BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT SENT OUT BY THE UNKNOWN AUTHORS:

Dear Friends,

Please help us help humanity by reading and encouraging other adults to read the graphic novel at www.papuanvoices.com. (Does not yet work on mobile phones.)

The Illustrator and I have chosen to release the first three chapters (60 pages) now, given the urgency of the content but also because we can update and add to this "flip book" over time. (Try your scroll wheel to flip pages.)

If you care about disappearing cultures and biodiversity, you can help raise the world's awareness of West Papua by forwarding this appeal to your friends and colleagues, or by letting them know about this through Facebook, Twitter or word-of-mouth.

If you enjoy the beautiful illustrations in this book and you come to appreciate the global significance and dire urgency of its story, please tell others about papuanvoices.com.

The Author

UNDERGROWTH & OMELETTE RECORDS are proud to present the unique electronic soundscapes of SPOONBILL for the first time in Darwin.

SPOONBILL (aka Jim Moynihan) is one of Australia's most original and experimental electronic musicians. His unique sonic creations dodge genres, traversing glitch, dubstep and anarchist bass funk mash ups unlike any other producer. Sometimes lauded as 'intelligent dance music', othertimes described as 'vaudeville electronica', his latest album 'ZOOMORPHIC' was chosen as Radio National's album of the week in 2009 which they described as 'musically funny...' as well as 'technically sophisticated'.

SPOONBILL has played festivals nationally and internationally including Burning Man (US), Symbiosis (US), Rainbow Serpent (AUS), Glade Festival (UK), Shambhala (CAN) and Fusion (Germany) and many more. He will be coming to Darwin for one performance only.

The gig will be at the newly relocated HAPPY YESS, now situated within the historical BROWNS MART venue, in the heart of Darwin City.

The night will feature music from 9:30pm with local Darwin guests DJs and visuals by VJ VERB (AKA Tim Parish) and VJ Asterix will provide live visuals on the night with Djs till late.

MERCURY is a new anthology of poems by Melbourne poet Si.

Launched in 2009, the book was toured to the National Young Writers Festival, Emerging Writers Festival (VIC) and West End Street Festival. In May 2010 it will be launched at WORDSTORM NT in Darwin as part of 'Tales From The Undergrowth' at Happy Yess.

Below is an excerpt from the book.

A lecture given on March 17, 2010 to the Sydney cell of the Evolver network (www.evolver.net) as part of its community "spore" discussion on the future of psychedelics. In which experiential journalist Rak Razam discusses the state of psychedelic culture, where it came from in modern times with the advent of LSD in 1943, the legacy of alchemist Albert Hofmann, and why the psychedelic movement is so important to a sustainable future. Acid opened the mind in the 60s, ecstasy opened the heart in the 80s, and in the 21st century ayahuasca and entheogenic plant sacraments are opening the soul of the West, guiding us back to a cooperative Gaian partnership. As the "second wave of ayahuasca shamanism" sweeps the world in a slo-mo r-evolution, the psychedelic movement is reaching out to the elder indigenous cultures around the world to bridge the gap of our own psychic and spiritual understanding, and is becoming a global entheogenic movement. Can this new wave reach a critical mass of its own understanding, as well as a purity of intent to truly be ready to join the galactic community? Join Razam and the Evolver community to find out...

Image: The Shaman, by Amanda Sage

Deep within the concrete heart of downtown Los Angeles, I recently met Jimmy Bleyer, a wizard in the form of an art curator who is behind the Temple Of Visions, a new multi-arts space that opened January 9th. It will be the first gallery dedicated totally to the emerging contemporary Visionary Art culture here in the City of Angels.