And the Gold Medal for Most Viewed Poem Goes To…

It’s official : Social Stories for Neurotypical Adults #27: No Dogs Allowed has now overtaken First… Then… as the most viewed poem on this blog. I don’t know who is out there Facebooking, Tweeting or linking to it, but it has been a steady performer for many months now, and has now cracked over 2000 views. Thank you, whoever you are.

(2000 doesn’t sound that impressive, I know, but believe me, for a poetry blog, that’s a big number. Most of First… Then…’s almost 2000 views were achieved in one day, when it went totally viral in the autism community on Facebook (just over a year ago). Again, pretty unprecedented for a poetry blog. Most poetry *books* these days sell in the hundreds, unless written by Billy Collins, Wendy Cope or Les Murray. I love the internet.)

If you’re new to this blog, this is the part where I explain that both of the above poems are now in a book, also called First… Then…, which you can browse here and buy here. If you’d rather not pay shipping, why not wander into your local bookshop / bookstore and ask them to order you a copy from Ginninderra Press ?

Thanks for visiting. I am working on setting up some more readings from the book so watch this space for details (‘tour dates’). In the meantime, Keep Calm and Watch the Paralympics. And have a pleasant day.

Newspaper Review of First… Then…

The following review of First… Then…, the book of this blog, appeared in The Canberra Times, Saturday August 25, 2012. It was written by Peter Pierce, editor of the Cambridge History of Australian Literature.

‘Another planet, other places’

The title and opening poem of Melinda Smith’s First…Then…, a collection of “poems from planet autism” is choppy, unnerved, but essential to what follows. It recounts her deepening realisation of the changes that will be wrought in her life now that she is the parent of an autistic son. The foreword has already revealed that ‘all the poems in this book are about life with autism’; has also dealt with how Smith has presumed to write not only of her only experiences as a mother, but ‘in the voice of a person with autism when I am not myself autistic.’ In ‘Brain Weather’, she writes of how she has to try to understand a brain whose frontal lobe was cauterised, leaving you ‘endless atomised local storms’. The child is given a voice in the striking poem ‘I prefer’, which lists some of those disquieting preferences : “serious illness to surprises/computers to my brother/reading number plates to Christmas morning”. In the brief compass of this book there is much else that is imaginatively and formally challenging. Consider some of her titles: ‘Love song of autistic husband’ (one of the most plaintive of these poems), ‘A prehistory of autism’, the brilliant and almost persuasive ‘All magpies are autistic’, and ‘Not the Botany Bay song’, which is tellingly subtitled ‘A sea shanty for ASD parents and carers’. There is no lyrical impulse at work in these poems. They are terse, concentrated, questing without false hope.”

I am actually pretty happy with that. Why not browse this blog – or buy the book – and make up your own mind

Poems in Perspectives II

I got some good news yesterday. Two of the poems in First… Then… (the book of this blog) are going to be in the second Perspectives Anthology, a collection of poems inspired by autism and other disabilities. The Editors of the anthology (James P. Wagner and Marc Rosen) will be taking the book on the road soon, mostly in the Long Island area of New York. Alas, I live too many continents away to be able to come on the tour, but keep a look out for details if you are in that area. I will post more information here when I know it.

Just in case you are interested, the poems of mine selected for Perspectives II are Brain Weather and I Prefer. Sneak previews on the other end of those links

First… Then… Mini Book Tour

First… Then… the book is currently on tour. I’ve been busy taking it to the streets of Melbourne. Read more here .

First… Then… autism poetry book on sale now

To buy your copy from Ginninderra Press , scroll aaaaallll the way down to Melinda Smith, find my third book ‘First… Then…’ and click BUY NOW.

About the book

First…Then… is a short collection of 24 poems about autism, written by the mother of a son with ASD. The poems explore many different voices from planet autism – from verbal and non-verbal autistic children, to autistic men and women, to parents, carers and siblings. Some are moving, some are harrowing, and some are laugh-out-loud funny. Together they provide a unique window into a much misunderstood facet of the human experience.

The writing of the poems in First…Then… was supported by an ArtsACT new projects grant during 2011.  During that time the poems were drafted, redrafted, posted on this blog, and Tweeted and Facebooked to within an inch of their lives. Some of them were also published in other places (Tony Attwood’s website, Scottish Autism’s blog, Aspie in the Family, Quadrant Magazine, Blackmail Press, Geek Mook and ACT Carers’ Circle, to name a few – thanks to everyone involved for their support).

Now the poems are between two covers and ready to make their way out into the real world. Maybe they’re coming to your house ? I hope so.

PS: You can take a sneak peek inside the book by browsing around this blog. Start here. Enjoy.

PPS If you’re reading this before 12 April 2012 and you feel like coming to a launch or a reading, you’re invited ! Details here.

Book launch details for First… Then…

Hello there.First… Then…, the book of this blog (a book of poems about autism), is on sale now from Ginninderra Press (scroll aaaaallll the way down to Melinda Smith, find my third book ‘First… Then…’ and click BUY NOW.

One launch down (thanks to all who came), one to go, plus a reading.

Launch Two – for the literary community and anyone else who could’t make it to Launch One – is on Wed 11 April, at 6.30 for 7pm, at Smith’s Alternative Bookshop in Alinga St Civic (in the Melbourne Building opposite the GPO). Eminent poet and novelist Alan Gould will be doing the honours at this one. Light refreshments provided, buy your own drinks at the bar.

Love to see you there !

The night before, I’m doing a poetry reading at the Gods Cafe, on the ANU campus, from 8 pm on Tuesday 10 April. Also reading (but not about autism) will be P S Cottier and Russell Erwin

About the book

First…Then… is a short collection of 24 poems, mostly dramatic monlogues in various voices. The poems focus on the experience of living with autism, but you do not need to know or be an autistic person to enjoy this book. The poems are by turns moving, harrowing and laugh-out-loud funny, and provide a unique window into a much misunderstood facet of the human experience.

The writing of the poems in First…Then… was supported by an ArtsACT new projects grant during 2011.  You can take a sneak peek inside the book by browsing around this blog.

First…Then… the book

So the 24 autism poems on this blog are going to be in a book. The title was originally going to be CircleQuirk but I have changed it to First…Then… after the most popular poem in the collection.

The book is coming out in April 2012 (Autism Awareness Month) and will be published by Ginninderra Press. At that point I will be taking most of the poems down and providing a link to where you can buy the book.

Between now and then they will remain here, free of charge for anyone to read (still copyright (c) Melinda Smith though ). While they are all still here, I thought it might be helpful to have a Table of Contents page linking to the poems in the order they appear in the book (which is different to the order they were written and posted on this blog in).

So here ’tis. Enjoy. And I should remember to thank ArtsACT for supporting me one day a week while I wrote the poems.

First… Then… | poems from planet autism

Table of Contents

Poetry appearing on this blog was generously supported by the ACT Government

First…Then…

Brain Weather

Autistic Acrostic

Beach cricket with four year old

autistic child with acute auditory processing disorder

what the child hears

I prefer

What I learned at school

Asperger’s diagnosis: a fugue

Not the Botany Bay Song

A prehistory of autism

On holding the baby of a friend

But

Social Stories for Neurotypical Adults #27: No Dogs Allowed

All magpies are autistic

The impossible blindfold

Love song of autistic husband

An autistic woman explains the terror of affection

Shechinah – or God and Temple Grandin

AUTISM CRUMPETS

I have autism

I am autistic

AutisTweets

#autismtshirtslogans

#autismtshirtslogans

The following poem is the result of my one and only attempt to start a Twitter hashtag.  If you have no idea what that last sentence means, don’t worry, you can still appreciate the poem.  For those of you down with the TwitSpeak, suffice it to say it did not really take off.  But I did get a few retweets and comments, which helped me work out which were the funniest slogans.

Poetry appearing on this page was generously supported by the ACT Government

Here they are – Happy New Year !

#autismtshirtslogans

I’m not melting down, I’m venting

At least my Chewy Tube doesn’t cause lung cancer

So I like to climb things.  So what ?  Higher is better.  There are no haters up there

I understand NASCAR racing on a much deeper level than you

Your need for spontaneity is exhausting me

Time for a trampoline break !

School?  Hell?  Tough choice.  At least you get to do fun stuff before they put you in hell

Well ?  How many digits can *you* recite Π to ?

If you can read this, you need to gently remind me about personal space