in a night house
A6 32pp ISBN: 978-0-9580367-3-3
(cover illustration by Jen Saunders)
$9.90 including postage
Jen Saunders is a poet, artist and songwriter. Her first book Translations published in 1999, introduced readers to her surprising and perceptive poems. Jen Saunders is the editor and publisher of Squidink magazine. She lives in a small house in the woods - often at night.
in a night house
Music plays in this valley tonight
saxophone indistinct
but relaxed and sweetly spreading.
I welcome it in my window
because I feel alone
and it's good to know there is
someone
in the dark cricket-chipped night.
Here
the clock ticks and the fridge hums
but they are not important.
It's the tin roof skittering claws
of the critter outside
the under the house dumpy fluster
of ducks dreaming foxes
the heavily fed, fat-scaled slump
of python coils
dozing in the roof
the plastic bag nosing
picture theatre crackling
of the black-eyed antechinus
downstairs
the distant dog
barking five notes downwards
that make me feel
humanly alone.
Background
Jen Saunders was born in Mittagong, NSW in 1962. She moved to Wagga Wagga in 1981 where she completed a Diploma in Applied Arts majoring in silversmithing. In 1984 she set up a jewellery-making workshop and exhibited at the Old Brewery Gallery in Wagga Wagga. In 1985 she completed her Graduate Diploma of Education.
Since 1987 Jen has regularly exhibited paintings, drawings and collages in mixed shows in Sydney, Melbourne, the Southern Highlands and the Shoalhaven where she now lives. Since 1995 she has been holding successful solo shows once a year. She is also involved in curating art shows including LETS Show (Berry Community Centre, 1994) and Smalls on the Walls (Tea Club Cafe, Nowra, 2000).
In 1992 Jen began performing her poetry at writer's nights in the Shoalhaven and Illawarra. She is a regular on the local circuit - most recently performing at the Shoalhaven Poetry Festival in Nowra and the Tabula Rasa Arts Festival in Milton.
In 1999 she published her first book of poetry Translations (Passionfruit Press) and in May 2002 launched in a night house (PressPress). In 2001 Jen was runner-up in the prestigious national short story competition - the Budawang Circle of Excellence Awards - with her story 'Raoul Forth'. She is editor of the arts magazine Squidink.
Jen is also a songwriter/musician performing in a variety of bands but most usually in The Captive Good.
