Nothing like a bad back to make you mindful of how great it is to be healthy. My illnesses are always soo much worse than everyone else’s. But while lying around feeling sorry for myself I have been thinking about my idea that I’ve had for a long time and am going to finally get it off the ground. Not many people buy whole books of poetry, partly because they like just one poem in the book. It’s a bit like knitting patterns. Lots of people also had bad experiences with poetry at school and think they don’t care for it much.
However! I’m an optimist and think that an accessible poem can bring laughter, romance, politics and lots of other things into your life so I am launching Fluffy George Poetry Posts. The other part to this is that I love getting real mail that isn’t a bill or a sale being advertised. So I am planning on sending a poem a month to anyone who subscribes to Fluffy George Post. Some will be written by me but others will be my favourites from other NZ poets who have agreed to allow me to use them. They will come in the post in pretty paper and envelopes and might be lovely for a person in an old people’s home, a family member overseas, an addition to a book club, a gift that gives on giving to a friend and so on. They could then be framed, regifted as a postcard, a birthday card, made into a calendar, put on the fridge until the next one, the possibilities are endless.
Below is my letter that will be going out to any friends whose address I already have along with the first poem which will be free. If you would like to subscribe and I don’t have your address please email me and I’ll put you on the list.
Fluffy George Posted Poems
Dear Everyone,
Welcome to the first edition of Fluffy George posted poems. I’ve been thinking for a while that many people enjoy poetry but don’t necessarily want to buy whole volumes. So to revive the art of getting real mail, I am going to post poems out in the lovely snail mail way once per month to those of you who would like to subscribe to FG Poetry Posts.
Please find enclosed my first sample completely free of charge (no steak knives sorry) to help you decide if you would like to subscribe or gift to a friend or relative.
I hope to post love poems, political poems, fun poems, any kind of poem written by moi but with guest poets included on a regular basis.
The poems will be nicely presented on good quality paper so they could be sent to someone else as a postcard, birthday card, framed for posterity or read at your book club, they are also on ideal paper for worm farms.
Now…the cost including postage for the rest of the year, for 8 more poems taking us through until Christmas is $10 per month making it 80 dollars per subscription or 4 poems for 45 dollars every second month.
If you would like to join up for one of these options please email me on heggies@xtra.co.nz. If you would like an overseas subscription please also email me as the postage for Australia is $2.70 from July and UK and France is $3.30. This is for an A5 envelope as I don’t want to fold them. It might be a nice gift for family and friends living abroad.
I hope you are okay with receiving the first one as a free, no-obligation sample if I already have your address.
Sue Heggie
aka Fluffy George
I’m off to Invercargill this week for a Press My Buttons seminar which I am taking for Allison Mooney. Big Mooney Boots to fill!
She has been entertainer of the year a few times so no pressure then…. FG
Fluffy George 