Singing

We had a fantastic launch on Friday 8 November 2024 of my poetry collection, ‘Grace Notes’, published by Salmon Poetry, at The Allingham Festival in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal. I was so moved at the number of people who made an effort to be there: my sister Susan Coakley and her husband Daragh, my brother Tony and his wife Marie, and my brother James flew over from England as a surprise, as well as several close friends. And of course my dearest Robert Rath.


Local writer Win McNulty and I decided we would structure the launch as an interview/conversation. Win drew out of me many key points about the collection and its structure, how I came to focus on Gráinne Mhaol and voices/voicings as themes, my ideas about writing with and through constraints, and my rescued poetry process. It was a great conversation, and I’m very grateful to Win for all her background work and her intelligent, thoughtful and considered questions. We’re hoping to post video highlights publicly soon, so I’ll keep you updated.

I'm very grateful to The Allingham Festival committee for including me on the festival programme and for providing a beautiful space. I feel very privileged that my book launched on the 200th anniversary of the birth of William Allingham.


I'm particularly indebted to Tony and Marie Liston for arranging the amazing wine and canapés reception, and for looking after all the logistics associated with the event.

And of course my deepest gratitude goes to Jessie Lendennie and Siobhan Hutson Jeanotte of Salmon Poetry for publishing my work in such a beautiful form. The book itself is a work of art.



Christmas is coming, dear readers, so you might like to buy a few books as gifts for the bookworms and poetry lovers in your life! Order the book directly from the Salmon Poetry website. They ship worldwide!

Posted by Jennifer Liston

It's finally here!

Ennistymon-based Salmon Poetry has published my poetry collection, Grace Notes. It will be launched at the Allingham Festival in Ballyshannon on Friday 8 November. I'm really looking forward to launching this baby into the world. It's been a long time in the making.

Grace Notes is a collection of poems that express fragments of the life of Grace O’Malley/Gráinne Mhaol. The Gráinne compositions place Gráinne at different points in her life and also situate her in a mediaeval past and a borrowed future via her dreams, or aislings. Interspersed with these compositions are ‘rescued’ poems. (I've posted many examples and written quite a bit on this site about my 'rescued poetry' process. You could also check out my rescued poetry website.) I chose 17 texts connected to Gráinne – a selection of factual or fictional biographies of her and a small number of contemporary historical texts – from which I rescued 50 poems.

Isn't the cover gorgeous? Salmon Poetry's Siobhán Hutson Jeanotte designed it. I requested that it wouldn't feature the usual pirate queen image bandied around whenever Grace O'Malley is illustrated, and Siobhán did a wonderful job with an abstract image that suggests movement and sea and waves without hitting us over the head with them.

You can buy the book directly from the Salmon Poetry website. They ship worldwide!

Posted by Jennifer Liston

I’ve been so lucky to be part of the Talk on Corners project, an exciting musical tribute in Adelaide, SA, to Irish traditional/pop superstars The Corrs.



The brainchild of keyboard player/singer Sara Sizer and former drummer Dave Owen, this band of seriously talented Adelaide musicians brings together their extensive experience to deliver the unmistakeable rich harmonies, soulful guitars, melodic keys, and distinctive violin and tin whistle trademarks of the original hugely popular group.


Talk on Corners' first gig at Littlewood Agapanthus Farm, November 2021.

The line-up is Jennifer Liston (me!) (lead vocals and tin whistle), Sara Sizer (keyboards and vocals), Christine Morphett (violin), Robbie Lennox (guitars and vocals), Peter Franche (bass guitar) and Nick Carroll (drums). Alan Sizer provides fantastic audio engineering support.



We've had fantastic feedback from wonderful audience members who sang along and grooved to many of the gorgeous tunes. And of course we rocked it ourselves too!


Rockin' it at Marion Cultural Centre, July 2022.

When Chris and Pete relocated to the UK mid-2023, Casey Franchi took over violin duties and Chris Hart joined as bass player.


INC Cafe, October 2023.

As well as private functions, some of the venues we have played are:

The Adelaide Irish Club
The Gov
The Brit
Inc Cafe
Marion Cultural Centre
The Norwood Hotel
Littlewood Agapanthus Farm


With many thanks to Philip van Pamelen for some great photos!

Posted by Jennifer Liston

I was privileged to have had the opportunity to be cast in the amazing play 'Clock for No Time', written and directed by all-round-talent Michèle Saint-Yves.

The play asks the question ‘What endures when we are gone?’ It juxtaposes the brain neuropathologies of Simone (who has an acquired brain injury) and her father Ian (who has advanced Alzheimer’s disease), and how facing the realities of their conditions in the context of a father-daughter relationship may help Simone find the answer.

The play’s season ran from 19–31 October 2021 at the Rumpus Theatre in Bowden, Adelaide. I was a last-minute recruit: the Sydney-based actor Gina Zoia who was originally to perform was unable to make it because of COVID-19 travel restrictions.


Cast of Clock for No Time (l-r): Paul Reichstein (Ian), Jennifer Liston (performer, MRI technician, Margaret), Jo Stone (Simone), Michèle St Yves (writer, director)

I was cast as a performer, the MRI technician, and as Margaret (Ian’s wife/Simone’s mother). I had to learn six poems, four songs (although I ended up singing only two), a monologue, and some tracts of dialogue within a few weeks.

Working alongside two stellar actors, from whom I learned so much, gave me such a buzz. Jo Stone (who played Simone), Paul Reichstein (who played Ian) and I shared many moments of laughter, tears, exhaustion, awe, and pure wonder. And we shared many gigglesome times with Michèle Saint-Yves too.

We certainly needed humour to manage our way through the serious intensity and emotional demands of the play (although it does have some wonderful comedic moments).

The play embedded access in performance and audience-inhabited spaces and was neurodivergent- and dementia-friendly. It had financial and in-kind support from many sources including Arts South Australia, the Richard Llewellyn Deaf and Disabled Artist Fund, the Department of Premier and Cabinet, SA COVID Arts recovery fund, and the State Theatre Company of South Australia.



We had two solid weeks to rehearse, a third week called ‘tech week’ which meant we didn’t always get many ‘run-throughs’, then the season itself – a run of 13 shows over two weeks.

The level of preparation and input on the tech side was amazing to witness, so capably envisioned and handled by Mark Oakley (AV/Digital & Technical Design). Production coordinator and stage manager extraordinaire Abbie Heuer kept us all safe, organised, on time and on our toes.



The reviews were thoughtful, considered, and very complimentary. I was so happy for Michèle because this play is courageous, brave and confronting.

Many thanks, Michèle, for that amazing, unforgettable opportunity.

All photos courtesy Saige Prime.

Posted by Jennifer Liston