Whose Broken Is This? Launch of book by John Passant and CD of the same title with songs by Passant and Milena Cifali. Beyond Q Books, Bar & Barista, Weston Arcade, 11 Brierly Street, Weston Creek, Saturday, March 30, 4.30 to 6.30pm. Books and CDs will be on sale. Free but bookings recommended: (02) 6162 3999.
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John Passant is many things. He's a journalist, member of the Canberra Press Gallery for Independent Australia, retired senior tax officer, and a tax academic and blogger (as well as a frequent writer of letters to The Canberra Times).
He is also a poet and has published two collections of his work, Whose Broken Is This and Other Poems (Ginninderra Press 2018) and Songs for the Band Unformed (Ginninderra Press 2016).
Whose Broken Is This? is being launched at Beyond Q Books, Bar & Barista in two forms: as a book and as an album of the same name. Passant has recently collaborated with singer and songwriter Milena "Mili" Cifali to turn some of his poems into songs for the CD.
Passant says, "I started to cry when I first heard it."
Passant writes both political and personal poetry. His subject matter includes the changing world, country life, his schooldays and the feeling of alienation many people have from society.
"There's always a sense of hope in my poetry, a hope for a new world of equity and equality," he said.
"The poems Milena has picked out are my more personal poems."
The songs are performed on the CD by Gippsland duo the Awesome - Cifali on guitar and vocals, Jim Horvath on bass and percussion - with guest musicians - blues artist Dorothy DJ Gosper, Tony Hunter (mandolin) from Canberra, Julia Horvath (cellist, no relation to Jim), and Johnny Reynolds (lead guitar).
The Awesome, self-described musical gypsies, travel and perform around the country, including at the 2018 National Folk Festival in Canberra.
Passant also read some of his poems on the album. He says when he went to the recording studio at Artsound in Manuka, "I went in and recorded my four poems in 20 or 30 minutes.
"They called me 'One-take John'.
"Milena used to be my son's guitar teacher - he's gone on to a life of guitar teaching."
They kept in touch and were chatting once after an Awesome gig when the idea of turning some of Passant's poems into songs arose - and later, it became a reality.
"It was a wonderful experience to hear."
And now, at the launch, Passant and the Awesome will be joined by other musicians to perform some of the pieces.
Passant, 65, retired 10 years ago after a long career and is battling a rare form of lung cancer.
"The particular type I've got - I haven't smoked - is just a genetic mutation."
Milena says: “John’s poetry is a vital body of work for Australian poetry; at once thought-provoking, sensitive, brutal, honest and always hopeful. The poems shake and stir the dust in your soul, remaining there long after the dust has settled.”
And although Passant has cancer, he continues to fight and to write. As he says, his poetry always has a sense of hope - like the man himself.
