Koraly Dimitriadis will be one of five critics squatting at Slam Up for the next fortnight to cover the Overload Poetry Festival. Dimitriadis is a Cypriot-Australian performance poet and published writer. She is the author of the controversial poetry chap book Love and Fuck Poems (2011) She blogs for Overland Literary Magazine and presents monthly on 3CR's Spoken Word program. Koraly hopes to carry the momentum of her no-holds-barred approach to poetry over to her reviews. Slam Up caught up with her to talk bribery, red dresses, the Melbourne Spoken Word scene and the ethics of reviewing herself.So, you were part of the reviewing team when Overland Literary Journal covered the festival in 2009, and now you’re back on board to review Overload again at Slam Up. Why?
Because I want to be mean! No, no, I really enjoyed the conversation that took place for Overland Overload and when Maxine asked me, I couldn't say no even though I am leaving for overseas the day after the closing ceremony.
Are you insane?
Yes, many people have told me that I am, especially the men I date/chase...
Which events are you planning on reviewing at Overload?
I don't really want to say that publicly, I would rather hide in a dark corner so people don't ambush me. But I will say this: I plan to go to as many as I can and I will be at the opening ceremony, and may even review myself at Passionate Tongues(what better person to review me than myself)
What kind of reviewer are you going to be? Should the poets be afraid... very afraid?
Many in the poetry scene know me for my honesty, so people should be afraid, very afraid, but if you buy me chocolates then I may be nicer.
What will be the worst this about reviewing the festival?
I know too many people and I don't want to offend people! But I hope they take my review as constructive criticism - we all want to work on our craft and improve ourselves as artists, and that's the really good thing about reviews: you can see your art through someone else's eyes, but at the same time it's all subjective too!
The best?
Well, of course the celebrity treatment and that people will know me as an Overload reviewer and buy me chocolates.
Can you be bought?
Cash is preferred, paypal or credit card but also chocolates, wine, biscuits (choc chip preferred), dinner, music CDs, books, theatre or film tickets will also do.
Fast-forward two years from your last reviewing experience and you’re now ON at Overload. How’d you make such short work of that?
I worked bloody hard! When I was reviewing for Overload back in 2009 I thought the poets were so cool and I never thought for a minute I'd be an Overload poet two years on. I would write poetry but I never showed anyone and then one day I performed by first poem in Maxine's living room and she said - 'that's awesome' and I said 'really?' and she said 'yeah' and that's all I needed, a pat on the back from good old Maxine and I was off on my performance poet journey.
You didn’t bribe anyone?
Yes, I did bribe Luis, the head of Overload and Michael Reynolds, the convener of Passionate Tongues, because, as many of my poet friends know, all year I've been saying 'Man, I don't think Michael Reynolds likes my poetry because he never asks me to do a feature at Passionate Tongues' and then, a few weeks ago I performed a poem on the open mic at Passionate Tongues and when I finished, Michael announced that I would be featuring for Overload and my jaw dropped...but that was all an act because the week before I wired over some money to him and Luis. I knew it was a done deal.
You sure?
Yes, that's how it happened.
Are you dressed like a poet?
Well what does a poet dress like? I saw a dress in a shop window and I knew it was my 'Love and Fuck Poems' dress. It's the same colour as my chap book and I'll wear the dress for my feature and also for a photo shoot I am doing with Ben John Smith to promo our gig at Polyester bookshop in November.
If poets had a uniform, what would it look like?
Where do you come up with these questions? I don't know!
Wax lyrical
Poetry, poetry, you keep coming back for me
I try to tear away, but you just want me to stay
All I want to do is finish my novel
but you tempt me with all your sorrow
your rhyming versus, your traps and curses
Poetry, poetry, you keep coming back for me
Man, seriously, when are you gonna just let me be?
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