For the love of poetry – Inside Indonesia: The peoples and cultures of Indonesia

In memory of Pat I think we met in the mid-1980s at a party, not long after I moved from Sydney – maybe at an Inside Indonesia gathering or a party. Pat Walsh was an activist, a writer, a friend and a poet. He loved poetry, but probably more than that, it was his passion. Patrick Walsh, a former Catholic priest who loves poetry – not just poetry in English, but poetry in other languages, including Indonesian. He hardly ever missed a gathering of the Jembatan Poetry Society. The last time he joined us was in late August 2015 for a gathering at Nelayan Penyet Restaurant, on Lonsdale Street in Melbourne. His books such as, Di Tempat Kejadian Perkara and ‘Stormy with a Chance of Fried Rice – Twelve months in Jakarta, included many poems alongside his essays and reflections. Stormy with a Chance of Fried Rice – 12 months in Jakarta published in 2015, in my opinion, it the best of his books. The cover is especially funny: a man with a moustache and a cat running away because someone is chasing her with a knife. It’s just a brilliant cover! Fortunately, Pat allowed me to record readings of
Read More