Horror, Sleaze and Trash.

Culturally repressed bestselling poet Koraly Dimitriadis (Love and F**k Poems) and poet and editor from the burbs Ben John Smith (Horror, Sleaze and Trash) this year further push the boundaries in their annual Polyester Books poetry war with a gender swapping warm up. The physical war will be held on Friday 21 November at 7pm at Polyester Books, 330 Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, where the pair will battle it out poem for poem with the crowd to choose a winner. Smith won the previous war with his poem 'I am woman'.

Unlike previous years where the pair have engaged in an online war of poetry and photography before the face-to-face combat which spills out onto the footpaths of Fitzroy, the poets this year will have a three part war, the third being the online release of their poetic films which were created to respond to one another. Both will be unveiling their films on the night in Polyester Books.

"I was the first to create my film which was funded through my Australia Council grant," said Dimitriadis. "My film has already been released online but Ben made a film specifically to respond to my film. In my poem I say 'it's a man's world, get with the program' and Ben's poem says 'I don't want to be a man anymore' and so we decided to take that concept and explore it in our photo-shoot warm up with Kaliopi Alvarez." The online war will be released in the lead up to the physical war on Dimitriadis's and Smith's websites www.koralydimitriadis.com and www.horrorsleazetrash.com

Dimitriadis and Smith have been battling poetically since 2011. But before this it was Smith who inspired Dimitriadis to explore sexuality through the written word. "I was a shy, Greek girl who had just come out of a long marriage and fled her culture. Seeing Ben on stage reading sex poems changed my life. I quickly put together my zine, Love and F**k Poems, and Ben and I launched it with a battle of the sexes. The crowd was enthralled and that's when we knew we were onto something." Dimitriadis zine was then published into a book by Outside The Box Press, and an ebook by Momentum(Pan Macmillan). It was published in Greek this year and caused a big splash in Greece and Cyprus.

Polyester Books is synonymous with literature designed to shock, titillate, resonate and elucidate and has a long and celebrated tradition of hosting unusual and thought-provoking creative performances. This show remains true to the tradition. Featuring talented young local writers showcasing material that is chaotic and subversive, while at the same time brutally honest and raw.

"Polyester Books is full of perverts, throw-backs and degenerate gamblers... this well appointed book store provides a home-away-home for the connoisseurs of fine publishing." Frank Zappa, U.S. musician

Media Contact Adam Emslie (co-owner, Polyester Bookshop) Ph: 0416026740 polyesterbooks@gmail.com

go here for information to the event nights details! - https://www.facebook.com/events/392739230876838/

ALL photography by Kaliopi Alvarez

 

"How to get a fuck" ~ Koraly Dimitriadis from her novel in verse, Love and Fuck Poems

* Poem to be read on the night in its entirety.

BEN JOHN SMITHS VIDEO RESPONSE WILL BE AIRED FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE NIGHT ON THE BIG SCREEN!

---

"Mr Androgomous" ~ Ben 

I don't want to be a man any more.

but i dont really want to be a woman either

But if i had to make a choice id

be a woman

Mainly so

i could

bitch

and moan

and not have my mates

call me a soft cock.

i want to wear

lipstick too;

Even in public once

that would be nice.

I want to order white wine

spritzers

and i want to listen to

Shania Twain

for GODS SAKE.

I want to put fruit

Up my ass.

I want to put long

thin fruits up my ass.

I could never

understand why women

didnt do that more often.

Put fruit up their pussy

i mean.

If i was a woman id be a fucking

boost juice.

I'd have all sorts of fruit in my ass.

... Id be a fucking transgender blender.

* Poem to be read on the night in its entirety.