Sunday
Since this was my last full day in Newcastle, I decided to wake up early. This was, naturally, thwarted by the ill-timed commencement of daylight savings, which meant that I missed a panel that I had wanted to attend. I still managed to arrive in time to watch “The Expat Elite,” but was more than a little bitter about my oversight. The panel mainly discussed the pros and cons of combining travelling and writing, as a source of inspiration or a way of living more economically, concluding overall that it was best to do both (TiNA-related travelling poems then currently written and not shamefully atrocious: 0 and counting). I then made my way to the Zine fair, which was great fun. Local and visiting artists and poets had set up shop in a cleared out multi-storey car park. Many chapbooks, zines and badges were bought (as well as an unexpected manicure). Everything was very cheap, and there was a great atmosphere. I spent a lot of time (and a fair bit of what was supposed to be food money) buying zines and badges, chatting to people and taking terrible photos.
I then made my way to City Hall and found that a panel called “The Poetics of Pornography,” discussing several feminist interpretations of this area, had already started. There was a certain amount of awkwardness among some of the people who had wandered into the panel, which in itself I found highly entertaining, as the discussion itself was both sensitive and thoughtful. I stayed in the same room once the panel was finished, and watched the next paper session that followed, “Thought in Motion: Ekphrasis, Creative Citation and Embodied Theory.” Not only were both of these panels fascinating in their own ways, but they also referred to several writers and theories potentially relevant to studying Sappho and how she has been manipulated as a symbol for different writers and poets over centuries, so I was able to file away some of my guilt from having now gone approximately two days without having written anything to do with her.
Once both panels had finished, I went to get more vegetarian curry before heading over to Crackhouse theatre, where they were setting up a Year 12-themed ball, complete with caricature costumes of stereotypical, embarrassing teachers and students. Regrettably, I did not have a costume, so I settled for helping other people into theirs, before deciding to wear part of the ceiling decorations in my hair (beer may have helped this decision along the way). The ball itself was not precisely my forte, since I have always been as inclined towards singing and dancing as I have been towards chemistry, physics, and near-death experiences. I ended up leaving early to go on a wander with some new friends, taking in the sights of Newcastle and attending an open-mic panel, listening to different stories and poetry recitals until we were all finally kicked out.
The weather took a distinct turn for the worst, and the rest of the evening was spent moving from sheltered area to sheltered area, having both loud conversations and outbursts of poetry whilst failing to catch the attention of any taxis. Despite the extreme lack of sleep that this involved, and the very painful 6am train to the airport that followed soon afterwards, this was a wonderfully good night out and probably one of the best experiences of the entire festival.
In summary then, I would say that TiNA was thoroughly enjoyable, and I would definitely support any decision to attend. I had a wonderful time, met some great people, and intend to be back next year. Food was cheap and plentiful, the events and panels very interactive and interesting, and the people incredibly friendly, making for a great atmosphere. The only thing I can say that I would change is that next year I will apportion money separately for food and zines.
