Book Launch and Review: How A Moth Becomes A Boat

Josephine Rowe (right)

How A Moth Becomes A Boat
Author: Josephine Rowe
Published By: Cherry Fox Press

As the walls of Willow Bar revolted against John Skibinski’s artwork, framed prints fell from the wall – the temporary wall hooks were not staying put and punters ordering drinks were in the midst of more a theatrical spectacle than a book reading. But this did not leave Miss Josephine Rowe perturbed at all. Skibinski’s work, which is included in Rowe’s book, was gathered and re-displayed effortlessly. With glass swept away, Rowe carried on with grace.

Jessica Anne Friedman, editor of A Cloth Covered Button, kicked off the evening by reading some of her own quirky fiction, which set the tone of things to come. Chris Flynn, editor of short-story journal Torpedo, added a dash of comedy to the mix, flashing his 3D underpants before reading short pieces of fiction by one-story-a-day blogger Christopher Curry. ‘Frictionless‘ left the audience in baffled laughter with Flynn confirming that “Chris Curry is one nutcase”.

Flynn’s publishing company bears an unusual name – Falcon Vs Monkey, Falcon Wins – and he confessed that he was a little worn down by questions about where the name came from. Never having publicly read any of his own fiction, he was prompted to read his suitably titled piece ‘Falcon Vs Monkey Falcon Wins’ in which Mesika (a falcon) fights Coco (a monkey) in Sudan. Winning the fight, Mesika is able to continue her journey to Mecca where she happily soars. After his reading Flynn confirmed that the name of his company means nothing.

With pre-reading comedy and warm-ups dispensed, Miss Rowe took to the makeshift stage and read five of her pieces – ‘Maps’, ‘Work’, ‘Time’, ‘Boat’ and ‘Moon’ – each elegantly brought to life with her emotive delivery.

‘Maps’ describes ‘his’ wishing he had a map to his lover’s body; seeing her bruises and birthmarks as countries on a map, innocently trying to make sense of the place. ‘Work’ parallels the lives of a young prostitute and a cinema attendant and ends with painful yet beautiful repetition. ‘Time’ tracks the relationship of a couple from their youth to a point, in older age, where resentment has sunk in. ‘Boat’ questions the idea of blind faith through the way one lover describes the other’s mouth, and ‘Moon’ reveals a blind girl’s understanding of life through the sun and night sky. A limited number of the books contain a page of braille with an excerpt from the story.

How a Moth Becomes a Boat is Rowe’s final book in her trilogy, a follow up to Asynchrony (poetry and prose) and East of Here, Close to Water (short fiction). The books have a vintage feel and the stock quality and pared-back design is impressive.

Rowe’s work, be it her poetry or fiction, is sparse – refining elements to their essence, she certainly doesn’t waste words. How a Moth Becomes a Boat is consistent of her style, showcasing the same whimsy as her previous books. The stories are short – no longer than 800 words, and each with only a four-letter title. Her pieces are moving and each feels filled with the same innocent, yet brutally open, unravelling of a small slice of life, leaving a taste of painfully beautiful optimism in the mouth.

Related stories:

1. Schmooze Review: Catherine Deveny Book Launch Last night at Trades Hall in Melbourne, Chris Beck launched...
2. Schmooze Review: Book Launchapalooza We made a cross-town trek to two literary events: first...
3. Zombie Book Review Special: The Forest Of Hands And Teeth and Hater Zombies are appearing more and more in literature, almost as...
4. Schmooze Review: St Kilda Film Festival Launch A little short film festival in St Kilda has become...
5. Schmooze Review: Melbourne Queer Film Festival Launch Despite being ignored by film funding bodies, the Melbourne Queer...