The Persian and The Poet

  Join the celebration! Launching Cameron‘s brand-new book:  'A Complete Anthology of My First Kisses + other suites and sequels – a life in poems 1974 to 2024'.  Published by Wattle & Willow Books, Oct 2024.    Champagne is popped!  Poems are shared:  4 from the book and  1 fresh Farsi translation of one of Cameron's poems. Ramak interviews Cameron: Why does this book exist?  Why be so vulner...

On the one year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, Ramak and Cameron discuss 'Pro Femina' – Ramak's brand new work on display at The Art Gallery of Ballarat as part of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale... as well as the impact of Mahsa's death and its implications for so many people. Theme music: 'Dastgahe Homayun, Pt 2' from the album ‘Iran – Masters of Traditional Music, Vol. 1 (Per...

24... Woman! Life! Freedom! Ramak and Cameron discuss the situation in Iran as of Oct 2022, and explore their creative responses to the situation. Poem 1: 'Say Her Name' written by Cameron Semmens, September 2022. Spoken by Cameron Semmens and Ramak Bamzar. Poem 1 music: 'Lovely Bones' by Natalie Jeffreys. https://www.facebook.com/natalie.jeffreys Poem 2: 'Soil' by Adib al-Mamalek Farahani (1860 -...

23... Say Her Name – poem by Cameron Semmens A poem calling for justice and freedom in Iran, written in response to the the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the 'morality police'. Poem : 'Say Her Name' written by Cameron Semmens, September 2022. Spoken by Cameron Semmens and Ramak Bamzar. Music : 'Lovely Bones' by Natalie Jeffreys. https://www.facebook.com/natalie.jeffreys Production and edi...

Poem 1: 'Colonisation' by Cameron Semmens; translation by Ramak Bamzar. Music: 'On The Fly' by M. Carney.   Poem 2: 'Ghazal 164' by Hafez. Music: 'Dastgahe Homayun, Pt. 3.' from the album ‘Iran – Masters of Traditional Music, Vol. 1. (Persian Music)’.   Additional music: 'A Warm Welcome' by Jared Haschek: jaredhaschek.com   Production and editing by Cameron Semmens : www.webcameron.com  Graphic de...

Cam memorialising in a poem the very first time he heard a poem spoken in Persian back in late 2019 ... it was shared by a fascinating, arty woman he'd just met ... she goes by the name of Ramak! Poem 1 – FARSI – 'Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season’ by Forough Farrokhzad. Music : 'Clouds' by Rod Gear from the album 'The Wood That Sings'  www.rodgearmusic.com Poem 2 – ENGLISH – 'The...

The Persian: Ramak Bamzar. The Poet: Cameron Semmens. All poems from the book ‘Upside Drowning – poems from the edge of the ocean’, by Cameron Semmens; available through www.webcameron.com Poem 1: ‘Listening to The Ocean’ by Cameron Semmens Poem 2: ‘Curious Fragments of Memory’ by Cameron Semmens; music: ‘A Thousand Goodnights’ from the album: ‘Tears of The Candle’  by M. Carney. Poem 3: ‘The Lips...

Poem 1: The Swifts in The Willow by Cameron Semmens;  translation by Ramak Bamzar.  Music: ‘Overcast’ by Hildur Gudnadottir & Johann Johannsson,  from the album ‘Without Sinking’.   Poem 2: Futile Magic by Fereydoon Moshiri; translation by Frank Moshiri (2015). Music: ‘Avaze Bayate Esfahan’ from the album  ‘Iran – Masters of Traditional Music, Vol. 1 (Persian Music)’.   Production and editing – Ca...

Ramak shares about Nowruz – the symbology and her experiences. Cameron surprises her with a brand new poem: Standing in Love Enjoy!

In essence, this episode – The Fall of The Willow – is a spoken-word album, which you can listen to in one continuous stream. It's a curated compilation consisting of each one of Cameron Semmens' original poems translated and recited by Ramak Bamzar in the 2020 podcast season. These gorgeous translations have been brought together to create a single half-hour of swirling, twirling, whispered and h...

In essence, this episode – The Fall of The Willow – is a spoken-word album, which you can listen to in one continuous stream. It's a curated compilation consisting of each one of Cameron's original poems shared in the 2020 podcast season. These poems have been brought together to create a single half-hour of swirling, twirling, whispered and hollered words declared and confided to YOU – our dear l...

Poem : From My Dry Lips – words and music by Cameron Semmens. Title music : A Warm Welcome – Jared Haschek: jaredhaschek.com Production and editing – Cameron Semmens : www.webcameron.com Photography and graphic design – Ramak Bamzar : www.ramakbamzar.com

Episode 14 : Yalda Night Special Ramak and Cam share a night full of candles, cosiness, fruit and poetry! Gorgeous ghazals from one of the greatest of all Persian poets: Hafiz, as well as exquisite poems from Cam’s 3 favourite poets: David Whyte, Mary Oliver and John O’Donohue…. and Cam couldn’t not share a brand-new ghazal he’d just written. But some may be asking – What is Yalda Night? Well, Yal...

Poem 1 : The Wattle and The Willow by Cameron Semmens. Translation by Ramak Bamzar. Music : Rod Gear www.rodgearmusic.com   Poem 2 : How Impatient by Ahmad Shamlou. Music : Rod Gear www.rodgearmusic.com   Title music : ‘A Warm Welcome’ by Jared Haschek: jaredhaschek.com   Podcast produced by Cameron Semmens : www.webcameron.com   Photography and graphic design by Ramak Bamzar : www.ramakbamzar.com

Episode 11 : And someone is dying ... In this episode Ramak and Cameron discuss times they have stood beside death. For Cameron, at hospital bedsides; for Ramak, as a documentary photographer, in the disaster zone of the 2003 Bam earthquake in southern Iran. And they wonder over the fact that… as someone is dying… another is coming to life. As Ned Kelly said in his famous last words before he hung...

Poem 1 : The Mind is a Yacht, The Heart an Oil Tanker by Cameron Semmens; translation by Ramak Bamzar and Roya Bamzar. Music : Rod Gear www.rodgearmusic.com Poem 2 : Oasis in a Moment by Sohrab Sepehri; translation into English by Ismail Salami. Music : Rod Gear www.rodgearmusic.com Title music : ‘A Warm Welcome’ by Jared Haschek: jaredhaschek.com Podcast produced by Cameron Semmens : www.webcamer...

Poem 1 : Rapid ‘I’ Movement Towards You by Cameron Semmens; translation by Ramak Bamzar. Music: ‘Love her and she will watch over you’ by Luke Pittman. Poem 2 : ‘Beyond Presence’ by Sohrab Sepehri; translation into English by Ali Salami.  Title music : ‘A Warm Welcome’ by Jared Haschek: jaredhaschek.com  Podcast produced by Cameron Semmens : www.webcameron.com  Photography and graphic design by Ra...

Poem 1 : ‘The Wind Will Take Us’ by Forough Farrokhzad; translation into English by Daniel Shams. Music : Rod Gear www.rodgearmusic.com  Poem 2 : ’Petalled Pillows and Thorny Sheets – Part 2’ by Cameron Semmens; translation by Ramak Bamzar. Music : Rod Gear www.rodgearmusic.com  Title music : ‘A Warm Welcome’ by Jared Haschek: jaredhaschek.com  Podcast produced by Cameron Semmens : www.webcameron....

Poem 1 : ’Petalled Pillows and Thorny Sheets – Part 1’ by Cameron Semmens; translation by Ramak Bamzar. Music : Rod Gear. Poem 2 : ‘Tryst’ by Ahmad Shamlou; translation into English by Naim Nabili and Frank Lewis. Music : Rod Gear www.rodgearmusic.com  Title music : ‘A Warm Welcome’ by Jared Haschek: jaredhaschek.com … Podcast produced by Cameron Semmens : www.webcameron.com …  Photography and gra...

Poem 1 : ’In The Mountains’ by Cameron Semmens; translation by Ramak Bamzar. Poem 2 : The Dead-end Rod road by Ahmad Shamlou; translation by Sholeh Wolpé. Music : Rod Gear www.rodgearmusic.com Title music : ‘A Warm Welcome’ by Jared Haschek: jaredhaschek.com Podcast produced by Cameron Semmens : www.webcameron.com Photography and graphic design by Ramak Bamzar : www.ramakbamzar.com

Episode 6 : Secrets... and Rumi. Poem 1 : ’They are a secret’ by Cameron Semmens; translation into Farsi by Ramak Bamzar. Music : ‘Frederique’ by Michael Carney. Poem 2 : A selection of quatrains by Rumi; translation into English by Maryam Mafi and Azima Melita Kolin. Music : Rod Gear www.rodgearmusic.com  Title music : ‘A Warm Welcome’ by Jared Haschek. Podcast produced by Cameron Semmens. Photog...

Episode 5 : A Room Full of Rumi. 1 : ’Come Into Me’ by Cameron Semmens; translation by Ramak Bamzar. Music : ‘God’ by Spike Mason www.spikemason.com 2 : A ghazal by Rumi; translation into English by Mariam Maafi. Music : Rod Gear www.rodgearmusic.com  Poems 3 and 4 by Rumi. Title music by Jared Haschek: jaredhaschek.com Podcast produced by Cameron Semmens. Photography and graphic design by Ramak B...

Episode 4 : The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam… and Butterflies. Poem 1 : ’The Father of Butterflies’ by Cameron Semmens; translation into Farsi by Ramak Bamzar. Music : ‘Viewed from The Climb’ from the album ‘Separate Journeys’ by Spike Mason www.spikemason.com Poem 2 : ’The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam’ compiled by Kamran Kuhestany; translation into English by Dr. Rosen. Music : Rod Gear www.rodgearmusic....

Episode 3: LOVE and DEATH Title music : ‘A Warm Welcome’ by Jared Haschek: jaredhaschek.com Poem 1 : ’Still Trying To’ by Cameron Semmens. Translation into Farsi by Ramak Bamzar. Music : ‘Chasm’ from the album ‘Separate Journeys’ by Spike Mason www.spikemason.com Poem 2 : ’I Will Greet The Sun Again’ by Forough Farouzad. Music : Rod Gear www.rodgearmusic.com Podcast produced by Cameron Semmens : w...

Episode 2: The Forest and Forough. Poem1 : ’What Happened in The Forest?’ by Cameron Semmens. Translation into Farsi by Ramak Bamzar. Poem 2 : ’Another Birth’ by Forough Farouzad. Translation into English by Karim Emami. All music by Jared Haschek: jaredhaschek.com Photography and Graphic design: Ramak Bamzar Podcast produced by Cameron Semmens.