Those of us who were in Ross House for the first session of the course on Homer’s Iliad heard the noise of today’s incident on Swanston and Bourke Streets that has so far claimed four lives. It’s a small gesture, given the enormity of the incident, but I’m sure I can speak for us all in extending our sorrow and sympathy to those who have suffered.
We’ll be off and running with
1. 
The MLS Refectory starting its weekly run of hourlong lunchtime poetry sessions on Wednesday 18 January, 1-2 pm in Ross House room 2.1. Room booking details for the whole of 2017 available here:
mls-refectory-room-bookings-2017
2. 
The twelve-week course on Homer’s Iliad will begin on Friday 20 January, 1-3pm in Ross House 3.1 (The Jenny Florence Room). Room book details and course particulars are contained in these two files:
Yup. All the biggies. Over the course of 2017 I plan to offer a series of twelve-week seminars, each of which will take up Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey,
Virgil’s Aeneid 
and Ovid’s Metamorphoses. 
In addition I will try to squeak another twelve-week seminar on Melville’s Moby Dick, a text enormously indebted to those exemplars of the classical tradition. 
Initial details on the PDF below, full scheduling details to be posted as soon as they’re sorted.
In November I’ll be giving a talk in the Salon-Salon series at Alice & Co. in Kyneton. Details on the flyer below.
With thanks to Richard Mudford, who took all these.
Chris playing herald with his accustomed panache.
Me in full flight, with Chris Wallace-Crabbe attending closely.
My translation-with-commentary of Beowulf was launched last night at the Collected works Bookshop. Kris and Loretta hosted what proved a well attended and lively do.
The author? Oh, that would be me.
Many thanks to them and all who attended, with a special shout to my Canberra buddy from ANU, Chris Bishop, who came down to do the introductory honours.
I’ve had a number of requests to reprise the six-session course I taught last year on Beowulf, which used Seamus Heaney’s translation (published by Faber & Faber in 1999) as its text. 
I’m about to book a room for it, and it would be helpful to know roughly how many of you might be interested, so, if you are, let me know, along with what days of the weeks might best suit your schedule.
Cambridge Scholars Publishing has just featured my new book on its website at a substantial discount, so now’s your chance! I don’t know whether the already publicised discount code will get you a further 20% off, but it’s worth a try.
discount code: afarlight20
My author-copies of A Far Light have arrived. I’m forgiving myself for looking a little smug here. If not now, when?
The first thirty-odd pages of A Far Light are now available on the Camridge Scholars Publishing. A Far Lite, if you like! Anyhow, if you’re at all curious, you can now have a sticky-beak by following this link: