Rosie Waters Storyteller

03/04/2026

It’s been a while since I’ve dropped in and shared in this space. Last year was quieter for me on the poetry front as I was doing the Integrative S*x Coaching Certification - an intensive 500 hr course focusing on women’s pleasure, desire, embodiment and the personal impacts of social narratives. If you’re familiar with my creative work, you’ll know how aligned this study is me - it brings more depth to my work and, once I’ve finished all practical assessments, will allow me to coach one-on one and facilitate workshops.

I wanted to share this recent performance of my retelling of Persephone. It’s the only filming I have of the full length piece with the poetic introduction by the narrator and the musical sections. This piece retells the story from the perspective of Persephone’s desire - she becomes an agent of desire rather than the object of desire that the usual telling presents her as.

The more I learn the more I realise how important women being connected and centered in their desire is. Women are so conditioned to focus on the needs and desire of others. Women who are connected to their desires know better how to nourish themselves, maintain their boundaries, ask for what they want and follow their sense of passion and purpose - they know what they want and don’t want.

Although Naomi Wolf’s views in recent years are questionable, I was very influenced by reading the Beauty Myth when I was a teen. Essentially, it points out how ‘the beauty myth’ keeps women focused on being objects of desire and that if women could instead become agents of desire, ‘The force of female desire would be so great that society would truly have to reckon with what women want, in bed and in the world.’

This is my re-write of the Persephone tale that reframes the story to focus on Persephone's desires. Filmed at Liquid Lyrics Spoken Mic, Cooroy, in March 2026.

21/10/2024

Exciting news to share - I’m a feature poet at Woodford this year! I’ll be performing as a feature poet at the Poets Breakfast and also presenting a workshop which I’m excited about. Hope to see you there!

14/09/2024

Awesome! Program has been launched for the Maleny music festival. So many great acts - looking forward to it!

I’ll be at poets breakfasts and arvo poets on Saturday. See you there 🙂

03/11/2023

I’ll be performing at the poets breakfasts at Maleny Music Festival

🤣 Laughter is a great way to start the day 🤣
“Maleny Poets’ Breakfasts are the best.”
So say both the poets & the audience.
Opportunistic wordsmiths have carved out a morning timeslot & they do it beautifully.
With great reciters like Irish Joe Lynch, Mark Feldman, the mindfulness poet Brendan O’Shea, Rosie Waters, host Ian Mackay always manages to pull together a two-hour show that, although totally unrehearsed, is guaranteed to take on a life of its own.
There’s always room for other poets too & we’re hoping to lure S Sorrensen, foundation member of the Nimbin St&-Up Poets, back to a breakfast, a challenge since he veered off into a life of comedy with its inevitable late night gigs.
The best feedback on a Poets’ breakfast? “I never knew poetry could be this much fun”

🤣 About Mark Feldman :: Mark is a Woodford local & an old friend of Ian’s.
Back in the mists of time, he took out the title of National Champion Recital at the Canberra National.
I think he & I have performed at the Breakfast at every Maleny Music festival, not to mention umpteen Woodford’s.
He’s a versatile poet both in his own write & with the works of poets no longer with us.

🤣 About Rosie Waters :: Rosie, I don’t know any nearly as well, have heard her recite a couple of times & was mightily impressed.
I know she performed with Irish Joe Lynch in Maleny a year or so back & has performed at Musika.

🤣 About Ian Mackay :: It’s been my great pleasure to host Poets’ Breakfasts for many years, from the Mapleton Yarn Festival (where it all began for me) through many years of the extremely popular Kenilworth Poets’ Breakfasts with Woodford’s & Maleny’s along the way.

🤣 About Irish Joe Lynch :: My act varies every time, it can jump from a song to a story to poetry.
Only 1 thing remains constant, my connection with my audience.
If I can make you feel loved & included & happy you came, that's my reward, & that'll keep me performing forever.
The blessings go both ways, & that's the magic. I look forward to seeing you all.

🤣 About Brendan O’Shea :: Local Brendan is an ex Buddhist Monk with a delightfully quirky, kind, intelligent & funny way of sharing his awesome stories of life & love.