A zine and a monostich

This is the newsletter of Rebecca M. Newman, co-editor of two poetry anthologies* for children, and writer of poetry and flash fiction. (*You can order my latest anthology here.)

Thank you to everyone who sent me messages about the Butcherbirds in your gardens and samples of birdsong to help me identify my mystery bird. I still haven’t been able to match the tune I hear while simultaneously eyeballing the bird singing it. But it feels cosy to have an ongoing bird quest. I’ll keep listening.

In (sort of) related news: Over at International Poetry Forum on Instagram, there was a callout for people to share a bird-themed monostich in the comments (May 3, 2026). And that was when I realised that the word I had thought for years was monostitch, is actually … not. I’d only ever seen it written down and I guess my mind’s eye added that t. I loved ‘monostitch’ said aloud (in my head); it was cute and made me think of handicrafts and sewing and joining things together. Alas , there’s no t and it seems it’s pronounced mono-stik (and ‘stich’ means line or row, which makes sense, while ‘stitch’ does not … unless you are me).

If you haven’t come across the monostich (with or without the t) before, here’s an official definition from the Macquarie Dictionary:

A single line of poetry. A poem or epigram consisting of a single metrical line.

Writers of the monostich usually try for fewer than 12 words. It can have internal rhyme, but doesn’t have to. You can add a poem title if you like, and it’s common for the title to interact with the poem in some way. To add a layer. In that sense, the monostich has a lot in common with flash fiction. (I do love flash fiction.)

It will come as a surprise to absolutely no-one that my bird monostich was about a Butcherbird. Here’s what I shared, with one word altered from my original version:

Hush        silvering of Butcherbird calls

I especially loved the monostich posted by @eglantinescake (Penni Russon) but I can’t figure out how to link to a comment within Instagram, so if you feel inclined, head on over to the International Poetry Forum and sift through the birdy monostich comments. And leave a monostich of your own. (Or leave me your bird monostichs in my newsletter comments. I’d love to read yours.)

In other news, I’ve been pottering around at my desk with papercrafts. Given my proficiency at reels/video-making (spoiler: it’s low), I’ve been making some analogue promo for the anthology instead.

And sharing it online. (The 21st century is a confusing place, people.)

Here is my first effort, a handmade zine from tissue paper and glued down strips of paper with typed words. It’s called Why would you want to read If I Could Eat the Stars? a helpful list!

If I Could Eat the Stars is now officially in bookshops! You can buy a copy for your favourite kid. Or for yourself. Or buy a copy, read it yourself, and then give it to your favourite kid. I won’t tell them, promise.

If you’re in Western Australia, come to the launch and celebrate with us. There’ll be some poetry readings and some book signings and light afternoon tea and you can meet actual poets, woot! It’s a free event, but you do have to book tickets because there’s a room limit. See the info below for a booking link.

Fremantle Press and Alphabet Soup Books are delighted to welcome you to the launch of If I Could Eat the Stars, the latest poetry collection for middle readers.
3pm, Saturday May 16, 2026
State Library of Western Australia
Free, but RSVP (booking) is essential
NB: children are welcome, but this isn't a child-focussed event.

Or find If I Could Eat the Stars at your favourite bookshop or online bookseller and your year will definitely be five stars and 70 poems the better for it. (Thank you!)

Order online

Until next time!
Rebecca