1989 sbs bookshow intro to the tanks rolled through the streets dinny o'hearn, "bev roberts literature officer of vic government, what is a literatrure field officer?" bev answered.

"komninos, a boy from salt and vinegar. Fish and chips and writer in residence at broady tech, what sort of social trajectory is that?".

k "both areas they call a wog a wog".

d o'h: "but I've seen you perform to these kids, they actually like it, and it's poetry?"

k: "it seems to be an experience they don't have any difficulty relating to, they have great difficulty relating to classical literature, but they seem to be interested in what's happening to them now. I'm putting poetry and I'm putting verse into a modern context and they seem to be enjoying it".

d o'h: "what if I put the proposition to you that this is obviously not poetry? It's not a poetry of academics, intellectuals, people of high sensibility believe in?

k: "Poetry is what sounds good, language, finding beauty in the language, and if I can find beauty in ordinary things, if I can find beauty in what young people have to say, I'll write it down and call it poetry, and they think it is poetry too.

d o'h: "And you miss roberts, as literature field officer supports what komninos is doing?

br: "yes and I would have thought that even an elitist like yourself, would have supported the idea of introducing an appreciation of writing, literature through direct experience in schools".