Hi!

My name is Simon (my mates at school, in typical Australian fashion, used to call me 'Ealesy') and I am a poet, researcher, and performance artist living in Buffalo, New York, USA. I moved here from my home town, Melbourne, Australia, in August 2016 to undertake a PhD in Poetics at the University at Buffalo. Did you know they have the largest collection of English language poetry in the world? I'm really liking it here so far, despite how very different it is from Melbourne. Melbourne is arguably the coffee capital of the world. Each neighbourhood has a bunch of them, each with its different clientele and decor. There was a big Italian and Greek migration to the city following WWII, and they brought espresso, thank goodness! Anyway, I digress.

I love travelling, art, exercise, and socializing. My first overseas trip was to the UK to play cricket when I was 16. I stayed in Birmingham and only managed to play 1 game in the 2 months that I was there due to the almost daily heavy rain. I managed to visit London, Cardigan in Wales, and I particularly enjoyed seeing some of the Celtic ceremonial monuments dotted through the West country.

My breakout trip, however, was backpacking around Western Europe by myself when I was 20. I'm sure many on this site will know that feeling of cultural shock, and the absolute electrification of walking out of a foreign airport or trainstation alone, into a new language, and new culture. Each moment bursts with pleasure! I mean, fear is mixed in there, but it's all amazing. I have so many funny little misadventures from that trip; things that seemed amazing and monumental at the time, and now seem tiny, but have still had a massive role in shaping how I think about the world today. One instance, which I told my students about the other day, was coming out of the subway station in Rome to have, at the top of the stairs, the Colosseum just sort of plonked there in front of me. So much legend behind it, and it was just there in front of me without fanfare. Extremely humbling.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on Couchsurfing in order to get involved in a community of travellers and community-minded folks at a global level. As I get older (I'm only 29, but feel like I've lived!) I feel the persistent, pleasurable desire to refine how I live my life. I want that to mean that I always move closer to living my life in community with others, sharing stories and wisdom, and paying it forward. Get in the flow and contribute, right! For me, being involved in this community is also, kind of, a radical act of kindness and love. The ethics around private property and globalized capitalism gets more complex each year, but it can be easily addressed at a local level through sharing communities like this one.

Interests

• poetry
• festivals
• yoga
• reading
• socializing
• music
• cycling
• tantra
• excercise

Music, Movies, and Books

Right now, I am listening to Jacob Collier. I like young British solo music makers like him for some reason (other people like James Blake, Ghostpoet, Burial, King Krule, etc. too). Really dig Yo La Tengo, Black Mountain, Nick Cave, Xavier Rudd, jazz (Billie Holiday, Aretha, the Bird, Trane, all!); NZ dub is high-vibin' (Katchafire, Fat Freddy's, Salmonella Dub); also into kirtan and weird gong sounds. So much. Sonic atmospheres, always.

I always used to say that 'Amelie' was my favourite movie, but I think that was the movie that got me to really appreciate film-making. I wrote about it in high school. Now, it is so hard to say. I mean, I like Tarantino, Gus Van Sant, Lars Von Trier, David Lynch, Rolf de Heer, and Ken Loach. I struggle to watch films more than once, but I think I've watched 'Gerry' a few times and liked it.

Favourite book is 'Down and Out in Paris and London' by George Orwell. As for poets, I always tell people about Kamau Brathwaite and John Forbes.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I directed and choreographed a new musical about, and featuring the music of, Australia's biggest 1960s pop-star, Normie Rowe. It was called 'Normie: The Musical,' and featured Normie himself, now in his late 60s, playing the then-Australian Prime Minister, Harold Holt, who went missing while scuba-diving and was never seen again... The show was a flop and I don't think I've ever gotten over it!

Teach, Learn, Share

I teach writing and rhetoric to freshman college students to pay the bills; I also run a side-project that seeks to hold space for people wanting to explore conscious sexuality and shamanism. It's called 'Lions Gazing'. I've run workshops and held private sessions throughout Australia, and have recently moved my practice to NYC.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am so grateful to anyone willing to host me. I would love to share my poetry in performed and written form. When I travel, I bring prints of my latest work and love to exchange it.

I am also willing to share my knowledge and experience with Tantra, the Tao, and conscious sexuality. I can sit in ceremony with individuals and couples who feel like there is something more to their intimate connections, and connection with themselves. The sessions can take place anywhere, and usually look a lot like a meditation or Reiki session, depending on what the person or people want to explore!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Scotland, United Kingdom, United States, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, United States