Loads of people filled Tootsie’s last Saturday for the Yass launch of Blowing Up Balloons: baby poems for parents. Michaela Pothan’s fun venue provided the perfect setting for the event while her staff kept the coffee and cake coming.

Blowing Up Balloons (BUB) by Vanessa Proctor and Gregory Piko is a treat for anyone who knows the gift of parenthood. The collection offers baby poems that celebrate the joys of a new child and the raising of small children.

Our wonderful MC, Alex Webbe, added to the colour of the day while ensuring things stayed on track. We were most fortunate to have Owen Bullock officially launch BUB. Owen’s eloquent address entertained the crowd as he considered what the poems in BUB had to say, and illustrated how leaving things unsaid can increase a poem’s impact.

Before reading from BUB, Vanessa Proctor and myself gave away a few secrets about the book’s origins and emphasised how the collection is very much a collaborative work – which is why the book doesn’t identify who wrote which haiku. Nevertheless, as a treat for those who attended, Alex invited the audience to guess which of us had written various of the haiku in BUB. People were often surprised to find Vanessa or myself had written a particular haiku – guessing the author wasn’t easy!

Vanessa and myself would like to thank all those who contributed to the running of the event and all those who attended the Yass launch of Blowing Up Balloons.