Cafe Boogie

"Jenni Nixon's book is a journey of salvage through some hard lessons and difficult times, told in a way that is atmospheric and immediate, often with a wry twist. Caf Boogie is full of earned work that celebrates awareness gained whilst honouring the losses and counting the costs, including some significant deaths of family, friends and muses taken by age, AIDS or addictions. It is about people who "make up for loss with more loss," where self-acceptance is the harder road. Nixon's background in theatre and performance are obviously influential in the writing. Using bold phrasings and syntax, determined to keep it real, she records a life lived in and around Sydney's bohemian culture and lesbian and gay communities from the 1970s to the present-the drugs, gossip, politics and drama; the loves, friendships and lost time. Although mainly narrative in her style, Nixon does not shy away from political protest; she cuts to the chase and not even the Dalai Lama or her own milieu and persona escape." - Jill Jones .,."fixes its lines into place with the precision of a rivet gun..." - Overland "Nixon is a captivating performer. Her poetry of city and country life is sharp, can be poignant and is full of fun. This is exciting, different and memorable." - Blue Mountains Gazette