‘Poetry can break open locked chambers of possibility, restore numbed zones to feeling, recharge desire’ – Adrienne Rich Writing to the Wire is a collection of poems about Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers and refugees. Featuring poetry from academics, writers, refugee advocates and refugees themselves, it is a powerful look at our national identity, namely,…
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It’s a cold-bitten evening and I’m getting myself out of the house for an evening of poetry. Nestled in-between pubs and tourist shops in Sydney’s historical Rocks area, I find a woman with a makeshift sign that catches my eye. I’m here, and I’m in for a ride. I go inside and then up some…
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If you’re in Sydney and you don’t have anything to do this coming Saturday night (23rd July) then why not tickle your cultural and artistic sensibilities with a little bit of inspirational poetry? Award-winning writer, poet, performer and teacher Desireé Dallagiacomo is coming to Sydney as part of Word Travels for a workshop and performance at…
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Alison Whittaker’s debut collection, Lemons in the Chicken Wire, is a refreshingly authentic and accessible new addition to the Australian poetry landscape. The collection is grounded in simplicity yet explores complex issues such as sexuality, racism and family negligence. Whittaker, who received the State Library of Queensland’s black&write! Indigenous Writing Fellowship, also explores the history…
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Burnt Rotis, With Love is a bold collection of 54 poems by Prerna Bakshi. The collection deals with powerful themes of poverty, patriarchy, and oppression. Many of the poems focus on issues particular to India—Partition, the caste system, and the specific environment of Indian domestic life—but even these poems have roots in universally recognisable struggles…
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Although a powerful form of expression, poetry remains a misunderstood and underappreciated art form. This deeply personal publication by Gwyndyn Alexander is essentially an answer to a question – put forth by a man of, in her words, the ‘scientific sort’ – querying the function of poetry. What is a poet? What is the point…
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without those glasses Don’t you want us blokes to make passes? And while you’re at it, give us a smile You look like you haven’t been laid in a while And speaking of which, your friend’s a right slut If I was drunk, I’d fuck her, but Sorry sweetheart, did I touch a nerve? All…
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This collection is the ultimate in feminist poetry. Its breadth is mind-boggling, its vision grand. ‘Lupa’ means wolf, so Lupa and Lamb is the hunter and the hunted, the dichotomy of woman as dangerous seductress she-devil, and innocent bleating victim. These tired archetypes cross cultures and centuries. she is the lamb in the sheepfold…
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Rebecca Jessen’s debut verse novel is excellent. I’ve read it twice cover-to-cover, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The first time, I read it too quickly to take notes or consider it critically – the narrative positively races along and pulls the reader with it. I had to read it again to be able to write this…
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Candy Royalle is a formidable performance artist who inhabits a unique place somewhere between the magic of storytelling and poetry. To see Candy bring her words to life is a three-dimensional spectacle—one I was fortunate enough to witness at the Melbourne spoken word gig Sweetalkers a few years ago. Performance is so much at the…
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Name: Bronwyn Lovell Age: 32 Occupation: Poet Location: Melbourne, Australia Describe yourself in one word: Idealist What is your feminist philosophy? I think all women should and must be feminists. When I meet girls (and they are usually girls, not women) who say they aren’t feminists, I am horrified. I can only conclude that they…
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When a poem begins with the line: ‘To the man on the bus I overheard in conversation tell a woman, presumably a friend, “You are too ugly to be raped”’ you cannot simply close your ears and move onto the next thing on your agenda. I was shocked to hear that someone actually said that…
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In Defence of Love, Poetry and Wishful Thinking I think all the 200 poems in Australian Love Poems 2013 are exquisite and, like exotic and familiar lovers, each seduces the reader in its own way. But, since I am one of the poets in the book, I am not going to review this anthology. I…
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What does poetry sound like? Melbourne performance poet Anna Fern is one the brightest and most exciting contemporary artists on the spoken word scene. Fern employs a full range of sonic elements in her work, from everyday objects, instruments and her voice, to create an unexpected, playful and an emotionally resonant, immersive poetic experience. I…
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