POETRY SPOTLIGHT: ‘fiona & the snow queen’ by Ali Whitelock

Our spotlight shines once again on Ali Whitelock, this time featuring a poem from her first collection published by Wakefield Press, and my heart crumples like a coke can. ‘Ali Whitelock writes a poetry of excoriating tenderness. Whitelock is Bukowski with a Glaswegian accent and a nicer wardrobe.’ – Mark Tredinnick, poet and author of The Blue Plateau, The Little Red Writing Book, Blue Wren Cantos, The Lyre Bird & Other Poems

POETRY SPOTLIGHT: 'Diagram & Leaf' by Aidan Coleman

This week's poetry spotlight shines on Aidan Coleman's 'Diagram & Leaf', from his recently published collection Mount Sumptuous. 'This is an outstanding volume of poetry. It is wonderfully original and deliciously complex. Its intellectual pirouettes and cutbacks are a pleasure to follow, always offering an incredibly agile and aesthetically stimulating journey.' – Lachlan Brown

POETRY SPOTLIGHT: 'He Painted Mountains' by Shaun Berg

This week's feature poem is by Shaun Berg from his collection Wystan’s Relic, a book that will challenge your thinking and provide new perspectives on important questions.

POETRY SPOTLIGHT: 'The Jetty' by Kate Llewellyn

This week's poetry spotlight shines once again on Kate Llewellyn's beautiful collection, Harbour. Earlier in the series, Poppy featured Kate's poem 'Frost' from the same collection. It's a calming and quiet celebration of the ordinary beauty of nature (read Poppy's thoughtful post about it here). In a similar vein, this week's feature poem is an intimate and gentle study of creativity and friendship.

POETRY SPOTLIGHT: 'Two Carolines' by Miriel Lenore

This week's poem comes from Miriel Lenore's collection a wild kind of tune, the third book in her 'pioneer grandmother' series. 'In a wild tale arcing from 1845 to the present, in poetry underpinned by meticulous research, we inhabit settler society with all its attendant joys, hardship and grief as we careen with Caroline through her journey of love, loss and horror into madness.' – Biff Ward, author of In My Mother's Hands

POETRY SPOTLIGHT: 'Sclerophyll' by Mike Ladd

This week's Poem of the week comes from Mike Ladd's collection Invisible Mending, which features photographs by Cathy Brooks. Invisible Mending ranges across genres including essay, memoir, short story and poetry. Based loosely on the ideas of scarring and healing, Invisible Mending extends from family intimacies to connection and disconnection in the Australian community, environmental damage and repair.

POETRY SPOTLIGHT: 'Maslins Beach at Midnight' by Jeri Kroll

Our poetry spotlight shines on Jeri Kroll today, and her lovely collection Workshopping the Heart. This witty, moving and accessible collection gathers poems from six previous books, beginning with Death as Mr Right, which won second prize in the 1982 Anne Elder Award for best first poetry book in Australia. With irony and frankness, Jeri Kroll workshops the complex relationships that individuals establish over the course of a lifetime with friends and family, as well as…

POETRY SPOTLIGHT: 'That Stuff's Past' by Erica Jolly

Our poetry spotlight shines on Erica Jolly today, with the poem of the week taken from her collection Making a Stand.

POETRY SPOTLIGHT: 'Maleficent' by Cath Kenneally

Our poetry spotlight shines on award-winning poet Cath Kenneally today, with the poem of the week taken from her collection Thirty Days' Notice.

POETRY SPOTLIGHT: 'The Calling' by Geoff Goodfellow

This week, the poetry spotlight shines once again on award-winning poet Geoff Goodfellow. This week's poem comes from Waltzing with Jack Dancer: A slow dance with cancer. The collection was written by Geoff in the aftermath of his diagnosis with throat cancer, and chronicles his experiences with treatment, hospitals, and the Big C.