POETRY SPOTLIGHT: 'Nth Degree' by Aidan Coleman

Discover Aidan Coleman's poem 'Nth Degree' taken from his newly released collection Mount Sumptuous.

POETRY SPOTLIGHT: 'this is coal don’t be afraid' by Ali Whitelock

In hard times, it is good to look at different ways to express ourselves, our thoughts and our feelings.This always makes me think of poetry. When things are hard to say, it sometimes helps to find someone else who can say it for you. This is exactly what happened recently during the peak of the fire crisis in Australia. Poet Ali Whitelock found a way to express her own jumbled thoughts and feelings about that… Continue reading

The Subway System

'The Subway System' is a poem from Bel Schenk's groundbreaking verse novel Every Time You Close Your Eyes, which is set across two blackouts in New York. The first is the famous blackout of 1977, when this excerpt is set, and which was remembered for widespread looting and arson. The second blackout, in 2003, forms a counterpoint – but you'll have to read the book to find out more! The Subway System People on the platform…

Prize-winning poetry from Jude Aquilina

Talented SA poet, Jude Aquilina, has just won the 2016 Adrien Abbott Prize with her poem Adrift on Lethe which we're sharing with you here today. The Adrien Abbott Proze was launched in 2012, in memory of Adrien – a gifted writer and inspirational teacher of English, who died before her time in May 2012. The theme for 2016 was 'Memory', with a prize of $500. Adrift on Lethe I have forgotten what it is…

New poem from Geoff Goodfellow

One of the coolest things about the Wakefield community is that we get to see the latest that our bright and busy authors are producing – and then we can share it with you! This time we have new work from Geoff Goodfellow, who is in fine form this early (drizzly) spring, with a new poem musing on fashion trends in his beloved Semaphore. Just a little something to get you through your Monday. Enjoy!…

Invisible Mending launch

On April 17 we were excited to host the launch of Mike Ladd's new collection Invisible Mending right here at Wakefield Press. Rachael Mead had the honour of launching Mike's book. We recently hosted an exhibition of Rachael's photography alongside the launch of Cassie Flanagan Willanski's Here Where We Live, and it was a pleasure to have her back. If you weren't able to make it to the launch, don't worry we've got you covered. You can read…

Author Profiles – Valerie Volk

Another day, another profile of one of Wakefield Press's amazing authors! Valerie Volk is a former secondary teacher, tertiary lecturer, and director of an international education program. She has won awards for poetry and short fiction and has published widely in journals, anthologies and magazines. Her first book, In Due Season, won the Omega Writers CALEB Poetry Prize in 2010, and there have been enthusiastic reviews of both her verse novel A Promise of Peaches and her sardonic modern versions of Grimms’ Tales,…

Author Profiles - Jude Aquilina

Jude Aquilina's poetry and short stories have been published in newspapers, anthologies and literary journals in Australia and abroad. Jude has been a guest speaker at numerous writers' festivals, including Adelaide Writers' Week, Canberra Spring Poetry Festival and Penola Arts Festival. She has published two collections of her own poetry: Knifing the Ice (Friendly Street Poets/Wakefield Press 2000) and On a Moon Spiced Night (Wakefield Press 2004). She has also published one coauthored collection, WomanSpeak (Wakefield Press, 2009), co-written with Louise Nicholas,…