'My first encounter with an Australian poem, after arriving in Tasmania as an overseas immigrant teenager, was Gwen Harwood’s ‘Barn Owl’ (the devastating but beautiful first part of ‘Father and Child’). I have never forgotten it. Gwen Harwood, who would have turned 100 in 2020, remains Tasmania’s most recognised poet. It has been a pleasure to be able to run the Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize competition in 2020/21, and we thank the Cultural Fund of the Copyright Agency and The Hobart Bookshop for sponsoring the prize. Enjoy the five fine poems in this issue, selected by Island's poetry editor Lisa Gorton, Lachlan Brown and Bella Li from more than 300 submitted for judging. Another very special inclusion in this issue is ‘If These Halls Could Talk’ – a set of 10 creative responses to place and community in collaboration with Tasmania’s Ten Days on the Island festival. We hope you enjoy this virtual literary trip around the island along with stories, essays, poems and art from many remarkable Australian creatives.' (Vern Field, Publication introduction)
