Cirrus@Austlit

'Welcome to the July issue! This month we celebrate the awarding of the Calibre Prize to Theodore Ell, whose essay, ‘Façades of Lebanon’, provides a powerful eye-witness account of the Beirut explosion. The issue also explores current crises in humanitarianism with an aid worker’s frontline report from Syria and Maria O’Sullivan’s review of Alexander Betts’ book on international asylum seeker policies. And turning our attention to the racial cleavages in contemporary Australia are Paul Muldoon’s essay on the risks and rewards of Victoria’s Yoo-rrook Justice Commission and Mindy Gill’s review of an anthology of stories from Western Sydney. There are also reviews of new novels by Larissa Behrendt, Stephen Orr, and Laura Elizabeth Woollett, new poetry by Eunice Andrada, Judith Bishop, and Peter Goldsworthy – and much more!' (Publication summary)

'Best of Australian Poetry is an annual anthology collecting previously published and unpublished poems to create a poetic snapshot of the year that was. Capturing the richness and diversity of Australian poetry, across a timeframe of 1 July 2021 - 7 August 2022, the series, now in its second year, will explore how poetic responses to the contemporary moment develop with each passing year.

'The book opens with an introduction by its 2022 editors, award-winning and highly respected poets and editors, Jeanine Leanne and Judith Beveridge. Both Jeanine, a Wiradjuri poet, and Judith have extensive experience as poetry teachers, academics and poetry anthologists previously.

'The Best of Australian Poetry (BoAP) series is published by Australia's national poetry organisation, Australian Poetry, and will feature two different guest editors each year, to amplify the range of voices selected. It is funded by the Australia Council for the Arts and individual patrons.' (Publication summary)