Cirrus@Austlit

'‘Emerging’ is a strange word, and ‘strange’ is probably a cop out. It is often arbitrary, sometimes condescending, frequently empowering and often carries with it an incredible sense of community. To emerge is a term that shifts and contradicts; when are we ever not emerging? How is emergence something that rests when we are forever in a process of moving – always surfacing and then submerging – a process that continually repeats and folds into itself? The term ‘young’ has its own problems, and of course you don’t necessarily have to be young to be emerging and to be emerging isn’t necessarily to be young. Use these as modifiers for ‘poet’ and things necessarily get more complicated.' (Introduction)

'Tell Me Like You Mean It is a free e-chapbook guest-edited by Melody Paloma, and published as a partnership between Australian Poetry and Cordite Poetry Review. The national publication features new work from 20 young and emerging poets, and is yours for free.

'The future of poetry in Australia is bright and full of promise – the voices here offer just a taste of what’s to come. Enjoy them at your leisure and share freely.'  (Publication summary)

'Once I had a dream about a sea mollusc that latched onto the inside of my calf, and stayed there. The logic of the dream made me understand that the mollusc wasn’t actually a mollusc, but the mollusc was a poem, not mine, but one that I had read. The poem wasn’t identifiable, but the poem was a good poem, and I woke up with questions. What, exactly, do I want from poetry? What space does poetry hold (in the body, in the mind, in society)? What is the work of poetry? Why does it always return so persistently (that is, both for me, personally, and in a broader historical sense), and what makes it stick?' (Introduction)

'With the glorious task of commissioning writers for a new collection of sincere, heartfelt writing for Tell Me Like You Mean It volume 4, I found it took longer than usual.' (Introduction)

'This volume of Tell Me Like You Mean It marks its fifth year. Whenever a half-decade mark is reached, I do feel the impulse to reflect on the past. In 2017, Tell Me Like You Mean It was edited by Melody Paloma and Mikaila Hanman Siegersma. From 2018–2019, Melody edited alone until 2020, when Susie Anderson took the reins. This year, in 2021, I have been trusted with the series. It seems significant to note that both Susie and I were published in volume 2, the necessary connection there.' (Publication introduction)

'When briefing commissioned poets on what I imagined this volume of Tell Me Like You Mean It to embody, I eagerly told them to simply ‘tell me like you mean it’. I didn’t care if it was a declaration, a meditation, a lyric or an ode but bring me the view, the slant, quirk and queer orientation of where you are in this world.

'My aim was to create a space where diverse voices could resonate and find new meanings through their interplay. What emerged was a collection of poems exploring what it means to perceive and be perceived, to interpret and be interpreted. To me, they exemplify a poetics in pursuit of nuance.

'As you read through this collection, consider how each poem offers a distinct perspective, a unique way of seeing and interpreting the world, a poetic voice deeply concerned with understanding the where of its annunciation. Through a triangulation of everyday experiences, observations, and reflections, we are given insight to broader conversations about what it means to live, understand and be misunderstood on Aboriginal lands. Through these poet’s words we are invited to imagine the familiar anew and to continue being concerned about the catastrophic- come-all-too-familiar.' (Introduction)