Cirrus@Austlit

'It is 1907 in the Pale Settlement, which Magdalena Ball explains was a region of the Russian Empire from 1791 to 1917 where Jewish people were forced to live in poverty and suffered extreme abuse; there her great-grandmother dreamed of a better life. In this year, with a few bundles filled with old clothes as well as with ambition and hope, she left for the Americas and disembarked in New York.'  (Introduction)

'I am honoured to be asked to launch Amanda Johnson’s fourth book of poetry, Save As. I have known Amanda for some years, and like the person herself, I found this collection of poetry to be playful, funny, critical, smart and a pleasure to be immersed in.'  (Introduction)

'I’m Prithvi Varatharajan. I’m honoured to be launching Marjon Mossammaparast’s second poetry collection, And to Ecstasy. Like Marjon, I’m really pleased that her publisher Terri-ann White is here in Melbourne from Perth. And thanks to you all for coming here this Sunday afternoon, to celebrate this fine collection.'  (Introduction)

'It is a sad, but very special honour to be launching this beautiful Flying Islands book: Jill McKeowen’s posthumously published first collection of poetry, Sunday Morning, Here.'  (Introduction)

'Rochford Street Review was saddened to learn of the death of John Tranter on Friday 21 April. While we will be looking to publish a tribute to Tranter, and his role in shaping contemporary Australian poetry, we are republishing an essay written by Rochford Street Review co-editor Mark Roberts from 1993 which first appeared in Island Magazine. The essay takes as its starting point the Tranter edited Martin Johnston’s Selected Poems to examine the impact of the so-called Generation of 68 and the New Australian Poetry, of which Tranter played a central, if not pivotal, part.' (Introduction)

'It is with sadness that Rochford Street Review learnt of the death of poet, publisher and editor Ron Pretty on 30 June 2023.'