Cirrus@Austlit

'Gravidity and Parity explores the narrative opportunities of pregnancy loss, pregnancy and early motherhood set against the unfolding experience of the COVID 19 pandemic.

'With bleak humour, crisp language and the intricate realities of the body, Gravidity and Parity considers the natal taboo while documenting the strange, performance of life celebrated, mourned, connected and disconnected under lockdown.' (Publication summary)

'On 11 March, World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus concluded his opening address for the COVID-19 pandemic media briefing with neat, alliterative tips for the world: ‘Prevention. Preparedness. Public health. Political leadership. And most of all, people.’ At the time I was listening to this announcement, a background murmur on the nearby radio, I was also peeing on a small plastic stick. Within minutes, I knew I was pregnant.'  (Introduction)

'Andrew Cox is a proud Filipino/Australian, based on the Central Coast of NSW. 2018 saw the release of The Space Between the Words, Andrew’s first collection of writing, and making his mark as an important voice for Spoken Word in Sydney. A regional APS champion and state finalist, his poetry has taken him to stages the likes of Sydney Town Hall & Parliament House, Canberra. He has been a featured act for Sydney Writers Festival & Sydney Contemporary Art Fair. With a desire to see people experience the power of poetry and engage deeply, Andrew’s live performances are memorable for intensity, honesty and abstract storytelling.' (Introduction)

'In this spare and sharply observed collection of poems is the essence of a human story: what transpires when, despite all reason, we love someone who makes it difficult to love them. The imagery is a shocking and sometimes bleakly humorous mixture of the intimacies of blood and drink with the detachment of words and memories – perhaps most of all the final detachment of writing itself. ' (Publication summary)