Bill Rush has lived in Melbourne. He wrote his first poem at the age of seven. The author of two previous books of poetry, his work has been published in Australia and overseas. Reflecting on the human condition and its habitat, his subject matter is eclectic, ranging from the classical to the contemporary, from the natural world to the deeply personal. Like Thoreau, he sees poetry as 'healthy speech', inviting both clarity and response; also as an attempt to show with economy of words that which the Australian poet Joyce Lee once described as 'the mystery at the centre of things'. A retired pharmacist with a theology degree, Rush enjoys people, tennis, travel, art and classical music.