Cirrus@Austlit

'Impulsive, budding artist, Pearl, jumps on a bus headed for the driest place she knows, Australia’s Nullarbor Plain, to escape a terrifying undersea curse, only to find it waiting for her in a fish tank when she arrives. In her Aunty’s derelict roadhouse, she amuses and outrages the local misfits by seeing their hidden traumas in watery visions – which she paints. Eddie, a hot, young windmill repairer, shows interest, but soon must vie for this amazing artist’s attention with Italian cave diver, Massimo. Tempting as they may be, Pearl can’t go there, not while this family-seeing curse is ruining her life . . . unless it’s a gift? Just in case it is, Pearl risks her life to solve the mystery that has plagued all the women in her line, starting with her long-dead Great-Grandma Pearl.' (Publication summary)

'Backtrack, BN Oakman's third full-length collection, is a suite of poems created in response to an observed, often baffling, world. Oakman writes with conviction in a direct and lively style, while employing various poetic forms to explore a wide range of emotions and experiences. He gives us poems crafted with empathy and humour about transient joys, abiding sadnesses, persistent injustices, fleeting triumphs and unassuageable grief - the whole exasperating mess and muddle of it all. Here are poems to engage the mind, touch the heart, nudge us to laughter, and occasionally, move us to tears.' (Publication summary)

'Tickets to the Fall of Icarus charts the flight of two flamboyant characters, Icarus and Audrey, as they navigate their way through the maelstrom of modern life amidst natural disasters, pandemics, online dating and even a little self-sabotage.

'In artfully executed narrative poetry, Gering deploys his inimitable style and humour to bring characters into dynamic life on the page. There are few readers who won't see glimmers or shards of themselves in Audrey and Icarus.

'These vignettes are surprising, bittersweet and strangely insightful as they coalesce in a collection that is a challenging but joyful exploration of what it means to be alive and incisively engaged in the 21st century.' (Publication summary)

'This anthology comprises poems written about the particularities of nature in Australia and Japan, together with the multi-faceted emotions engendered thereby.

'Japanese people cherish the tanka form as much now as they did in ancient times. And for English-speaking people, this anthology will provide an excellent way of experiencing tanka as English poetry.

'Composed by poets in Australia and Japanese, the tanka within these pages reveal previously unknown aspects of the natural world, while also enabling mutual understanding of shared feelings between the two countries.

'They may be brief, but these poems will leave deep reverberations in their readers' hearts and minds.' (Publication summary)

'Jest the Funny Bits is a collection of Bill Condon's comic poems, plays, and short stories. He had a lot of fun writing them and he really hopes you have fun reading them. However, be warned, they’re not for everyone. If you’re a humourless sour grumpy-pants, whose face would split in two if you attempted to smile or laugh, then whatever you do, don’t read this book! Also, since it is sure to induce giggles, it is best not to read it out loud. After all, humour is contagious, so if you start laughing, you could cause a charge of chuckles, even a gush of guffaws. We're sure you wouldn’t want that on your conscience. By the end of the book, you may think the author must be a very silly person. You’d be right, too, but at least he's not a humourless sour grumpy-pants.' (Publication summary)

'In the third volume of the Eleanor of Acquitaine novels, Eleanor finds herself torn between her early love for Henry II of England and resistance to his constant bullying of her and her sons in his fear of being superceded by his ambitious offspring. His paranoia leads him to imprison her to curtail her powers, but this makes her only more determined to resist him and defend her birthright, while, at the same time, reining in her sons’ impulses to overthrow him. Who will win out—the autocratic Henry, or the resourceful Eleanor? It seems time may be on her side...' (Publication summary)

'“That old childhood saying ‘pick what you want from the tree of life’ simply not working anymore? Becoming a foreigner in Indonesia might be as good a stab at something new and rewarding, as anything…”

'Armed with a teaching contract, some poems, and a guitar-playing buddy, Roberts discovers a potentially life-changing experience in 2013. And so the Bajaj Boys make themselves at home.

'Indonesia is revealed as a challenging but welcoming land of ‘instant millionaires’, ‘beautiful rubbish’, abundant romance, powerful religion, and unnerving history.

'Nasi goreng, alcohol, cigarettes, bajajs, motorbikes, a gentlemen’s club, poetry gigs, wild animals, and electrical storms weave together, as the dark cracks of Kemang open.' (Publication summary)

'If you are the only one capable of saving the world, would a hedgehog be your go-to solution? Should you commit seppuku simply because you feel at home everywhere? How much trouble could you be in, if you imagine that most people you meet are your concubines? What if you find out that God occasionally indulges in writing dirty poems? These questions seem absurd. However, before passing judgment, you might discover the surprising poetic resolutions that Daniel Ionita proposes in this volume.

'Ionita has succeeded - with dexterous flair - in meshing history with the biblical while ribbing authority and human excess through absurdity and surrealism - reminding the reader of Tristan Tzara and the Dadaists... This collection is a significant contribution to Australian poetry.' (Publication summary)

'This woman is on a journey. She’s looking for love.

'What she expects is happiness, kisses, a feeling of enjoyment and deep affection.

'What she doesn’t count on is frustration, tears and the unexpected.

'The question is will this deep emotional journey fulfil her desire? 'Where will she end up?' (Publication summary)

'Never Good at Maths is a collection of contrasts and voices, ruminating on the everyday, our global, and personal passions. Except Maths. (Spoiler Alert) Kate Maxwell's passion for Maths is not a topic explored in any tangible way. But her poems are delicate and gritty, whimsical, sharp, even if decidedly un-numeric. She paints pictures and tells stories in ever-changing tones and voices. At times satirical or lighthearted, and then deeply moving and personal, many of the poems resonate with raw honesty or humour. With vivid imagery, the underlying beauty of our world is evoked with fresh perspectives.' (Publication summary)

'This collection of poems aims to introduce the reader to the richness of birds and the need to care for their world.  The poems bring to life their beauty, their song and the intriguing and sometimes funny behaviours as well as their remarkable skills, especially in nest building.

'The poems are presented in a loose semblance of order beginning with the signifier poem, Unbounded Air, followed by the shorebird poems noting the urgent need to address their threatened habitat. This environmental theme continues in many of the poems.

'When we are more attentive, we see birds in all environments.  Travel gives opportunities for fresh discoveries, particularly in Australia’s distinctly different environments. A number of poems reflect this happenstance. Yet, it is at home in our gardens, nearby parks and waterways where we really see birds up close. Many of the later poems represent the richness and diversity that surrounds us if we take time in our own patch. The final poem, A Murmuration of Birds, focuses on the awe and wonder of seeing huge numbers of birds in the magic of synchronised flight.

'A close connection with birds can be transformative. The same occurs when we allow ourselves to be emerged in poetry, to take the time, to read closely and allow our thoughts to move to a new knowing.' (Publication summary)

'A Fickle Pendulum assays belief and doubt through three historical figures - St. Thomas the Apostle, Galileo Galilei and Laura (Riding) Jackson - and uses them to pivot into wider thematic worlds. The writing is thoughtful, exploratory and never weighed down by its subject matter, and the language vibrant and rich in metaphor. The reader ineluctably mixes Paul Scully's meditations with his or her own.'  (Publication summary)

'Staying Whole While Falling Apart celebrates troubled all-rounder, Aaron Auslander, as he strives to find meaning and shape his identity in the midst of too many influences. Love and parenthood complicate matters, and Aaron has to find creative ways to rally and stay whole. Gering artfully combines surreally black humour, arresting imagery, and tenderness to take the reader on a grand tour of the human landscape. The narrative roves from apartheid South Africa to the beach suburbs of Sydney, from the orange cliffs of the Blue Mountains to Nazi Europe. In precise and vivid language, the poems deliver fresh takes on life, at once quirky and bittersweet.' (Publication summary)

'Here is an eclectic collection of poems by Janne Graham, Amelia Fielden, Julia Irwin, Neva Kastelic and Meryl Turner.

'Together, they have explored forms and themes and triggered ideas for each other. You will find poems following the unusual Golden Shovel form through to three on tomatoes … and much else beside.

'The title, a nod to the home address where the group meets, also suggests the sense of a safe place in which they practice their art.

'The content is a reflection of a workshop in action, experimental and friendly.' (Publication summary)

'Ever since humans have looked up, we have been mesmerised by the changeable wonders of an evening sky.

'Even more so, they have speculated on the celestial objects that we can see with a naked eye and those beyond the reach of our most powerful telescopes and space probes. We continue ask is there life beyond our fragile atmosphere, our solar system, our galaxy—or are we alone, a cosmic accident in an otherwise lifeless universe? And, if other lifeforms do exist on moons or distant exoplanets elsewhere, what form/s does it take? Is it intelligent, more or less so than we humans are?

'The sheer volume of unknowns involved with exploring what might be out there seems daunting to many of us, but this only makes our scientists and the adventurers all the more determined to find answers to the most challenging questions that will engage generations well into the foreseeable future.

'For this anthology, we asked artists to respond creatively not only to these cosmic questions but also from an internal angle, from the perspective of a mind trying to make sense of elusive notions of “reality” in time and space, and who we are in the scheme of things. We offered them the freedom to present us with work on and beyond the printed page. So here you’ll find not only stimulating words, but images and audio, and thought-provoking links to external websites that will prompt you to further explore the frontiers of our constantly expanding universe and our responses to it.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Monstrous contains some famous creatures. You will find poems about Mary Shelley’s monster, who writes a new ending to his story. There are also lesser known monstrosities, such as sharks that eat suns, kings who wear crowns decorated with eyes, evil fairies, and the dubious future of the game of cricket. Garden gnomes, in all their hideous whimsy, keep popping up. They are even found on the moon. Travel there with a nineteenth century adventurer on a steam-engine, along with some hidden aliens. Monsters take many forms, both disturbing and amusing. The horrible and the hilarious walk together in this book.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Poet and artist Saeko Ogi's latest collection, Rock by the Roadside, features an array of Japanese poems in translation, with the assistance of Amelia Fielden, and travels from her life in Japan to her more recent experiences in Australia. There is peace to be found in gardens and many tanka dotted throughout this collection illustrate how Saeko—who is living on the banks of a lake—is inspired by her environment.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'While women account for 50% of the population they only occupy around 0.5% of recorded history. When pre-history turned into history, and, as new civilisations expanded, society became more militarised, and the story of “humanity” was often filtered through male perspectives. So the tales of many strong and powerful women became stifled and forgotten.

'It’s time to restore the stories of feisty, courageous, and athletic females into the historical narrative. It’s time to reconsider what it means for men and women to be human and to seek to excel. Jane Daoud’s The Power of Women takes an important step toward that goal.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)