Cirrus@Austlit

'Inside Black Australia', is the first anthology of Aboriginal poetry to be published, it contains 150 poems by more than 40 Aboriginal writers and poets.

'The Ngarrindjeri People is an Aboriginal studies course which details the history, culture and life experiences of the Aboriginal groups who were the original inhabitants of the areas along the River Murray, Lakes and Coorong.'

'This course is important in that Ngarrindjeri people are now a significant part of the South Australian community. Ngarrindjeri country, chiefly the River Murray and Coorong, is now used extensively for both agricultural and recreational purposes and through this course students will learn to appreciate its historical cultural significance in addition to its value as a natural resource.'

'The Ngarrindjeri People is a part of the 8-12 Aboriginal studies program which has been developed to meet the needs of students, teachers and Aboriginal people.' (Source: page 7)

'In this collection of contemporary poems for children, thirty-five Aboriginal poets write about what it means to be Aboriginal today. Many of the poems reflect the anger, despair and determination of a people dispossessed of their land and denied justice. Some poets recall the spirituality and culture of their ancestors. Still others look with hope to the future...' (Source: Back cover)

'Sense, Shape, Symbol is an investigation of Australian poetry. It explores the ways in which poets succeed, or fail, in their attempts to bring their experience to life.

Their primary raw materials are the five senses - sight, sound, smell, taste and touch - the means by which we all experience our world.

Poets also like to experiment with the shape of their writing, starting with the qualities of vowels and consonants, of syllables, and of rhyme, metre and rhythm.

Working poets make particular use of the metaphor, of the connections that they suggest between normally unlike things, to express their response to their subject.

The collection explores the work of five poets who have played an important, influential part in the development of Australian poetry: Judith Wright, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, David Malouf, Les Murray and Mark O’Connor.

The final chapter looks at some of the common concerns that can create conflict in our lives, such as gender, race, age, and socio-economic status, and other issues that create fear and that encourage hope.

The collection is intended to allow readers to become familiar with the techniques that poets use, and to develop their own poetic writing in an informed way.' (Publisher's blurb)