Cirrus@Austlit

'The resurgence of Indigenous culture and thought continues. Confident, smart and sensitive Aboriginal artists, writers and theorists create world-class work in every genre. Tough and autonomous critical milieux have developed, liberated from colonial and modern mythologies about Aboriginal culture and its relations to Western ways of thinking and seeing. Flourishing Indigenous arts and literary scenes have grown around a new generation of Aboriginal publishers, curators, writers, editors, film-makers, choreographers and savvy arts entrepreneurs...' (Minter, Peter, Listen Up, Meanjin Vol 65 No. 1 2006: 1-2)

'The quality of Australian poetry has never been higher, nor the number of distinctive voices greater. A landmark publication, this collection presents the astonishing achievements of Australian poetry during the last quarter of a century. Over ten years in preparation, gathering over 200 poets and 500 poems, it makes the case for this country's poetry as a broadening of the universal set for all English-speakers. 'Somewhat astonishingly,' the introduction notes, 'and while no-one was looking, Australian poetry has developed a momentum and a critical mass such that it has become one more luminous field in the English-speaking imagination. Increasingly, anyone who seeks to explore the perspectives or music available in English will also have to consider the perspectives and music which have originated here - Australia having turned itself, too, into a place in the mind.' Both survey and critical review, this anthology offers a rare opportunity to explore the major national achievement of contemporary Australian poetry. (Publication summary)'