Cirrus@Austlit

'A landmark anthology celebrating a new generation of Australian poets.

'1968 marked a turning point in Australian poetry, when a dynamic wave of new poets sought to revitalise a "moribund poetic culture". At the helm of that generation was John Tranter who argued that there would be cycles or generations of poets with peak moments where new poets would emerge to revitalise the culture.

'Forty years later, with a spate of superb debut collections, Australian poetry has never looked so energetic and vital. From the imaginatively mind-boggling to the exquisitely lyrical, from tender and edgy erotic currents to wild feats of intellect and playfulness, the dynamism of contemporary Australian poetry is abundantly evident.

'Thirty Australian Poets is the first anthology to celebrate the generation of poets born after 1968 and includes a wonderful diversity of voices and styles, from re-imagined versions of traditional forms to the experimental and avant-garde. This groundbreaking anthology captures the spirit of an exciting generation who, between them, have won every major poetry award, and made the renaissance of Australian poetry impossible to ignore.' (From the publisher's website.)

'This anthology...is a negotiation of many spaces. That of poets and their work, the idea of "Australia", the idea of being "represented" in a different demographic (America), personal or textual issues with anthologiser, who else is being included (though none outside myself and the publishers have knowledge of this until publication). Vitally, whoat matters is the conversations that arise from the anthology going public, and how the poets and readers deal with this community that has been organically and artificially induced.' John Kinsella (Source: backcover)