Thirty Australian Poets

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. 30 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. Featuring works by Jaya Savige, Emma Jones, Emily Ballou, Bronwyn Lea and Samuel Wagan Watson, to name a few, this groundbreaking anthology captures the spirit of this exciting generation who, between them, have won every major poetry award, and made the renaissance of Australian poetry impossible to ignore.

Felicity Plunkett is the poetry editor at the University of Queensland Press and a widely published reviewer whose work has been featured in the Age, the Australian Book Review, Canberra Times, and the Sydney Morning Herald. She is the author of the poetry collections Seastrands and Vanishing Point and the recipient of the Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize.