2021 was a big year for me
and poetry. Since my last blog update in October, I was delighted that two more
poems from my verse novel Dancing with Empty Prams, submitted as one entry
under the title “The intimacy of needles; the poise of liquid nitrogen” were
Commended on Sunday in the Woorilla Poetry Prize 2021. Judge Nathan Curnow
commented: “This is an honest account of IVF treatment. It’s a long journey of
a couple who are yearning for pregnancy, who are managing amid expectation and
exhaustion. It’s finely handled; it’s a sensitive piece about hope, patience,
absence and anticipation.” You can listen to the comments and hear Nathan read
the poems (from the 1:42:30 mark on the replay of the live-stream video of the
award presentation below.) https://www.facebook.com/woorillapoetryprize/videos/195652459334347
In November I was excited to announce that I signed
a contract with a literary agent, Fiona Johnson from Beyond Words Literary
Agency, to guide my verse novel manuscript Dancing with Empty Prams out into
the world. https://www.beyondwordsagency.com/
And I was happy to round out
the year with the news that one of my poems, “and then I catch myself”,
received a Special Mention in the 2021 Colin and Norma Knight Memorial Poetry
Award competition facilitated by the Fellowship of Australian Writers Tasmania.
Judge Karen Witek (Knight) commented that my poem had a “Great title,
descriptive imagery, reminiscent of some of Whitman’s thought processes."
She also wrote: "I liked how the writer took us into their private world
of short term escapism, a walk through mindfulness, memories and beauty.”
