‘Transforming My Country’ is a selection of fourteen poems by fourteen poets, each responding to Dorothea Mackellar’s iconic, patriotic poem, ‘My Country’. Here we hear from Alison Whittaker and Lachlan Brown, after an introduction from guest editor Toby Fitch.

Lachlan Brown - Wish

Alison Whittaker - A Love Like Dorothea's

Introduction by Toby Fitch

Emilie Zoey Baker: Hey Mary Shelley

PiO: The BBQ

Steve Smart: A House in Ruined Repose

Hadley: Lindsay Suite (Children's Song)

Ahmad Al Rady: Like Wet Jazz

Ahmad Al Rady: Speak To Me of What the Sky Could Mean

The seven poets recorded here were part of a sensational reading at Melbourne Writers Festival 2018, The Big Bent Poetry Read. Featuring Broede Carmody, Quinn Eades, Michael Farrell, Kate Lilley, Lian Low, Harry Reid and Ania Walwicz, it was hosted by Adolfo Aranjuez. The Big Bent was curated by all partners as a poetic exploration of gender and queerness. It was co-presented by Australian Poetry with MWF and Cordite Publishing. The event was funded under the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund grant to AP for its festivals 2018-2019. Thanks to Toby Fitch for his editing of this series also for the AUSTRALIAN POETRY JOURNAL 8.2 - 'spoken' volume.

The Big Bent Poetry Reading - MELBOURNE WRITERS FESTIVAL 2018

Laurie May: Trapped Lions Inside Stale Revolutions

Sara Saleh: InshaAllah

Two Poets features highly respected and award-winning Aboriginal poet Ali Cobby Eckermann reading 'I Tell you True' at an AP co-partnered event in Melbourne, October 2018, featuring all First Nations poets. Ali hosted the event. The second poem is by emerging Arab-Australian poet, Sara Saleh, 'InshAllah', which appeared in Australian Poetry Journal 8.2 and which she read at its launch, Sydney, December 2018. It was studio recorded by Allison Chan for AP. As well as poet, writer and editor, Sara is an activist and board member of Get Up!

Two Poets

Quinn Eades: Manifesto For A Queer Future

Australian Poetry, based at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne, acknowledges the custodians and owners of the land, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and future and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.  Australian Poetry publishes the biannual Australian Poetry Journal and the annual Australian Poetry Anthology, events, mentoring programs and festivals to strengthen poetry and poets across the country. australianpoetry.org

Australian Poetry

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