Poetry Month reads

Civil rights activist and author Audre Lorde said that “poetry is not a luxury". Poet and teacher Sharon Olds observed that "a poem doesn't intensify experience, it adds to it [...] I want a poem to be useful." In an essay for Meanjin, beloved Australian author Alexis Wright quotes poet Mahmoud Darwish who believes that "poetry is our ladder to the moon". 

The bright future of poetry in Australia includes the announcement that our new federal arts body Writing Australia will appoint a National Poet Laureate. 

To celebrate a month of poetry at State Library, we invite you to read a book by an Australian poet and join us for curator's tours at our new Australian Library of Art showcase, on level 4. The word made flesh will run from August to April – come see rare and exciting books that demonstrate collaborations between poets and artists.