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September 19, 2005March 22, 2022

Chris Mansell —Poetry in a time of fire

‘I go into schools to do poetry workshops/readings. Everyone’s very keen on poetry in schools. It’s part of the curriculum in my state (though less than it used to be) and teenagers still write it (and SMS each other small poems — usually doggerel, often obscene) and some teachers still love it. During the course of question time someone always asks how much money I make (and I think, “If I was making a lot of money, would I be here?”) but I say, “Put up your hand if you’ve bought a music CD or a book of poems this year.” A forest of hands goes up. “Keep your hand up if you bought poetry.” A forest falls. There are a few stragglers left. Then I say (being an Australian poet), “Keep your hand up if the book of poetry you bought was by a living Australian poet.” Ah, clear felled. Almost always. Then I say to them: “What was the question again?” ‘ – Chris Mansell on the difficulties of publishing poetry, online at poetry.about.com, 14th September, 2005.

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Categories

  • 3CR
  • A Chides Alphabet
  • ACT Literary Awards
  • Adamson, Bob
  • Adès, David
  • AI
  • Akers, louise
  • Albiston, Jordie
  • Allan, Alice
  • ALLMUSIC
  • Altman, Dennis
  • Amis, Martin
  • Anderson, Pat
  • Andrejeva, Kaciaryna
  • Anne Elder Award
  • Armantrout, Rae
  • Arnott, Robbie
  • Ashley, Melissa
  • Austin, Susan
  • Australia Institute
  • awards
  • Azimitabr, Mostafa ‘Moz’
  • Bailey, Thomas Forest
  • Baker, Tim
  • Bandesh, Farhad
  • Barnes, Melanie
  • Barton, Alison J.
  • Bell, Johanna
  • Bernstein, Charles
  • Berry, Colin
  • Bignell, Meg
  • Bircumshaw, David
  • Blackman, Andrew
  • Blackwood, Mary
  • Blakers, Rob
  • Bliss, Magenta
  • blog
  • Bolliger, Huni Melissa
  • book launch
  • book quotes
  • books
  • boult, jenny
  • Bowen, Kristy
  • Boyle, Peter
  • Brewster, Anne
  • Bright South
  • Brinklow, Laurie
  • Brophy, Kevin
  • Brown, Bob
  • Brozek, Daniela
  • Bruny Island Bird Festival
  • Burns, Anna
  • Byrne, Daragh
  • Byrne, Mairead
  • Cadden, Anna
  • Calanthe Press
  • Campbell, Marion May
  • Canetti, Elias
  • Carbis, Gayelene
  • Castlemaine Poetry Readings
  • children's books
  • City Park Radio
  • Clifton, Alison
  • climate change
  • Colette
  • Collins, Anne
  • Colville, Jan
  • Conan-Davies, Cally
  • conversations & interviews
  • Corbett, Nancy
  • Cordite Poetry Review
  • Corfiatis, Thérèse
  • Cossins, Jennifer
  • Couani, Anna
  • Cranston, CA
  • Crucefix, Martyn
  • Csik Zenekar
  • Daiza, Eliza Dune
  • DakhaBrakha
  • Davis, Megan
  • Didion, Joan
  • Dimitriadis, Koraly
  • Donlon, Ross
  • Drabble, Margaret
  • Drever, Chris
  • Dulcetly
  • Dumbly, Tug
  • Easton, Carol
  • Eberhard, Adrienne
  • Edmond, Martin
  • Edwards, Rachel
  • Einaudi, Ludovico
  • Ell, Theodore
  • Estrada, Silvana
  • Eureka Street
  • Evans, Alison
  • faith
  • festivals
  • fiction
  • Filreis, Al
  • FitzSimons, Peter
  • Five Islands Poetry Prize
  • Five Islands Press
  • Flanagan, Martin
  • Flanagan, Richard
  • Flett, Alison
  • Fowlis, Julie
  • Gallego, Ruben
  • Garcia-Navarro, Lulu
  • Giard-Chase, Ann
  • Gillespie, Alyssa
  • Gorton, John
  • Gotye
  • Greenhill, Susie
  • Grove, Simon
  • Haig, Francesca
  • haiku
  • Hay, Pete
  • Hecate
  • Herbert, Elanna
  • Hetherington, Graeme
  • Hey Rosetta!
  • Higgins, Kevin
  • Hindrum, Cameron
  • Hobart
  • Hobart Bookshop
  • Holland-Batt, Sarah
  • Hugo, Giles
  • Hunt, Julie
  • interviews
  • Ireland, David
  • Island
  • Jackson, Andy
  • Jackson, Eleanor
  • Jermy, Helga
  • Jones, Jill
  • Joris, Pierre
  • journals
  • Jurek, Thom
  • Kessler, Deirdre
  • Kidjo, Angélique
  • Kimbra
  • Kruimink, Kate
  • Laing, Harry
  • Launceston
  • Launceston Poetry Cup
  • Law, Archie
  • Law, Rebecca Kylie
  • Lawrence, Anthony
  • Layton-Bennett, Anne
  • Lea, Shelton
  • Leane, Jeanine
  • Lefroy, Liz
  • Lenker, Adrianne
  • Lilley, Kate
  • Liminal
  • Liquid Amber Press
  • Lomer, Kathryn
  • Lopo, Lisbet De Castro
  • MacKellar, Maggie
  • Mansell, Chris
  • Mantel, Hilary
  • Manus Island
  • March, Annie
  • Marr, David
  • Mason, David
  • McCusker, John
  • McGowan, Shane
  • mclennan, rob
  • McQuilkin, Liz
  • Melbourne Poetry Map
  • Meldrum, Petrina
  • Melrose, Shaine
  • memoir
  • Mercer, Gina
  • Middle East
  • Middleton, Kate
  • MILCK
  • Miles Franklin Award
  • Mok, Judith
  • Moss, Ron
  • New York Times
  • Nic Amhlaoibh, Muireann
  • Nielsen-Creeley, Kim
  • NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
  • O'Loughlin, Michael
  • Oakman, BJ
  • Otoliths
  • Ott, Teresa
  • Ottaway, Esther
  • Overland
  • Owen, David
  • Page, Vanessa
  • Paris Review
  • Patterson, Carol
  • Perera, Indrani
  • photography
  • Piko, Gregory
  • Poem Talk
  • poetry
  • poetry collections
  • Poetry London
  • Poetry Pedlars, Launceston
  • Poetry Says (podcast series)
  • poets
  • Poets on the Line
  • Poets' Express, The
  • Price, Jacinta
  • Proctor, Vanessa
  • Pybus, Cassandra
  • Rayner, Tony
  • Reaburn, Norman
  • Red Room Poetry
  • refugees
  • Reid, Harry
  • research
  • reviews
  • Riekki, Ron
  • Rochford Street Review
  • Rockman, Shoshanna
  • Rogers, Lars
  • Rothenberg, Jerome
  • Rowland, Robyn
  • Roy, Anuradha
  • RSS
  • Ryan, Brendan
  • Ryan, Tracy
  • Sakr, Omar
  • Saltbush Review
  • Schindler, Pam
  • science
  • Sculthorpe-Green, Nunami
  • Seasonal Poets
  • self-publishing
  • Sendra, Tim
  • Sharkey, Michael
  • Sheerwater, Henry
  • short stories
  • Simic, Charles
  • Skilbeck-Porter, Ella
  • Skovron, Alex
  • Slade, Tim
  • Small Press Network
  • Smith, Hazel
  • Sometimes, Alicia
  • song
  • Spaulding, Ralph
  • Spineless Wonders
  • Spoken Word, 3CR
  • Stenberg, Britta
  • Strummer, Joe
  • Swain, Helen
  • Tasmanian Literary Awards
  • Tasmanian Literary Awards 2022
  • Tasmanian Literary Awards 2025
  • Tasmanian Poetry Festival
  • The Richell Prize
  • thinking aloud
  • Thorne, Tim
  • Those Folk & The Inadequates
  • Tinmouth, Valerie
  • Tiny Desk Concert
  • Tokarczuk, Olga
  • Tredennick, Mark
  • Ukraine
  • Uluru Statement from the Heart
  • Uncategorized
  • US politics
  • Vale
  • Van Rijswijk, Philomena
  • Vaughan, Eleanor
  • Victorian Premier's Prize for Literature
  • Victorian Premier's Prize for Poetry
  • Webby, David
  • WestWords
  • Whish-Wilson, David
  • Whish-Wilson, Peter
  • White, Rachel
  • Whitebeach, Terry
  • Wicks, Les
  • wildness (online poetry journal)
  • Williams, Jane
  • Williams, Lucy
  • Winfield, Liz
  • Winton, Tim
  • Witek, Jules
  • Wood, Charlotte
  • Woodside
  • Woomble, Roddy
  • Woorilla Poetry Prize
  • Writers' Week, Adelaide Festival
  • Yee, Grace
  • Young, Damon
  • Young, Mark
  • Yukon Blonde
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