Records of Poetry Australia
MSS 015
Collection Title
Records of Poetry AustraliaCollection Identifier
MSS 015Inclusive date(s)
1960 to 2000Extent and Medium
Creator(s)
Category
Subject: Terms(s)
Subject: Person(s)
Subject: Organisation(s)
Collection Description
The collection comprises records of Poetry Australia collected by John Millett
Administrative / Biographical history
Following a dispute with the Poetry Society of Australia in 1964, for which she had been editor of Poetry magazine since 1961, Grace Perry founded Poetry Australia and the publishing house South Head Press.
Committed to producing a fine poetry magazine devoid of factions, Perry published a diverse range of styles and subjects in Poetry Australia. The magazine also fostered emerging Australian poets, sponsoring many workshops, literary seminars and visits from overseas writers. Commemorative issues were devoted to Francis Webb and David Campbell and special regional issues devoted to Australian states and territories were also produced. In addition, the work of individual poets such as John Tranter, Jennifer Maiden, John Millett, Heather Cam, Peter Goldsworthy and Meredith Wattison was featured in special issues. In 1985 a selection of poems mostly by well-established poets appeared in Poetry Australia : twenty one years, celebrating twenty-one years of publication.
Perry aimed to produce a magazine of international significance while maintaining a strong Australian presence. To this end, the work of many international writers, including translations, appeared in Poetry Australia, but most issues did not identify the contributors' nationality. International contributors included Ezra Pound, Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney, Richard Murphy and Margaret Atwood. Translations included early Russian poets by Rosemary Dobson and David Campbell, Laurence Springarn's translations from Portuguese and Mark Scrivener's translations of German classics. Poetry Australia also published special issues of New Zealand, Canadian, Italian, Japanese, Dutch and Flemish, American, Gaelic, French, Austrian, Swedish and Papua New Guinean poetry.
In 1985 the magazine won the NSW Premier's Special Literary Award. Grace Perry died in 1987. John Millett continued as editor until 1992 when Poetry Australia ceased production. Millett subsequently helped to establish the Poetry Australia Fund and this fund was instrumental in the establishment in 2002 of the magazine Blue Dog : Australian Poetry, which editor Ron Pretty declares is in 'direct line of succession from Poetry Australia'.
Editor: Perry, Grace - Date: 1964-1973
Editors: Perry, Grace and Murray, Les (a.k.a. Murray, Leslie Allan; Murray, L.; Murray, Les A.) - Date: 1973-1979
Editor: Perry, Grace - Date: 1980-1987
Editor: Millett, John - Date: 1988-1992
References:
AustLit : the resource for Australian literature, April 2006.
Acquisition Details
Scope and Content
The collection comprises poetry submissions, correspondence, galley proofs and published copies of Poetry Australia; self published and small press poetry sent to Millett on reciprocal basis or because of his editorship of Poetry Australia, together with some correspondence to Grace Perry and South Head Press. The Academy Library has arranged the collection in chronological order from 1963-2000 (no attempt has been made at further sorting of the correspondence). The bulk of the collection spans 1987-1994.
Access Restrictions
Other
Access: Check with Curator
This collection contains a variety of copyright material. Copyright is held by the creator of each item. Specific conditions for this collection are listed below. If no conditions are stipulated then the standard terms of the Copyright Act apply for published and unpublished items. Digitised material from manuscript collections is provided to clients by UNSW Canberra in good faith for private study and research only, and may not be published or re-purposed without the express and written permission of the individual legal holder of that copyright. Refer also to the UNSW copyright, disclaimer and takedown policy
Copying: Check with Curator
Existence and Location of Orginals
Related and Separated Materials
Further manuscript material relating to Poetry Australia may be found in the Academy Library, UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy in the papers of:
John Millett at MSS 014
Jeff Guess at MSS 086
Craig Powell at MSS 152
Margaret Diesendorf at MSS 228
Separated Material
Further papers of Poetry Australia are held by the State Library of New South Wales at Personal papers of John Millett, together with records of Poetry Australia at MLMSS (number not listed as of 10 June 2008).
Further papers of John Millett are held by the State Library of New South Wales at John Millett ML3161.
Further papers of Grace Perry are held by the State Library of New South Wales at MLMSS 1433.
This collection originally included a number of publications, listed below. These works have been catalogued separately and added to the Library's main collection.
Bien, Jeff. Prosody at the Café du Coin. Kingston, Ont.: Quarry Press, 1996.
Bowden-Kelly, Murray. Variety : the spice of life including supplement. Merredin, (W.A.): M. Bowden-Kelly, 1977.
Cooperman, Robert. Trial of Mary McCormick. Niagara Falls, New York: Slipstream, 1990.
Faust, Clive. Leavetakings. Kyoto, Japan: Origin Press, 1986.
Gradussov, Alex. Bleak prospects for the muscle heart : poems. Darwin: Washing Machine, 1992.
Jones, Billy. The blue chair. Melbourne: Fling Poetry, 1987.
Laird, John, selector. The Australian experience of war : illustrated stories & verse. Darlinghurst, N.S.W.: Mead & Beckett, 1988.
Millett, John. Voyeur from Australia. Brigham, Quebec: Samisdat, 1988.
Moore, Donald. Phaal. [Newcastle, N.S.W.: Nimrod Publications], 1988.
Perry, Grace. I am the songs you sing and other poems. Sydney: Consolidated Press, 1944.
Perry, Grace. Staring at the stars, and other poems. [Waverley, N.S.W: R.R. Perry, 1942].
Peters, Robert. Breughel's pig. Berkeley, Calif.: Illuminati, 1989.
Peters, Robert. The gift to be simple : a garland for Ann Lee. New York: Liveright, [1975].
Peters, Robert. Hawker. Greensboro: Unicorn Press, 1984.
Peters, Robert. Hunting the snark : a compendium of new poetic terminology. New York: Paragon House, 1989.
Peters, Robert. Poems : selected and new, 1967-1991. Santa Maria, CA: Asylum Arts, 1992.
Peters, Robert. Snapshots for a serial killer : a fiction and a play. San Francisco: GLB Publishers, 1992.
Peters, Robert. Zapped : two novellas. San Francisco: GLB Publishers, 1993.
Pretty, Ron. Bald Hill with gliders : poems. Wollongong, N.S.W.: Five Islands Press, 1991.
Pretty, Ron. The habit of balance. Wollongong, N.S.W.: Five Islands Press, 1988.
Trachtenberg, Paul. Ben's exit. Cherry Valley, NY: Cherry Valley Editions, 1994.
Trachtenberg, Paul. Making waves. Huntington Beach, CA: Cherry Valley Editions, 1986.
Trachtenberg, Paul. Mercury tea. Mansfield, Tex.: Latitudes Press, 1988.
Trachtenberg, Paul. Short changes for Loretta. Wheaton, MD: Cherry Valley Editions, 1982.
Watson, Maurice T. Time. Concord, CA: Small Poetry Press, 1999.
Paterson literary review, 2001.
Scarp, 1996-2001.
Zeitschrift fur Kulturaustausch, 1992.
Disclaimer
This collection contains a variety of copyright material. Copyright is held by the creator of each item. Specific conditions for this collection are listed above. If no conditions are stipulated then the standard terms of the Copyright Act apply for published and unpublished items. Digitised material from manuscript collections is provided to clients by UNSW Canberra in good faith for private study and research only, and may not be published or re-purposed without the express and written permission of the individual legal holder of that copyright. Refer also to the UNSW copyright, disclaimer and takedown policy.