AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'we are all just one small disaster
away from sinking,
and sometimes you only realise
when you're gasping for air
'On a daylight street in Minneapolis Minnesota, a Black man is asphyxiated - by callous knee of an officer, by cruel might of state, and under crushing weight of colony. In Melbourne the body of another woman has been found - this time, after catching a late tram home.
'The Atlantic has run out of the English alphabet, when christening hurricanes this season. The earth is on fire - from the redwoods of California, to Australia's east coast. The sea draws back, and tsunamis lash out in Samoa and Sumatra. Water rises in Sulawesi and Nagasaki. Bloated cod are surfacing, all along the Murray Darling.
'The virus arrives, and the virus thrives. Authorities seal the public housing towers up, and truck in one cop to every five residents. Notre Dame is ablaze - the cathedral spire blackened, and teetering.
'Out in Biloela, the deportation vans have arrived. Every Friday, in cities all across the world, children are walking out of school. The wolves are circling. The wolves are circling.
'These poems speak of the world that is, and sing for a world that may one day be.' (Publication summary)
Notes
-
Epigraph: An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times. Nina Simone
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Large print.
Works about this Work
-
y
Live Recording : Maxine Beneba Clarke and Thuy On in Conversation
Chris Gordon
(presenter),
2021
23657926
2021
single work
podcast
interview
'On the eve of the publication of her fourth poetry collection How Decent Folk Behave, poet Maxine Beneba Clarke and Thuy On, author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection Turbulence, come together in a poetic dialogue to read recent poems and discuss reading and writing poetry in a changing world.' (Production summary)
-
Christine Shamista Reviews How Decent Folk Behave by Maxine Beneba Clarke
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , December no. 27 2021;
— Review of How Decent Folk Behave 2021 selected work poetry'From the beginning to the end, front and back covers inclusive, Maxine Beneba Clarke’s newly released book, How Decent Folk Behave, is rich with carefully curated images and words that connect with and confront the reader. Poetry is both mystical and tangible. For many of us, particularly us writers of colour, it’s the natural way in which we tell our stories. According to Nina Simone, the artist’s duty is ‘to reflect the times’. This quote precedes the table of contents and gives context to the following pages – Beneba Clarke’s account of our recent collective events.' (Introduction)
-
Christine Shamista Reviews How Decent Folk Behave by Maxine Beneba Clarke
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , December no. 27 2021;
— Review of How Decent Folk Behave 2021 selected work poetry'From the beginning to the end, front and back covers inclusive, Maxine Beneba Clarke’s newly released book, How Decent Folk Behave, is rich with carefully curated images and words that connect with and confront the reader. Poetry is both mystical and tangible. For many of us, particularly us writers of colour, it’s the natural way in which we tell our stories. According to Nina Simone, the artist’s duty is ‘to reflect the times’. This quote precedes the table of contents and gives context to the following pages – Beneba Clarke’s account of our recent collective events.' (Introduction)
-
y
Live Recording : Maxine Beneba Clarke and Thuy On in Conversation
Chris Gordon
(presenter),
2021
23657926
2021
single work
podcast
interview
'On the eve of the publication of her fourth poetry collection How Decent Folk Behave, poet Maxine Beneba Clarke and Thuy On, author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection Turbulence, come together in a poetic dialogue to read recent poems and discuss reading and writing poetry in a changing world.' (Production summary)
Awards
- 2022 shortlisted APA Book Design Awards — Best Designed Literary Fiction / Poetry Cover designed by Allison Colpoys.
- 2022 shortlisted Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — Prize for Poetry
