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B. R. Dionysius B. R. Dionysius i(A7708 works by) (birth name: Brett Raymond Dionysius) (a.k.a. Brett Dionysius)
Also writes as: 'Margie Malley'
Born: Established: 1969 Dalby, Dalby - Jandowae - Bowenville area, Darling Downs, Queensland, ;
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

B. R. Dionysius was founding Director of the Queensland Poetry Festival and Director of Fringe Arts Collective Inc. a not-for-profit literary collective that organised the Brisbane Writers Fringe Festival (1993-1996) the Queensland Poetry Festival (1997-2001), The Arts Queensland Award for Unpublished Poetry (now the Val Vallis Award for Unpublished Poetry) published the poetry broadsheet, Seriously Fishy, and ran literary events in Brisbane including Chalice Poets, With Baited Breath and The Word Made Flesh. He has an M.Phil. (Creative Writing) from The University of Queensland and has taught English at Ipswich Grammar School.

Among his publications are artist's books (The Barflies' Chorus, 1995), multiple collections of poetry (including Fatherlands, 2000; Bacchanalia,  2002; and Weranga, 2013), a verse novel (Universal Andalusia (2006), and poetry chapbooks (including The Negativity Bin, 2010,  and The Curious Noise of History, 2011.

Fatherlands was shortlisted in the 2002 Mary Gilmore Award, Bacchanalia won the inaugural IP Picks 2002 Poetry Award, Universal Andalusia was shortlisted in the 2006 C. J. Dennis Poetry Prize, and Bowra was the joint winner of the 2011 Whitmore Press Manuscript Prize. His individual works have also attracted a range of shortlisting and wins, both nationally and internationally.

With poets Liz Hall-Downs and Sam Wagan Watson he wrote a sequence of poems, Boondall Cycle for the Black Fellas White Fellas Wetlands: Boondall Wetlands Website project (1996-1999, Brisbane Stories, Brisbane City Council). An audio CD of the poetry from the Black Fellas, White Fellas Wetlands project was released in 2000. In 1999, he was awarded a New Work Grant from the Literature Fund of the Australia Council to write the verse novel, Universal Andalusia. He was a general poetry editor for Papertiger: New World Poetry CDROM from 2000-2006. Papertigermedia won the Queensland Writers' Centre's Johnno Award in 2002. He was awarded the 1998 Harri Jones Memorial Prize, the 2009 Max Harris Poetry Award, and the 2016 Paul Sherman Community Poetry Award.

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • In addition to works and awards individually indexed, Brett Dionysius has also received the following:

    • The National Association of Grief and Loss Prize for 'Stargardt’s Syndrome' (Grieve Anthology Hunter Writers’ Centre).

Personal Awards

2023 recipient Queensland Literary Awards Queensland Writers Fellowship for his poetry project ‘The Eromanga Sea’
2018 commended Melbourne Poets Union International Poetry Competition
2018 winner Melbourne Poets Union International Poetry Competition Leon Shann Award for  'My Father on a Horse, Date Unknown'

Awards for Works

Guadalcanal i "Neat as an Olympic diver, the moustached kingfisher", 2017 single work poetry
— Appears in: The Montreal International Poetry Prize - 2017 Shortlist 2017;
2017 shortlisted Montreal International Poetry Prize
Grindle Road i "A bull bar is a ute’s clenched fist. There", 2016 single work poetry
— Appears in: Ipswich Poetry Feast 2016;
2016 winner Ipswich Poetry Feast Awards Rosewood Green Award – Open Age Local Poets
Last amended 30 Jul 2019 16:44:49
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