Final Week & "Famine Relief"!

Sadly, this is my final week as a Creative Fellow at the State Library Victoria. It has been such a joy, the last couple of years, to have this dedicated space to work on my collection of poems, inspired by the stories and histories of early Chinese settlers in Victoria.

With expert assistance from librarians, access to world-class collections and unfailing support and kindness from the Library's Audience Engagement Team, the creative fellowship has been a productive and rewarding experience.

Going forward, I'll be completing the collection in 2022, with the assistance of an Australia Council for the Arts grant.

Last week, at an event to welcome the fabulous 2022 Fellows, I had the opportunity to read "Famine Relief", an ekphrastic poem from my chapbook A Special Starch published earlier this year by Cordite Poetry Review.

(Image: Zooming in larger than life (!) at the fellowships 2022 announcement event last Thursday evening.)