Australian poetry has always been influenced by international literary trends, especially avant-garde or experimental ones, from the French Symbolists to US 'Language Writing' from around 1970 to the present. A curious aspect of this has been a kind of hybrid poet who can straddle both 'experimental' and 'romantic' traditions. Given the increased popularity of experimental writing in Australia, it bodes well for a new generation of innovative writers. Avant-garde art is indisputably popular. Yoko Ono, for instance, recently staged the most popular exhibition ever at the MCA in Sydney. Avant-garde art is now being enjoyed by the mainstream population. Australian poetry, too, reflects this newfound acceptance of avant-garde potential; it is becoming more and more playful and experimental in its approach.

Robert Adamson is one poet who has worked in both experimental and romantic styles. The influence of Robert Duncan and Robert Creeley, who together with Charles Olson formed part of the second generation of 'Objectivist' poets in the United States, has always been apparent in the poetry of Robert Adamson. This remains the case in Adamson's new collection, Net Needle, a joint release with Flood Editions, which notably reprinted Ronald Johnson's experimental long poem ARK in 2014.