Cath Kenneally

Cath Kenneally is an Adelaide poet and novelist whose book Around Here (Wakefield Press, 2002) won the John Bray National Poetry Prize. Of her six volumes of poetry, the latest is eaten cold (Walleah Press, 2013), in which each poem responds to one in the volume Cold Snack (AUP) by Auckland poet Janet Charman. Kenneally’s two novels are Room Temperature and Jetty Road (both Wakefield Press). She works as a print and broadcast arts journalist, being Arts Producer at Radio Adelaide for many years and responsible for Writers Radio, an award-winning national community radio books and writing program. She was the inaugural CAL/J.M. Coetzee Writing Fellow at the Coetzee Centre at Adelaide University in 2016. She holds an MA and PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide. Her work has appeared in many national and international journals and anthologies, and been translated into several languages.

Cath Kenneally reviews 'Below the Waterline' edited by Garry Disher

May 1999, no. 210 • 01 May 1999

Garry Disher is at it again: following the Personal Best short story collections (1 and 2) with this one, Below the Waterline. Broadly speaking, he’s attempting to highlight in this one authors who have come to prominence since the 1980s. Again, he allows the chosen authors to pick a favourite short story, and to include a sort of postscript that explains why it’s a favourite. ... (read more)

Cath Kenneally reviews 'Now You See Me' by Jean Bedford

September 1997, no. 194 • 01 September 1997

This is a serious tale of crime and punishment from Jean Bedford, who had been working up to it. Her Anna Southwood novels have been consistently good, their light touch obscuring not at all the author’s passion for justice, an old-fashioned sentiment which always informs the best crime novels, often most palpably present in crime fiction by women. ... (read more)

Cath Kenneally reviews 'Deadline' by Jennifer Rowe

November 1997, no. 196 • 01 November 1997

Here’s the first in a new series from the indefatigable pen of Jennifer Rowe. Verity Birdwood is still going strong, at last check: it wasn’t so long ago that I reviewed Lamb to the Slaughter in these pages. And, of course, as Emily Rodda, Rowe has turned out a couple of dozen Teen Power books, attracting several Children’s Book Awards. She is every inch a professional writer. And professio ... (read more)

Cath Kenneally reviews 'Lullaby: A novel' by Janine Burke

May 1994, no. 160 • 01 May 1994

‘You have your own place now; your own magic.’‘How to make it last, that’s the question.’‘You mean, what spell should you invent – what’s in your power?’Bea smiled. ‘Words, I suppose. Stories.’ Janine Burke in Lullaby, is writing about writing-out. Her character, Bea, is a writer with a block, seemingly precipitated by the failure of a marriage and the temporary loss of ... (read more)

'Super Maria Brothers' by Cath Kenneally | States of Poetry SA - Series Two

States of Poetry South Australia - Series Two • 20 February 2018

the priests and the witchdoctors bothwill bless your new vehicle; the Virginwill keep you in mind if you fashion a modelof what you want, attach it to the front of the car ... (read more)

'Mangle-Worzel' by Cath Kenneally | States of Poetry SA - Series Two

States of Poetry South Australia - Series Two • 20 February 2018

Back at Cranfield Street by 5Motorway horridness receding into fumey oblivionWe are just in time for Pointless – words ending in ‘air’‘debonair’ ? – others, phoned at random, knew that one Two pounds fifty left on my Oyster card once I’ve put it through the barrier atthe delicate, high-slung, white and black, wooden pedestrian bridge over the Brockley lineall along the route is dens ... (read more)

'Island Time' by Cath Kenneally | States of Poetry SA - Series Two

States of Poetry South Australia - Series Two • 20 February 2018

banded bumble bees already at workby 6 am in the rosemary slaters still hovercrafting over the bathroom floornot realising the sun’s up not a shrug of wind in the gardenthe surface of the seataut-stretched grey marle yesterday, the pair of sea eaglesflew above the car, keeping pacefor a bit as I drove an escort of black-and-whiteson your way, ma’amnothing to see here ... (read more)

'Allingham at Abney Park' by Cath Kenneally | States of Poetry SA - Series Two

States of Poetry South Australia - Series Two • 20 February 2018

Fed Wendy’s cat, walked to BroadwayMarket through London Fields a month from now these will beonce again names to conjure with jump on a 236Newington Greenlured by the memoryof Belle Epoque patisserieglowing golden in a corner always misremembered as Raisin D’Etre My fellow-travellers clearlylocals despite farflung originseven on my ninth visitI’m a day-lily among annuals When I’m se ... (read more)

'A Rich Full Life' by Cath Kenneally | States of Poetry SA - Series Two

States of Poetry South Australia - Series Two • 20 February 2018

a tablescape drooping roses near death in a jam jardull Ian Rankin in a yellow cover lying upside downMongolian phrasebooksample tube of SensodyneCinema ticket: The Great Beautyopener for the Italian Film Festivalpassword to Smartygrantsfor accessing two hundred applicationsbusiness card for Phnom Penh silver and gemstone jewellera blue and a black biroinvitation to popup arthouse fundraiser at G ... (read more)