States of Poetry – a major new national resource – is the first online poetry anthology to devote equal space to each state and the ACT. The aim is to highlight the quality and diversity of contemporary Australian poetry. Funded by Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund, States of Poetry is federally arranged. A senior poet active in the state selects six local poets, with an emphasis (not exclusive) on early- and mid-career writers and those still active in the poetry scene. Each year the cohort of poets will be completely different, offering a different snapshot of the poetry being written and published in each state.
The individual state/territory anthologies appear free online, with introductions from the state editor, biographies, recordings, and brief remarks from some of the featured poets. Some of the poems later appear in the print magazine. One measure of the positive response to States of Poetry, ABR Laureate David Malouf – himself featured in the 2016 NSW anthology – recently stated: ‘Poetry is, at the moment, the most flourishing of the literary arts in Australia: much more interesting and much more sure of itself, it seems to me, than the novel or any kind of prose.’ Now readers throughout the world can appreciate – in this convenient and changing project – the sheer flair and pleasures of Australian poetry.
