A Journal of Australian & International Cultural Reviews, News and Criticism.
Anne Casey reading her poem, ‘ERASURE: Monumental Decision of the United States on the Ban on Books’, at the Joyce Jam at the Gaelic Club, Sydney, on Sunday 14 June 2026
Rochford Street Review’s 2026 Bloomsday Supplement continues with Anne Casey’s ‘ERASURE: Mounmental Decision of the United States on the Ban on Books’.
Originally from the west of Ireland and living in Australia for three decades, Anne Casey is the author of six poetry collections. Her work is widely published internationally, ranking in The Irish Times Most Read. Her recent awards include the American Writers Review Prize, Henry Lawson Prize for Poetry and American Association of Australasian Literary Studies Poetry Prize.
‘Season of Brigid’ is a poem from Anne Casey’s new collection, The Light we Cannot See, and was also a cornerstone piece in the series of Irish cultural shows Anne performed in last year with the Prankqueans arts collective, which were funded by the Consulate General of Ireland. Irish actor/performance artist, Davog Rynne recorded a reading of ‘Season of Brigid’ which will appear on his forthcoming album.
This beautiful collection is both a joy to read and a challenge. Each poem stands as part of a carefully curated section. The sections combine to form a collection which demands to be read as a whole,
Her new book is her best, bravest, and most ambitious work to date, a remarkable and many-sided achievement that elevates her work, thematically and aesthetically, to a new level.
Nat’s poetry is highly polished, subtle and filmic in its detail. ‘Separation Blues’ is, I believe, Nat’s thirteenth book – and what a gorgeous production it is! Within its pages – which span more than four decades – you will find his characteristic precision and concision; powerful opening lines and dramatic closes; razor-sharp observation; clipped phrases; as well as skillfully painted portraits of people, places and eras.
The collection, Some Days the Bird, is the result of Anne and Heather’s pandemic collaboration across the globe. Anne and Heather wrote poems to each other weekly during 2021, the second year of the pandemic, to and from opposite hemispheres and seasons. When I say wrote, I mean handwritten, posted, by snail mail.
My review of this dazzling book has been delayed by my father’s recent death. But the greatest tribute I can give to Anne Casey is to say that reviewing her work has been one of my greatest consolations in the past several weeks. I find myself rereading the poems in this collection several times a day, like a devout person telling their prayer beads.