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'Body Language is a strong debut collection. Rather than heralding the sudden arrival of an exciting new voice in Australian poetry this book represents a voice that has been there for some time but is only just now confident enough to speak up and make itself heard, for Allen has been a silent participant and observer in the Australian poetry scene for some time. Here she writes about everyday experiences – doing a crossword, studying a bunch of flowers, watching a bird out the window – as they are refracted through the prism of the poet’s mind with all its obsessions, anxieties and peculiar sensitivities. Allen writes about grief and how we repeatedly make sense of absence, with moving accuracy. Her poetry is mindful and grounded in the body, but it also goes off on unusual imaginative tangents. These poems take us from Sydney to Italy, from the psychiatrist’s office to the hairdresser’s; there is sex, love, and friendship, and even Kate Moss makes an appearance. Allen’s poems are concerned with emotional rather than factual accuracy.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Plain Spoken Poems Rooted in Real Experience
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 2-3 February 2013; (p. 22)
— Review of Body Language 2012 selected work poetry ; When Sky Becomes the Space Inside Your Head 2012 selected work poetry -
Three Chapbooks and a Book by Vagabond Press
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 72 no. 2 2012; (p. 192-197)
— Review of Night Birds 2010 single work poetry ; Beastly Eye 2012 selected work poetry ; Aftermarks 2012 selected work poetry ; Body Language 2012 selected work poetry -
Savouring the Undertow
2012-2013
single work
review
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , November 2012 - February 2013 no. 6 2012-2013;
— Review of Body Language 2012 selected work poetry
-
Plain Spoken Poems Rooted in Real Experience
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 2-3 February 2013; (p. 22)
— Review of Body Language 2012 selected work poetry ; When Sky Becomes the Space Inside Your Head 2012 selected work poetry -
Savouring the Undertow
2012-2013
single work
review
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , November 2012 - February 2013 no. 6 2012-2013;
— Review of Body Language 2012 selected work poetry -
Three Chapbooks and a Book by Vagabond Press
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 72 no. 2 2012; (p. 192-197)
— Review of Night Birds 2010 single work poetry ; Beastly Eye 2012 selected work poetry ; Aftermarks 2012 selected work poetry ; Body Language 2012 selected work poetry
Awards
- 2012 winner Anne Elder Award