Andrew Lansdown

Andrew Lansdown header image

Welcome!

This website is dedicated to the poetry and fiction of Andrew Lansdown.

Andrew is a widely published and award winning Australian writer, whose poems and stories have been published in numerous magazines and newspapers and are represented in over seventy anthologies. His published books include ten collections of poetry, two collections of short stories and three novels.

This website contains: (1) information about Andrew's books; (2) sample poems, stories, and chapters from his books; (3) published reviews of his books; (4) downloadable pdf files of his work; (5) a special section for children, and more.

Browse and enjoy!

Poem in Studio

March 9th, 2010

Studio magazine has published Andrew’s tanka, “Azure”, in its latest issue (No. 116, 2010):

 

Azure

 

Surely a piece is

missing from the azure robe

of the Madonna

in some ancient mosaic

because of that fairy wren!

 

© Andrew Lansdown

Tags: Poems

Forthcoming Poetry Reading

January 21st, 2010

Andrew has been invited to read poetry at Voicebox on Thursday, 4 February 2010.

Voicebox is a monthly poetry reading run by Josephine Clarke at the Tropicana Cafe in High Street (near the Victoria Hall), Fremantle. The readings start at 7.30 pm.

Andrew will read from his new collection of poetry, Birds in Mind. Come and hear him!

Tags: News

Comment about Andrew

December 21st, 2009

Recently noticed, this comment about (among others) Andrew published in The Australian newspaper earlier this year and written by the esteemed Austalian poet, Geoffrey Lehmann:

 

If I were to prepare an alphabetical list of Australian poets who are outstanding and whose first books have been published since 1980, my list would be ridiculously long. It would have to include Judith Beveridge, Kevin Brophy, Elizabeth Campbell, Caroline Caddy, Jennifer Compton, Tricia Dearborn, Stephen Edgar, Peter Goldsworthy, Philip Hodgins, Carol Jenkins, Andrew Lansdown, Anthony Lawrence, Bronwyn Lea, Emma Lew, Stephen McInerney, Homer Reith, Gig Ryan, Philip Salom, Andrew Sant, Shen, Craig Sherborne and Alex Skovron. Some of these poets are very different from each other and might look askance at their bedfellows. But all have written memorable and exciting poems

Quoted from “New poets mine rich seam of language”, Geoffrey Lehmann, The Australian, 21 February 2009 (emphasis added)

Tags: News

Poem in Quadrant

December 14th, 2009

Andrew’s poem, “Sighting”, appears in the December issue of Quadrant magazine:

 

Sighting

On visiting the Bull Ranges with a traditional landowner

 

Pluck out the detecting eye,

break off the pointing finger,

shut up the exclaiming cry—

if only somehow I could!

 

But it’s too late to stifle

myself now or stop my friend,

who snatches up his rifle

and follows swiftly after

 

the wallabies I sighted,

the small wild rock wallabies

whose survival I blighted

simply because I saw them

 

and cried aloud, delighted.

            © Andrew Lansdown

Tags: Poems

Judge’s report - poetry competition

December 9th, 2009

The Katharine Susannah Prichard Foundation invited Andrew to judge the 2009 Karen W Treanor Poetry Awards. Andrew delivered his Judge’s Report at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday, 6 December. He said:

I was pleased to receive an invitation by the Katharine Susannah Prichard Foundation to judge the Karen W Treanor Poetry Awards. Given that this is the inauguration of the Awards, I felt doubly honoured to be entrusted with this responsibility. My thanks to Fay Dease, Glen Philips, Paula Jones, Katrin Kuenstler and others involved with by the Katharine Susannah Prichard Foundation.

      Sixty-nine poems were entered in the Karen W Treanor Poetry Awards, which is a good number for a new competition. As is to be expected, the poems varied greatly in subject, theme, style and tone. Although the quality of the poems was uneven, most were cogent and accessible. This is praiseworthy in an age when pretension and ambiguity are often passed off as profundity.

      Before commenting on the winning and commended poems, I would like to make a comment on the submissions generally. I noticed several faults reoccurring in the poems and it may be helpful to mention two of these faults.

      The first fault involves the use of clichés. … CLICK HERE TO READ ANDREW’S FULL REPORT 

Tags: News

Shane McCauley launches Andrew’s book

October 25th, 2009

Eminent Western Australian poet and critic, Shane McCauley, launched Andrew’s latest collection of poetry, Birds in Mind: Australian Nature Poems, on Saturday 24 October 2009. Speaking to a gathering of about seventy people, Shane McCauley said:

 

I was very touched, and of course honoured, when Andrew Lansdown asked me to launch his wonderful collection of poems, Birds in Mind: Australian Nature Poems. Ours has been a long acquaintance and friendship, going back to the mid-1970s or so. For a while, we were always the youngest WA poets to appear in anthologies such as Quarry, edited by Fay Zwicky in 1981. And I note that several of our near contemporaries in that anthology have gone on to either better or worse things, but Andrew and I have somehow managed to stay in the poetry-writing business.

Initially, there are several things to note about Birds in Mind. Firstly, the sheer size and scope of the subject matter. The joy in birds is apparent from the title, but they are only some of the creatures and plants the poet celebrates and sometimes mourns. You will also find superbly spare descriptions of, and reactions to, shells, frogs, lizards, kangaroos, crabs, fish, sunflowers, bamboo, orchids, trees in abundance—karri, jarrah, marri, redgum—and much, much more.

Another initial observation concerns the variety of places in which these poems have been published—they have obviously appealed to many different editors, and the Acknowledgements page is really mind-boggling. Apart from appearing in countless Australian journals and anthologies, many have been published overseas, in Japan, the USA, the UK.

A third observation is in regard to the quality of the book’s production itself and the generous 223 pages—no “slim” volume of verse this! … CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ADDRESS

Tags: News

Invitation to book launching

October 18th, 2009

Andrew has a new collection of poetry coming out next week.

Birds in Mind: Australian Nature Poems will be launched by the eminent Western Australian poet and critic, Shane McCauley.

Published by Queensland publisher Wombat Books, Birds in Mind contains over 200 pages of nature poetry.

If you live in Perth, Western Australia, you are welcome to come to the launching of Birds in Mind

Venue: Morley Baptist Church hall, Vera Street, Morley

Date: Saturday, 24 October 2009

Time: 3.00 pm

Tags: News

Chapbooks cheaper than cards

September 29th, 2009

Andrew’s new chapbooks are cheaper than birthday cards or thinking-of-you cards - and yet the texts are immensely richer. Consolations is a 28 page collection of 48 tanka and Little Matters is a 24 page collection of 89 haiku and senryu. Both cost just $3.60, postage included. So why not send a chapbook instead of a card to those you are thinking of?

Consolations, and Little Matters are available through this website - click here. Or they can be ordered through the publishers website at www.picaropress.com.

Tags: News

Reading at Perth Poetry Club

September 27th, 2009

Andrew was the Special Guest reader at the Perth Poetry Club on Saturday 26 September. He read from his recently published chapbooks, Consolations and Little Matters, and from his larger collections, Between Glances and Fontanelle. Promotional details on the PPC website: http://perthpoetryslam.com/perthpoetryclub/node/35

Tags: News

Poetry reading on Twin Cities 89.7 FM

September 26th, 2009

Andrew read 18 poems from three of his poetry collections on Twin Cities 89.7 FM on Thursday, 17 September. The radio program was hosted by Robyn Holmes and Andrew appeared courtesy of the Peter Cowan Writers Centre.

Tags: News

New chapbook - Little Matters: a gathering of 89 haiku & senryu

September 9th, 2009

Picaro Press has published a collection of 89 haiku and senryu by Andrew Lansdown. The 24 page chapbook, titled Little Matters, is available through this website for $3.60, postage included. Alternatively, it can be ordered through the publishers website at www.picaropress.com. To download an order form from this website, click here.

Tags: News

New chapbook - Consolations: 48 tanka

September 9th, 2009

Picaro Press has published a collection of 48 tanka by Andrew Lansdown. The 28 page chapbook, titled Consolations, is available through this website for $3.60, postage included. Alternatively, it can be ordered through the publishers website at www.picaropress.com. To download an order form from this website, click here

 

Tags: News

Buy With My Knife from Amazon for US $130.56

September 1st, 2009

One of the merchants on Amazon.com is offering to sell a new copy of Andrew’s fantasy novel, With My Knife, for US $130.56. This website, along with many an Australian bookshop, offers to sell new copies of With My Knife for just AU $15.95!

Download an order form to purchase a copy of With My Knife for $15.95, plus postage.

Order Form - Books by Andrew Lansdown

Tags: News

Poems in Quadrant

July 6th, 2009

Three new poems by Andrew have just been published in the July-August issue of Quadrant magazine. One of them, posted here, is a gunsaku (haiku sequence):

About Autumn

            i

Liquidambar—

anticipating autumn

with a red leaf.

 

            ii

Liquidambar—

the evergreens envy your

changing colours.

 

            iii

Liquidambar—

educating evergreens

about autumn.

 

© Andrew Landown

 

Tags: Poems

Fellow Writers

June 23rd, 2009

Hal GP ColebatchAndrew has begun a FELLOW WRITERS’ page on his website in honour of various Australian writers who are among his friends and acquaintances. The first writer to be included is the poet and novelist, Hal Colebatch. Have a look. More writers to follow.

 

Tags: News