Tag: poem

Recent publications & upcoming events

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I was thrilled to recently be a finalist in Garden Party Collective’s ‘Nature As It Is: Poems of Queer Ecology’ Contest with my poem ‘Parrotfish parallels’, and also have two poems (‘naturally, darling’ & ‘transqueercrip church’) make it into the semi-finalist round in Sundress Publications’s 2025 Poetry Broadside Contest.

I was also longlisted in the Liquid Amber Press Poetry Prize! My poem ‘there was a fire here last night’ will be included in Liquid Amber Press’s Poetry of Fire anthology, and I’ll be reading my poem at the launch on 26 November 2026, 7.30pm AEDT on Zoom.

I was lucky enough to write two pieces for Southerly Journal about trans open mic poetics and zine culture, called ‘By the People, For the People: Trans Poetics and DIY Culture.’ Have a read of Part 1: ‘Jagged Edges and Rough Words’ and Part 2: The Ephemeral Things That Save Us.

Upcoming events:

New poems in Garland, Cordite & more

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The new Garland is out and I have not one but two poems inside! ‘maligned but thriving’ is a rambling prose breakup poem featuring a possum and some pigeons. And ‘Re Jean Barth’ is a poem my beloved Ori and I wrote in response to Jean’s 2024 exhibit The Clumped Spirit at IMA. Much love to guest editors sterling-elizabeth arcadia and James O’Leary, and to the amazing fifth wheel press for all the incredible work they do!

And I have two spicy little poems in Incision Press’s Monsterf#ck. ‘My teeth in your neck’ was written in May 2025 using writing prompts from Echoes from the Cave Inn’s beloved Speed Poetry. The prompts were: Lavender, Orange, Oasis, Parasol, Sewing tin, Feral cats, Stray dogs, Gay crush, Is it hot in here?, Teeth in your neck, Veal, Morph, Welt, Anonymous, and Slate. And ‘Bite ripe’ is a found poem inspired by the following names of Taubmans Paint swatches – Cherry Pink, Opulence, Ruby Flame, Baby Girl, Jaguar Rose, Pink Flambé, Whispering Peach, Springtime Peach, and Jupiter Moon.

I also have four poems (newbies and republished) out online in:

  • Cordite – huge thank you guest editor Eileen Chong for choosing ‘our mouths’ to be part of Cordite: Dialogue
  • ouch! collective – a republish of one of my fave poems ‘I am queer / and so is the moon’
  • Cult Following – two little poems chosen by the brilliant Dr Navid Sabet, Facilitating Editor
Rae White

Poems recently published

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I’ve recently had a bunch of wonderful opportunities to share my work, both locally and overseas!

I was commissioned by QUT to write an ekphrastic response poem to the piece Arrival (2008, giclée print) by Luke Roberts, for the Queer Readings of the QUT Art Collection (showing at QUT Library, Level 5, Gardens Point from March-December 2026).

You can read my poem ‘selfsame’ on the QUT Art Museum website.

This pop-up exhibition presents a series of written responses to selected works from the QUT Art Collection. Multi-award-winning writers and QUT alumni—Jarad Bruinstroop, Rebecca Cheers, Anna Jacobson, Rebecca Jessen and Rae White—were invited to engage with artworks by artists Lincoln Austin, eX de Medici, Scott Redford, and Luke Roberts.

‘my qualifications will never be enough to outweigh internalised transphobia’ was published in the new independent journal Lantana, managed by founding editor Dr Yves Rees.

Last month, my poem ‘Despite and against’ was published in the UK zine Anarkiss, Issue #11 – Bodies without Permission.

And in January, New York publication Trans Mag Weekly featured a reprint of my poem ‘Is this devotion?’

Vocal Spectrum next week!

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I can’t believe Vocal Spectrum is next week! Get your tickets for Wed 5 Nov at Brisbane Powerhouse, part of Melt Festival. The Australian Vocal Ensemble will be performing a very special commissioned piece — Joseph Twist has set the words to my poem ‘Abundantly Blue’ to music!

‘Vocal Spectrum features new vocal chamber works by leading Queensland composers, each set to poetry by LGBTQIA+ poets from across the state, alongside striking new arrangements of beloved queer anthems.’

More info and tickets.

Q-Lit Festival and new poem in Meanjin!

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I’m thrilled to be part of Q-Lit Festival’s Opening Gala on 20 June in Naarm (Melbourne).

More info and tickets for Q-Lit Festival.

About the Opening Gala

A gala of queer words, voices, and stories.

One magnificent night of the stories we tell, the songs we sing and our thoughts that are changing the world. Featuring a range of writers, performers and presenters, responding to the festival’s theme of
”What fills your cup?”

Hosted by Bebe Oliver.

Featuring Dean Arcuri, Tiger Salmon, Urvi Majumdar, Claire G. Coleman, Wallis Prophet, Noah Riseman, Lili Wilkinson, Rae White and Ed Moon

My poem ‘Hot Wheels’ is in the latest Meanjin! 

Shout out to Echoes from the Cave Inn, the most queer nourishing magical open mic, where this poem was first born.

Grab a copy on the Meanjin website.

An image of the Autumn 2025 issue of Meanjin (Vol 84, No 1). The cover mimics the interface of an iPhone Notes app in dark mode. It lists six bullet-pointed phrases: ‘The work of desire,’ ‘The work of identity,’ ‘The work of standing still,’ ‘The work of giving life,’ ‘The work of telling truth,’ and ‘The work of making a home.’ The design uses yellow and white text on a black background, with the Meanjin logo at the top in gold.

About Meanjin 84.1 Autumn 2025

Energy and life and the body. Disappointment and passion and pride. The inexorable labour of working toward the just. The work of desire, the work of identity, the work of standing still. The work of giving life, the work of telling truth, the work of making a home.

This season, Meanjin’s writers are calling us to account.

What are we gambling with when we settle for what’s merely adequate? What have we already sacrificed the moment we come to realise what’s at stake? What is the price of the just?

Embrace Australia’s finest writers. Meanjin 84.1 Autumn 2025.