Tag: poems

A page from the catalog featuring Lincoln Austin’s ‘ I saw myself, in you, wondering, how did I get here’ - Winner of the 'Art for Life' Award. This is a colourful abstract piece with horizontal stripes in pastel shades and wavy lines. Mediums include synthetic polymer paint on aluminium. Photographed by Carl Warner, 2023.

Queensland Regional Art Awards Ekphrasis project

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I was honoured to be commissioned for this year’s Queensland Regional Art Awards Ekphrasis project by award-winning writer Cheryl Leavy, as part of Flying Arts Alliance’s touring exhibition, Perspective.

Commissioned poets include Stuart Barnes, Otis Carmichael, Cheryl Leavy, Steven Oliver and myself.

Check out the full catalogue for Perspective.

My poem ‘Distorted rainbows’ responds to Lincoln Austin’s ‘ I saw myself, in you, wondering, how did I get here’ – Winner of the ‘Art for Life’ Award. And my poem ‘Pixel-printed’ responds to Michelle Le Plastrier’s ‘Food-O-Matic + Pixel Printed Food’ – Winner of the Environmental Art Award.

A page from the catalog featuring Lincoln Austin’s ‘ I saw myself, in you, wondering, how did I get here’ - Winner of the 'Art for Life' Award. This is a colourful abstract piece with horizontal stripes in pastel shades and wavy lines. Mediums include synthetic polymer paint on aluminium. Photographed by Carl Warner, 2023.
A page from the catalog featuring the artist statement by Lincoln Austin for the piece ‘ I saw myself, in you, wondering, how did I get here’, alongside Rae White's ekphrasis poem titled ‘Distorted rainbows’. Lincoln’s statement invites viewers to experience empathy by presenting a distorted image that changes based on perspective, symbolising the varied views we have of the same reality. While Rae’s poem reflects on love, identity, and self-perception, through the exploration of grief and queerness. DISTORTED RAINBOWS 8am sunlight unearths glint of ancient Mari Gras glitter on carpet & distorts our mirror to rainbows. I witness: my bent legs, our sunset-peach sheets, the codependent topography of us. Once, when others looked at me & saw only double. you looked at me & saw: wonder, gendermess, shapeshifter. Were you empathetic to the point of self-extinction? The age-old bisexual dilemma: to be or do? Today, I admire you in mirror's glared morning & see only myself. The age-old heart-sick lament: grief-mirage or memoria?

Photograph of Michelle Le Plastrier's artwork, winner of the Environmental Art Award, titled "FOOD-O-MATIC + PIXEL PRINTED FOOD." The piece features circular ceramic plates, each painted with pixelated food items like a burger, hot dog, and fries, displayed in a row against a white wall. Mediums include ceramics, underglaze, glaze, and porcelain paint. Photographed by Kierra Thorn in Southport, 2023.
A page from the catalog featuring the artist statement by Michelle Le Plastrier for the piece "FOOD-O-MATIC," alongside Rae White's ekphrasis poem titled "PIXEL-PRINTED." Michelle’s statement discusses a retrofuturistic view on technology, consumerism, and environmental issues, while Rae’s poem reflects on food production and environmental degradation in the year 2080. PIXEL-PRINTED The year 2080. Introducing the 3D printed FOOD-O-MATIC- O-QUICK-FIX! Oh FASTTRACK! Oh the pixel-printed wealth of landfill and landowners: steak leaks river red; resuscitated broccolini in butter butter butter: the extinct giraffe wilt of asparagus. The year 2085. On smog-crowded streets microplastics curdle in the sleeping bag of your stomach.

The QRAA Ekphrasis project features work from poets who have lived and worked in urban, rural, regional and remote settings; work reflecting First Nations and LGBTQI+ communities; working artists and writers; published and unpublished writers; and poets who are emerging and well established.

Check out the full catalogue for Perspective.

Recently published work and award nomination!

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I’m honoured to be nominated for a Trans Community Award in Brisbane!

MX 2019 Award:

This award recognizes being seen within the community, being approachable and raising awareness of the visibility of the trans, gender diverse, non-binary, sistergirl and brotherboy communities by their actions.

Voting is now open!

 

In other news, I’ve recently had 3 non-fiction pieces published in Archer Magazine, Sydney Review of Books and the brand new Wellbeing Wild Magazine.

“…storytelling always has me glowing with adrenaline as if, all at once, I’ve done twenty sit-ups, eaten chocolate and kissed my crush.”

they as they
visible and voice
listening and
listen and listen

Aside from house decorating and exploring haunted forests, Free Realms also had a significant impact on the way I perceived, and performed, my gender identity.

 

I also wrote a poetry board game called Architype with Ray Cox from [insert quest here], a real play RPG podcast. Grab a copy of the game on itch.io!

A Poetry Game.

Explore houses with your friends.

Build rooms out of prose.

Make architectural poetry

together.

 

Finally, my short story ‘Bodies Needed’ is part of an audio series ‘Urban Internet Myths’ at Digital Writers’ Festival 2019! Check it out here.

EPISODE 1: BODIES NEEDED, BY RAE WHITE
A temporary reception job at a funeral home takes a turn for the permanent.

 

Cover image of Franny Choi's book Soft Science featuring a person's face with their hand to their ear, along with the words 'September in poetry'

Overland poetry reviews

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This month I had the pleasure of reviewing 6 poetry collections for Overland Journal! These included new work by Franny Choi, essa may ranapiri, Tricia Dearborn, Zenobia Frost, Caitlin Maling and aj carruthers.

**Read the reviews here**

For kicks I wrote my reviews in a slightly experimental way: by threading the 6 books together in a circular form – e.g. the last line of one review informing the review of the next book and so on.

**Read the reviews here**

‘Milk Teeth’ won the Arts Queensland Thomas Shapcott Prize

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On Thursday night I reached a milestone I’ve always wanted: winning the Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize! This means I’ll have a published book ready for you to read in a year’s time, thanks to University of Queensland Press.

Here’s a photo of myself and 2016 Arts Queensland Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize winner Shastra Deo. UQP will launch Shastra’s debut collection, The Agonist, today at Queensland Poetry Festival.

shastraandrae