Image description: Graphic image with the cover of Exactly As I Am which features the image of black and white shards surrounded by a yellow border. Beside the image is the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, Australian Government and Creative Australia logos, and text that reads ‘2023 Shortlist. Poetry. Exactly As I Am. Rae White. University of Queensland Press.’ Below this is a grey footer with the text ‘Celebrating Australian Writing. creative.gov.au/pmlas.'

Exactly As I Am has been shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards!

Absolutely incredible news!!! My beautiful book Exactly As I Am (UQP 2022) has been shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards!

Shout out to my fellow shortlistees in poetry: Gavin Yuan Gao, Lionel Fogarty, Sarah Holland-Batt, and Scott-Patrick Mitchell. And thank you to judges Andy Jackson, Jazz Money and Judith Beveridge. 

Quote from the Judges’ comments:

‘This book is an impressive and necessary work, one which will help to break down barriers and prejudices faced by transgender people. Essentially, it is a book of love and empowerment.’

Image description: Graphic image with the cover of Exactly As I Am which features the image of black and white shards surrounded by a yellow border. Beside the image is the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, Australian Government and Creative Australia logos, and text that reads ‘2023 Shortlist. Poetry. Exactly As I Am. Rae White. University of Queensland Press.’ Below this is a grey footer with the text ‘Celebrating Australian Writing. creative.gov.au/pmlas.'

New poem in Cordite POP!

I wrote a cheeky little Pokémon poem, (titled “I Google ‘are Pokémon edible?’ and wonder if I’m a bad person”), which has been published in Cordite, with big thanks to guest editors Bec Jessen and Zenobia Frost.

Do you think about the edibility of Pokémon too? Read on…

Want to read the whole issue of Cordite POP!? Do it!

I’m pumped to be published alongside poet faves Shastra Deo, Chloë Callistemon, Mindy Gill, Keri Glastonbury, Dan Hogan, Warsan Shire, Eloise Grills, Pascalle Burton, Alex Creece, Andrew Sutherland, Matt Hetherington, Scott-Patrick Mitchell, Kate Durbin, Ray Briggs, Rory Green, Pam Brown, Susie Walsh, Jarad Bruinstroop, Heather Taylor-Johnson, Jacqui Malins, Damen O’Brien, Sean West, Jini Maxwell, Josie/Jocelyn Deane, Lore White, and so many more fab folks!

Image description: Front cover of Australian Poetry Anthology. The cover features an abstract art piece of a koala-like creature sitting on top of a white house, with a gold sheep-like creature beside them. These three are on an island surrounded by dark water, with a gold yellow sky in the background.

Australia Poetry Anthology

I recently had the pleasure of guest editing Australian Poetry Anthology Volume 10, 2023 alongside Peter Boyle. I am so immensely proud of the poems we chose and I can’t wait for you to read them.

I’m also honoured to be continuing my work with Australian Poetry as a member of their Board of Directors. I’ve always admired AP’s strong poetic vision and I’m excited to work with them to develop and showcase what poetry can be and do in Australia.

(Cover artwork by Michelle Leber.)

It’s Exactly As I Am’s first birthday!

This month is Exactly As I Am’s first birthday! 🎉

Thank you to everyone who bought, borrowed and read this book over the past year. And thank you to all the excellent folk who interviewed me about it and asked me to read poems from it. 

I hope Exactly As I Am continues to reach wonderful readers, especially those who need it most. 

This past year has been a particularly dark, transphobic time for my community. I hope to combat that as much as I can, by continuing to write and publish books that uplift, embrace and nurture my trans, non-binary and gender diverse siblings 💖🏳️‍⚧️

(Awesome image tiles thanks to my publisher UQP.)