Magdalena Ball

The wonderful Zalehah Turner put me through my paces with some very deep, rich questions around Unmaking Atoms:

“Poetry was a way for me to give my grief the time and energy I felt it needed. A loss like the loss of a parent changes and reshapes you… My feelings at that point were so complex that only poetry felt right… I found I was writing a lot of poems, and these ultimately became the core of Unmaking Atoms.”  Check it out here:

“The core of Unmaking Atoms”: Zalehah Turner interviews Magdalena Ball

I love the online poetry journal Cordite.  The continually changing editors make for a very diverse magazine full of wonderful and thought-provoking poetry, generally built around a theme.  The latest issue The Land, was edited byJane Gibian and James Stuart, and the 55 blind selected poems are all fascinating, playing with the theme in many different ways and I’m hugely excited to have a poem published here (I always feel like there’s a kind of dialogue going on between the poems in a themed issue like this – as if the poems were enriched by proximity). The issue also contains artwork, essays, scholarly work, translations, and interviews and is available free online here: http://cordite.org.au/content/poetry/land/

I’ve just found out that the very popular poem “Radiology” that I collaborated on with rob walker has found its way into a terrific new anthology Shaping the Fractured Self: poetry of chronic illness and pain, published by the UWAP.  I think this is the fifth publication of that little gem.

Pleased to have several poems included in the latest issue of Donnithorne Street Press’s magazine Have Your Chill, rubbing shoulders with Rae Armantrout, Robert Adamson, and Gig Ryan to drop just a few of many of the illustrious names in this 2-part issue.  Contact Pete Spence to order a copy or arrange a subscription.

Editor Ella Skilbeck-Porter has produced an exquisite anthology of poetry inspired by the Sydney Botanic gardens, including my Highly Commended poem “Anneslea fragrans”. The collection includes 163 poems from 105 poets and is beautifully illustrated and presented and the poetry is, without exception, wonderful.  I’m very honoured to have been included. It’s also free to download.  Grab a copy here:
https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/getmedia/f266f1e4-94d0-4db7-b86e-66c98a44e409/New-Shoots-Anthology-FINAL

My new poetry book Unmaking Atoms is now available!  

The wonderful author Basil Eliades (3rd i, 50IV, The Men’s Deck) says of the book: “Magdalena Ball has assembled a delicate memento mori of our many subtle frames of reference. Her imagery is beautifully structured in heart-breaking threads, and redolent of her intellect, her warmth, and her love of text.”

To grab a copy visit: Ginninderra Press or click on the book cover for the Amazon page which has both print and ebook options.

I’m very excited to announce that my poem “Anneslea fragrans’ has been highly commended in the Rochford Street Review, The Red Room Company and the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney’s New Shoots Poetry Prize. You can read the full text of the poem and the winner and other commended poets here: https://rochfordstreetreview.com/2016/12/01/12865/

My poem “Once” has been published in the Hilary Clinton themed tissue of  Thank You for Swallowing.The issue is available free online here: https://thankyouforswallowing.files.wordpress.com

“Radiology” – a collaboration between me and Rob Walker, has been published in the 2016 Best Australian Science Writing. Grab a copy here: https://www.andrewisles.com/all-stock/publication/best-australian-science-writing-2016

I’m very pleased to report that I’ve won 2nd prize in the “Home is the Hunter” writing competition and my poem “Nature’s Observatory” will be featured in an anthology to be launched on Saturday 8th October at the New Lambton Community Centre, Alma Rd, New Lambton commencing at 6pm.  More details can be found here: http://www.catchfirepress.com.au.  The anthology will be launched by the wonderful Rosemarie Milsom.  You’re invited!