This bibliography is simply a list of poems, that I have kept over years of reading poetry, that concern medicine in some way. It is not intended to be exhaustive, and it does not include some obvious names or books because they are in the two sources listed directly below:

(see also bibliography in Verbal Medicine for clinician poets)

(see also http://timmetcalf.com.au/home/readings-in-literature-and-medicine.html)

This list has taken years to create: if you use it please acknowledge its source

Updated 21st of March 2013

 

Adamson, Robert  Selected Poems UQP   from the book Canticles on the Skin

 

Albiston Jordie ( ) The Fall 

 

Allen Harry   First dean of medicine Melb Uni/ Australia in 1880s:

see Verbal Medicine Historical Sketch

 

Bateson, Catherine in Wagtail no 75

 

Beaver, Bruce ( )  New and Selected Poems  UQP

from the book Charmed Lives

Beaver, Bruce in The Penguin Book of Modern Australian Verse (ed. Heseltine1981)

 

Bernt RM (1976) Three Faces of Love Nelson This book contains aboriginal song cycles from Arnhem Land now largely modified or extinct; the initiation ceremony for women including defloration with tip of boomerang, intercourse with all the men, the older women collecting the running semen and red ochre in their mouths and spraying it onto the initiates, the red sunrise displaying the blood of fertility going into the sky etc especially pp67-74

 

Bone, Linette (2001)  Healing Tears

 

Bourke, L ( 2003) A Cold Touch  Indigo p37

Brandenstein CG and Thomas AP (ed) Taruru: Aboriginal Song Poetry from the Pilbara  Rigby 

Brophy, Kevin ( ) Portrait in Skin Five Islands Press

 

 

            In Newcastle Poetry Prize Anthology  2008 To sculpt the moment p47, 49-50 (appalling treatment of aboriginal kids, primum non nocere)

 

Burke, Andrew in Wagtail 18

 

Cahill, Michelle  In Newcastle Poetry Prize Anthology  2008  Six myths of love 52-5

 

Campbell, David ( )  The Man in the Honeysuckle

 

Campbell, Margaret in Poetry Monash

 

Choate, Alec (2000)  Ashes to Ashes

 

Cowley, Des Involution

 

Cronin MTC in Overland no 169 Summer 2002

 

Curtis, Fred  in Said the Rat  (ed. Phil Ilton and Jennifer Harrison) Black Pepper

 

Curtis, Graeme At Last No reply chapbook

 

Dawe, Bruce Condolences of the Season

Dawe, Bruce in The Penguin Book of Modern Australian Verse (ed. Heseltine1981)

 

Day, Sarah (1997)  Quickening  Penguin 

Day, Sarah in Wagtail

 

Dobson, Rosemary ( ) Collected Poems  Angus and Robertson I think

 

The Blue Dressing Gown(2011) Profile Poetry

 

Dransfield, Michael (1980) (ed. Rodney Hall) The Second Month of Spring UQP

 

Duke, Jas H (1989) Poems of War and Peace Collected Effort Press

 

Edgar, Suzanne Wagtail 122 Still Life and Other Poems

            Complaint of the ailing birdwatcher 6; A broken arm 7

 

 

Fahey, Dianne Voices from the Honeycomb            pp67, 70, 71:

her experiences as psych inpatient

Fahey, Dianne in Wagtail no 77

^th century poetry approach to some anatomy

 

Fatchen, Max A Paddock of Poems

 

Fitzgerald, Robert in Collins Book of Australian Poetry (ed. Rodney Hall)

http://timmetcalf.com.au/home/readings-in-literature-and-medicine/the-convicts.html

 

Forbes, John Collected Poems, 1970-1998; 2001, Brandl & Schlesinger

 

Foulcher, J In Newcastle Poetry Prize Anthology  2008

            This body 72-6 elegy for priests with cancer

 

Fowler-Lebcowicz, Leslie  in Blue Dog 4/7 p52 and 53

 

Goodfellow, Geoff (2002) Poems for a Dead Father Vulgar Press

            

 

Hall, Rodney in The Penguin Book of Modern Australian Verse (ed. Heseltine1981)

 

Hamann, Kathryn Pelargoniums a book of poems about autism

 

Hampton, Susan (2009) News of the Insect World Five Islands Press

'Club Voodoo'...about a g.a.

 

Hart-Smith, William  Selected Poems Angus and Robertson

 

Harwood Gwen (2001) Selected Poems Penguin  p5

Harwood, Gwen (1988) Bone Scan  book concerns her illness

 

Hodgkins, Philip in Page,G (2003) The Indigo Book of Modern Australian Sonnets

 

Holmgren, Venie Peasant in January

 

 

Jenkins, Carol in Wagtail no 11

 

Johnson, Judy in Wagtail no 9

 

Jones, Evan in The Penguin Book of Modern Australian Verse (ed. Heseltine1981)

Jones, Evan Understandings (Reissued Picaro Press Art Box Series)

Jones , Evan The Politic Body in Wagtail

 

Judge, Hal (2007) Someone forgot to tell the fish Interactive Press

 

Kazan, Alia  Sitting at the Edge of Two Worlds  Self Published

 

Kennedy, Cate (2011) The Taste of River Water  Scribe 2

            Eating Earth 39-40 and Taproot 41-2  about her miscarriage

            Last man standing 27-30  wimmera and radiation; Snow 48-9 hypothermia

 

Kent, Jean (1990) Verandahs (Reissued by Picaro Press Art Box Series 2008)

 

 

Kerr, Fiona in Blue Dog  1/2

 

Kirkpatrick, Peter Wagtail 123

            Zoonosis 6; Westering 14-16 

 

Knight, Karen (2006) Doctor Says  Picaro Press/Wagtail

 

Kruss, Susan in Wagtail no 61

 

Ladd, Mike in Wagtail no 60

 

Landsdown, Andrew in Island

 

Langford, M (2008_)  The Mirror of the Ear in Wagtail no 78 Picaro Press

 

Laughton, Kenny in Voices from the Heart: Contemporary Aboriginal Poetry from Central Australia IAD Press  Made my bed pp39-40  consequences of alcoholism

 

Lawrence, A In Newcastle Poetry Prize Anthology  2008 mid section of p93-5

 

Lawrence, Stephen in Wagtail no 80 the Culture of Trains

 

Lea, Shelton (c1985) Poems from a Peach Melba Hat Abalone Press

 

Leggett, Andrew ( ) Dark Husk of Beauty  Interactive Press  p93

 

Llewelyn, Kate Figs

 

Lomer, Katherine in Wagtail no 31 

 

Louis, Yve  The Yellow Dress  Five Islands Press

 

MacDonald, Roger  (1975) Airship UQP (reissued Picaro Press 2008)

 

Madsen, Garth (2009) in Wagtail no 92  Picaro Press

 

Martins, D (1993) Beechworth Book    David Lovell Publishing Melbourne

 

McAuley, James (1971) Collected Poems 1936-1970 Angus and Robertson

McAuley, James in Page, G (2003) The Indigo Book of Modern Australian Sonnets

 

McBryde, Ian (2004) Domain  Five Islands Press   book is about Nazi Germany

McBryde, Ian in Wagtail

 

McGuigan, Lorraine (2009) Wings of the Same Bird Interactive Press

 

McKenzie, Kenneth in Collins Book of Australian Poetry (ed. Rodney Hall)

 

McKimmie Mal ( ) Poetileptic 

 

McMaster, Rhyll (1993) On My Empty Feet  William Heinemann

 

Mercer, Gina in Wagtail a poem about cancer, and another medical theme poem

 

Meyers, Jennifer Winter Prayer and Songs of Death

Christian poems of grief, miscarriage

 

Morgan, Mal  in Wagtail no 4

Morgan Mal (1999) Beautiful Veins  whole book about dying of cancer

 

Mudrooroo (Colin Johnson) (1996) Pacific Highway Boo-blooz UQP

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudrooroo. (Name means paperbark)

 

Murray, Les Collected Poems  Angus and Robertson

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~abr/Dec-Jan01/ii.html

Murray Les Subhuman Redneck Poems

 

Musgrave, David in Wagtail no 52

 

Neilson, John Shaw  The Collected Verse

 http://hass.unsw.adfa.edu.au/ASEC/Neilsoncomplete.pdf

 

Oliver, Stephen (2003) 

 

Owen, Jan in Wagtail

Owen, Jan Blackberry Season (Reissued Picaro Press Art Box Series)

 

Persson, Sheryl (2007) Scarcely Random  Ginninderra Press

 

Porter, Peter The Rest on the Flight: New collected poems A&R  

 

Pretty, Ron (2009) Where the Heart Is  Picaro Press

 

Riddell, in Page, G (ed.)(2003) The Indigo Book of Modern Australian Sonnets

 

Rowbotham David (1964) All the Room  p53

Rowbotham, David in Page, G (2003) The Indigo Book of Modern Australian Sonnets

 

Rowland, Robyn in Wagtail

Russell W. Les in Gilbert K (ed.)(1988) Inside Black Australia 

Salom, Philip (1998) New and Selected Poems Fremantle Arts Centre Press

 

Sariban, M Luxuries  Indigo

 

Savige, Jaya (2011) Surface to Air  UQP

            The pain switch p17

 

Shapcott, Thomas Shabbytown Calendar (Reissued by Picaro Press Art Box Series)

            (doctors extend credit) p53

 

Shen in Poetry Monash

 

Slade, Leon (1972)  Paperback Poets 12

 

Smith, Melinda in Quadrant: 'Autistic Crostic' April 2009; and 'Song of the antidepressant' and "Autistic child with acute auditory processing disorder' in Jan-Feb 2011

 

 

 

Steele, Rory ( ) Obverse and Parallel Lines 

 

Sun and Sleet 

 

Sykes, Bobbi (1979, 1988 ) Love Poems and Other Revolutionary Actions  UQP

Sykes B in Gilbert K (ed.)(1988) Inside Black Australia  Penguin Rachel p36 and Final Count p37

 

 

Taylor, Andrew in Wagtail

 

Thorley, Michael (2008) Sleeping Alone Indigo

 

Viidikas, Vicki in The Penguin Book of Modern Australian Verse (ed. Heseltine1981)

 

Walter, Lesley in Ask the Rain

 

Webb, Francis in Wagtail no 74

(numerous other famous poems in Collected not listed here, mental illness)

 

West, John Edna unpublished MS in my possession, see p63

West John 'Diagnosis' in Quadrant Jan-Feb 2005

 

Whitting, Amy in Page, G (ed.)(2003) The Indigo Book of Modern Australian Sonnets

 

Williams, Jane in Wagtail no 73

 

Yu, Ouyang (2003) Foreign Matter