Prose by any other name: Poetry's heart beats strong in Wollongong

When poet, editor, teacher and long-time Wollongong resident Linda Godfrey first picked up a pen to write poetry in the 1990s under the guidance of local lyric poet Deb Westbury, she joined a community of poets who write to express themselves.

“I had things I wanted to say, or things to explore, more than things to say,” Linda says.

“I wanted to think about my local environment. I always try to put some things in about wherever I am, a lot about Wollongong, but I travel a bit. So I’ve written especially about things in Greece and Turkey. I talk about places I visit, people I go with, things like that.”

Decades later, Linda has become one of Australia’s finest practitioners of prose poetry, and a central voice in a South Coast literary scene that continues to flourish.

In July, Linda launched her latest collection, Tannic Skin & Sweet Flesh, published by 5 Islands Press. Divided into three sections focused on travel, domestic life and politics, the 20-poem collection joins the personal to the political, exploring personal reflections alongside broader themes.

"I show you my personal take on the world… I'm very interested in women's politics," Linda says.

"So I’ll have the personal, but I'll also have a little touch of the politics as well, bringing those together."

As a learner and teacher of poetry, Linda appreciates the local organisations that support emerging writers and would like to see the scene grow stronger. With a supportive ecosystem of poets, she says it would be great to see people of all ages and backgrounds involved in poetry events.

"It can seem a little niche, like only this particular group goes to poetry things, or only young spoken poets go to Enough Said. So bigger audiences would be good. Also, amplified opportunities for publishing would be really nice to see,” she says.

"I’d like to see poetry getting taken seriously at university level. Creative writing classes are always under threat of being closed down, so having them firmly established at the centre of the university and protected would be wonderful.

“No ideas come out of nowhere; they're always stoked by creativity. You need people reflecting on modern society and modern conditions so people can make up their mind about what's happening."

With the rise of AI, Linda says poetry gives us an opportunity to slow down, pay attention and make something of our own.

"It [writing poetry] is mindful and it's also original. A lot of the AI stuff coming out is just a mash-up of everybody else's words, but the way in poetry you put things together, looking at some detail and then looking up at the wider world, it's original, and that's really important,” she says.

“Because we're all becoming disconnected from the natural world, it's good to just go from 'I'm busy doing this, I'm doing that,' and then look out a window and see the sky or see a bird. That grounds you."

Her sold-out launch at the Thirroul Railway Institute excitingly featured a performance by recorder group The Whistleblowers, as well as an interview with her 5 Islands Press editor, Peter Frankis.

"It was great – we had 50 people there and sold out of books," Linda says.

"We had a recorder group play, then I was interviewed for 10 or 15 minutes by my editor, Peter Frankis, and then I read a bit. Afterwards, we all just stood around and talked. Someone said it was like a wedding because everybody knew everybody."

The warm, community-centred event reflects the broader poetry scene in Wollongong, a community of inclusivity and accessibility that encourages art that is grounded in place.

"Poetry events here are cheap, fast, friendly and inclusive," Linda says. 

"They often have open mics so everyone can get up and read their own poetry in a safe environment, and you can sell your books if you have them.

"With Wollongong being a Labor town, politics come through in the work, and then of course there's the university, they have poetry classes there, so people are coming up through there.

"Poetry events are cheap, often free. I recently went to a play at the Sydney Theatre Company and it was $129 a ticket, whereas you can walk into Enough Said for $5."

In her experiences teaching poetry, Linda finds that most local writers are simply driven by a desire to share perspectives. 

"Generally I just find people want to express themselves. They don't necessarily have a massive mission. Poetry is expressing emotion through concrete images, so that's what people want to do. You come across the odd bush poet who likes rhyming stuff, and a lot of what I do is just free verse, but poetry has its forms and internal rhythms, and people are interested in that."

Beyond individual book launches, events like Enough Said, a monthly spoken word night founded in 2012 and hosted by a dedicated team at the Sidebar Theatre, provide a regular platform for regional writers. Having attended these events for years, Linda has watched how the performance poetry scene and its themes have changed over time.

"I found in the early days, a lot of the men talked about almost suicide, how they were feeling, and the women talked about body image," Linda says.

"Now it's changed; there's a strong push now to support causes and politics, like Free Palestine, and broadening out into relationships and politics."

Supported by organisations such as the South Coast Writers Centre, which has fostered literature for more than 30 years, Wollongong's poetry community continues to welcome new friends.

"There's a lot of support for poetry and poets here, and it just encourages people to come out," Linda says. 

"I really love going to events like Enough Said. It’s full of young people who are dynamic, fun, and have a different take on the world. I can get up and read and I don't feel judged at all."

Tannic Skin & Sweet Flesh is available from the 5 Island Press online bookshop. Follow Enough Said Poetry Slam on Facebook and Instagram (@enoughsaidpoetryslam) for updates on future events.