about
Kathryn Hamann lives in Melbourne with her family and two cats (Audrey Bee and Charlemagne of Celestial Length). The latter provide the distraction no poet can be without. Her work pops up here and there rather like the bright orange fungi that speckle-dazzle the untamed 'grass' that is her the backyard in the resurrection mode that befits an Australian Autumn. One of her poems travelled free in the days when Connex ruled the rails. And other poems have made it offshore.Her seventh book, A Slight Fuzzing of Perspective, was joint winner of the poetry section of the Caleb award in 2011. After being told, that same year, by her doctor: 'It's all downhill from here', Kathryn had the privilege to work with the cartoonist, Penne Gillies, to create Sentenced to Transportation. How to Get Around Melbourne. Or Not. With Coffee. A Tour de Farce (Mono Unlimited: Melbourne, 2012). Also in 2012, she provided a poetic accompaniment to her husband's, Conrad (artist for the discerning feline), book of sketches, Cat – At Work. Some of that poetry appeared in Best Australian Poems: 2011.
In March 2013, Kathryn gave a workshop for the Manningham City Council 'Healthy Lifestyle Week' that explored dementia through poetry.
Also in that year, Where Shadows Go (The Grumpy Poet's Guide to Illness) was the basis for her paper, 'In the Eye of the Beholder does Truth Lie' which was presented at 'Addressing the Sacred in Literature and the Arts' conference in Sydney, August 2013.
Wife, mother, sister, aunt, great-aunt, friend, lover of the Feline, Poet... and simply herself – an ordinary woman who has lived the richness of an ordinary life.
NB: Kathryn Hamann has never published on poetry.com and is not to be confused with poet Katy Hamann (who sometimes signs herself as 'Kathryn Hamann').
Comments on Kathryn Hamann's work:
'From the slightly fuzzy a cover of sunlight through trees and over water, this coffee table book is a delight. Not only are the poems lyrical and deftly handled, they are enhanced by numerous-stunning full page photographs and paintings as well as some smaller artworks. This is a book to pick up and savour.
From five line poems that could almost be prayers to longer poems, there is variety and plenty for the eyes and ears to enjoy. The use of language throughout this book is effective, original and makes the reader look at things differently. Surely that is the aim of poetry!
The book is divided into five sections; Mirroring, The Eye, Of Love, Grace and Coda as well as a page of notes on some of the poems and hints regarding further information regarding certain topics or organisations.
Initially I read this book from beginning to end, as that is the way seems to be designed to be read. But later it was one of two poetry books I kept returning to and dipping into again and again at various moments...
This is a book to treasure.'(Dale Harcombe, Judge for Caleb Prize 2011, The Omega Writers)
'Like Eliot, Hamann weaves into the natural rhythm of speech, words rich with spiritual connotation, and images dense with theological import.' ( Bet Green, Book review of A Poor Canticle in Australian eJournal of Theology, 16, August 2010, p. 2.)
'Kathryn's poetry evokes the hidden yearnings of the spirit — daring to speak the language of the heart.' (Rev. Jenny Inglis)
'Kathryn Hamann uses well-written phrases and a sure touch to balance a picture of earthly clumsiness and limitation with an unseen but clear presence, a non-intrusive comforter.' (Joyce Lee)
'Here we find a genuine poet of the spirit, someone who is not afraid to stand in the light and offer her true feelings, thoughts and prayers to the world.' (Richard Hillman)
'A moral clarity… witty and innovative… intense and remarkable… imaginative and energetic… quiet, unrushed and meticulous… Hamann's work is full of power. Her language is powerful, her subject matter is powerful, but more than that the spirit powerfully pervades incidents taken from her life and other lives and makes them shine and glow upon the page.' (Patricia Prime, Stylus Poetry Journal)
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