DAMEN O'BRIEN
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I am a Queensland poet based in Brisbane.  My poetry has won or been successful in competitions in seven countries and I am proud to be the winner of The Moth Poetry Prize, the Peter Porter Poetry Prize, the Newcastle Poetry Prize, the Cafe Writer's Poetry Competition, the New Millennium Writing Competition, the Welsh International Poetry Competition amongst many others.  My poems have been published in journals all over the world and have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Highly Commended in the Forward Prizes. 

I read all of the Australian poetry I can get my hands on.  I admire the poetry of Australian poets like Les Murray, Judith Beveridge, Anthony Lawrence, Mark Tredinnick, Felicity Plunkett, Joel Deane, Sarah Holland-Batt, Chloe Wilson and Vanessa Page.  Australian poetry is a rich and vibrant place right now. 

I want my poetry to surprise and entertain you.  I won't write a poem about love, birds, butterflies or joy, without also making it about trampolines, architecture, smallpox and computer games.  I am sometimes political and I deeply care for the future of this heating planet.  I love science and philosophy and you will see signs of both in my poems.  I have two boys and a very patient wife, and they can be found in my poetry too.  I work as a Contracts Manager, and poetry keeps me sane.


Order my debut Poetry Collection, 'Animals With Human Voices' from Recent Work Press at recentworkpress.com/books/product/animals-with-human-voices/
Order my latest Poetry Collection, 'Walking the Boundary' from Pitt Street Poetry at pittstreetpoetry.com/​

Read a sample of my poetry

I hope you like these poems.  Click on each poem to go to the website where the poem was first published. 
Please support these websites by reading the poetry they publish,
participate in the competitions, subscribe to the journals. 
Your participation makes Australia's poetry community stronger.
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'Carpool' published in Issue 435, September 2021 of Australian Book Review.
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'Sand', Highest Queensland Entry in the 2016 Val Vallis Award and published in Cordite
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'Eyes', published in Cordite 49.0: Obsolete
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'The View From Heaven', published in Verity La on 14 September 2018.
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'On the Day You Launch', Winner of the Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize 2018
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'Pulling Out the Tablecloth' published in Touchstone Literary Magazine May 06 2022.
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'pH', joint winner of the Peter Porter Poetry Prize. Scroll to bottom of page on link to read poem.
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'The Nave' winner of The Moth Poetry Prize 2020. YouTube Reading.
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'To a Poet', published in Text Volume 22 Number 1.
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'The Map-Maker's Tale', winner of the 2019 Welsh Poetry Competition.
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  • About Me
  • News
  • Contact
  • Awards
  • Publications