Poetry in motion? Reality versus rhetoric in Australian children’s poetry

Poetry is a literary niche that generates passionate advocacy in both children’s and adult literature; yet it is the tenet of this paper that in Australia there is a disconnect between this advocacy and corresponding low levels of traditional print publishing, especially in relation to poetry for children and young adults. This apparent gap also leads me to ask a related question; how many young people truly connect with or have knowledge of the literary lore of poetry? Practitioners and lovers of poetry will no doubt concur with the view that the profile and value of both traditional and contemporary poetry from Australia and all countries and cultures is something worthy of being championed. In order to achieve effective sponsorship and valuing of the genre, however, I argue that we need to target funding for creators and publishers in ways that encourage publication, improve knowledge of poetry in schools and teacher education and stimulate poetry’s appeal in popular culture. It seems logical to suggest that if communities and individuals are to be encouraged to value poetry as adults, then encouraging the appreciation and enjoyment of poetry in the younger years is crucial. *Author’s Note: While the focus of this paper is on children’s poetry, many of the issues raised pertain equally to poetry in general as a genre.