One River
One River is a series of haibun studies of the Hunter River and its tributaries. Haibun is a Japanese poetic form of prose punctuated by haiku. In this instance, the longer, but still brief, Korean sijo are employed as lively sketches of the birds, trees, weather and waterways encountered in the author's wanderings. The heart of this book are unique meditations on the river and its hinterland. In their whimsical complexity—and leaps of imagination—they constitute overlooked truths, truths distinct from those that arise from objective observation. These poems are an immersive experience, one in which the reader might find a nascent sense of their capacity for flow as is manifest in the limber movements of water falling.
‘Armstrong has made something marvellous here: wise, open-hearted, austere, funny, moving, and about much more than a river. This work will find its place and speak well beyond our lifetime. It inspires me in many ways; it inspires me to get out in the wilds, makes me want to feel again that at-one-ment, that re-membering.’ – Mark Tredinnick
Steve Armstrong is a poet who lives in the city of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. When he's not writing poetry, he enjoys working as a social worker/counsellor. Steve's first book of poems Broken Ground (University of Western Australia Publishing) was published in 2018. A second collection What’s Left (Flying Islands Pocket Book Series) was launched December 2020. He won the Bruce Dawe Poetry Prize in 2015 and has been awarded the local prize for the Newcastle Poetry Prize twice. He has shortlisted for most of the major Australian poetry prizes.
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