20 Poets

1. '20 Poets' is an essay commissioned by Cordite Publishing Inc, to survey two series of its Australian poetry collections from 2015-17. The essay appears in an anthology of selections from the collections in question, as an introduction and critical guide. The anthology marks a significant moment in small press publishing in Australia, in which the Cordite Books series have captured new work by a diverse range of expatriate, Indigenous and emerging as well as established writers. The publication of the anthology marks the commencement of a third series and the marketing of the work discussed to international audiences. 2. The essay seeks to contextualise the contents of the Cordite Books series specifically for an international audience to whom the anthology is distributed. In doing so, it makes reference to international small press publishing examples, and draws on a selection of research sources including criticism of the twenty poets discussed. The essay undertakes comparative analysis of several of the books featured in the series, aiming to spotlight the radical difference between voice, form and career stages; but it also seeks to draw connections between experimental approaches and politics. The contribution of this essay is to offer international readers a critical entry point into a swathe of recent local publications. 3. Cordite Publishing Inc is the publisher of Cordite Books, featuring a catalogue of twenty collections including major prize winners, and Cordite Poetry Review, Australia's foremost poetry journal. The anthology in which this essay is published is distributed globally as an e-book, and will be translated into Hindi for Indian print distribution in 2018.