Lawrence wins 2022 Peter Porter Poetry Prize

The Australian Book Review (ABR) has announced Anthony Lawrence as the winner of the 2022 Peter Porter Poetry Prize for his poem ‘In the Shadows of Our Heads’.

Lawrence receives $6000 while the remaining four shortlisted poets each receive $1000. The shortlist was chosen from 1328 entries from 34 countries, and each shortlisted poem will be published in the January–February issue of ABR.

‘In the Shadow of Our Heads’ is a ‘stunningly vibrant poem by a masterful technician at the top of his game’ according to judges Sarah Holland-Batt, Jaya Savige and Anders Villani.

‘This unusual love poem revels in the unpredictability of those connections, intellectual and physical, forged between simpatico minds and damaged bodies across space and time. A vivid, potent reminder of love’s dance of proximity and distance—at a time when these fundamental bases of human intimacy have been thrown into fraught relief—it is a work deftly attuned to our present moment.’

Lawrence, who teaches creative writing at Griffith University, has published 16 books of poems. His books and individual poems have won awards including the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Poetry, the Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal and the Blake Poetry Prize.

The winner of last year’s prize was Sara M Saleh. For more information, see the ABR website.

Image credit: Julie Manning

Category: Awards Local news