Kris Hemensley

Kris Alan Hemensley (born 26 April 1946) is a poet, who was born on The Isle of Wight, and spent his early childhood in Alexandria, the son of an Egyptian mother and an English father who was stationed in Egypt with the Royal Air Force. He visited Australia at the age of 18, and emigrated there in 1966. He was awarded the Christopher Brennan Award in 2005, which recognizes poetry of "sustained quality and distinction".

Hemensley has published around 20 collections of poetry, most of which are currently out of print. Through the late 60's and 70's he was involved in poetry workshops at La Mama, and edited the cheaply produced literary magazines "Our Glass", and "The Ear in a Wheatfield," amongst others. "The Ear" played an important role in providing a place where poets — such as Jennifer Maiden [ [http://www.theage.com.au/news/books/life-and-a-maiden/2006/08/24/1156012667758.html article] in "The Age" 26 August 2006] —writing outside the then mainstream could publish their work. In 1969 and 1970 he presented the program "Kris Hemensley's Melbourne" on ABC Radio. In the 1970s he was poetry editor for "Meanjin"

He currently manages Collected Works, a specialist poetry bookshop in Melbourne, Australia.

Works

* "No Word No Worry" (1970)
* "The Poem of The Clear Eye" (1975)
* "Christopher" (1987)
* "Best of the Ear," (editor), Rigmarole Books, 1985

Notes

External links

* [http://www.theage.com.au/news/Books/A-well-deserved-tribute/2005/03/24/1111525291737.html Newspaper article on Hemensley and the Christopher Brennan Award]
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/09/21/1032054998678.html Newspaper article on Hemensley's bookshop]
* [http://www.austlit.com/a/hemensley/ Australian Literary Resources bio page]
* [http://www.austlit.com/a/=surveys/1974-kh-la-mama.html Hemensley's note on the La Mama poetry workshops]
* [http://www.austlit.edu.au/run?ex=ShowAgent&agentId=A%2BYr Aust Lit entry]
* [http://au.geocities.com/masthead_2/issue1/biogs.html Another brief bio note, mentioning "Meanjin"]