Steven Herrick

Steven Herrick (born in Brisbane, 1958) is an Australian poet and author. Herrick has published twenty-one books for adults, young adults and children.

Herrick was born the youngest of seven children. His first published poem, written at age eighteen, was called Love is like a gobstopper.^[1] He left school l in Year 10 to pursue soccer^[2]He studied poetry at university, and gained his B.A. from the University of Queensland in 1982.^[3]

He regularly visits schools throughout Australia where he talks with students about poetry and soccer, which he has loved since childhood.^[4] He has also performed in the United Kingdom, USA, Singapore, Canada, Croatia, Spain, Vietnam, The Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

He lives in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains with his wife, Cathie. They have two adult sons named Jack and Joe.^[3]

Books

Herrick's books include fiction novels, poetry collections, and novels in verse. Titles include:

• Pookie Aleera is not my boyfriend - (university of Qld Press - 2012)
• Black painted fingernails - (Allen & Unwin - 2011)
• SLICE - (Random House - 2010)
• Untangling spaghetti - (University of Qld Press -2009)
• Rhyming boy - (University of Qld Press - 2008)
• Cold Skin - (Allen & Unwin - 2007)
• Lonesome Howl - (Allen & Unwin - 2006)
• Naked Bunyip Dancing - (Allen & Unwin - 2005)
• By the River - (Allen & Unwin - 2004)
• Do-Wrong Ron - (Allen & Unwin - 2003)
• Tom Jones Saves the World - (University of Qld Press -2002)
• love poems and leg-spinners - (University of Qld Press - 2001)
• The Simple Gift - (University of Qld Press - 2000)
• The Spangled Drongo - (University of Qld Press - 1999)
• A Place Like This - (University of Qld Press - 1998)
• Poetry to the Rescue - (University of Qld Press - 1998)
• My Life, My Love, My Lasagne - (University of Qld Press - 1997)
• Love, Ghosts and Nose Hair - (University of Qld Press - 1996)
• Water Bombs (University of Qld Press - 1992)
• Caboolture
• The Sound of Chopping

His books have won the NSW Premier's Literary Awards in 2000 and 2005 and have been on the Children's Book Council of Australia "Children's Book of the Year Awards" shortlist multiple times, including 1997 (Love, Ghosts and Nose Hair), 1999 (A Place like This), 2001 (The Simple Gift), and 2003 (Tom Jones Saves the World); and have been recognised as an Honour Book in 2004 (Do-wrong Ron) and 2005 (By the River).^[5]

References

The Blue Between

External links

• Steven Herrick's website
• http://poetryfootballtravel.blogspot.com/