Steven Herrick

Steven Herrick (born in Brisbane, 1958) is an Australian poet and author. Herrick has published twenty-two books for adults, young adults and children. He is widely regarded as a pioneer of verse-novels for children and young adults.

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 in year 10.^[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 also writes travel books based on his cycling adventures in Europe.

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), 2003 (Tom Jones Saves the World); 2013 "Pookie Aleera is not my boyfriend"; 2015 "Bleakboy and Hunter Stand out in the Rain" and have been recognised as an Honour Book in 2004 (Do-wrong Ron) and 2005 (By the River).

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:

• Bleakboy and Hunter Stand out in the Rain - (University of Queensland Press, 2014)
• Pookie Aleera is not My Boyfriend - (University of Queensland Press, 2012)
• Black painted fingernails - (Allen & Unwin, 2011)
• SLICE - (Random House, 2010)
• Untangling spaghetti - (University of Queensland Press, 2009)
• Rhyming boy - (University of Queensland 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 Queensland Press, 2002)
• love poems and leg-spinners - (University of Queensland Press, 2001)
• The Simple Gift - (University of Queensland Press, 2000)
• The Spangled Drongo - (University of Queensland Press, 1999)
• A Place Like This - (University of Queensland Press, 1998)
• Poetry to the Rescue - (University of Queensland Press, 1998)
• My Life, My Love, My Lasagne - (University of Queensland Press, 1997)
• Love, Ghosts and Nose Hair - (University of Queensland Press, 1996)
• Water Bombs (University of Queensland Press, 1992)
• Caboolture
• The Sound of Chopping

^[5]

References

The Blue Between

External links

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