Di Cousens

POETRY BOOKS

Di’s most recent collection of poetry and photography is One Breath which was launched by Kevin Brophy at the Brunswick Green in December 2024.

The writer, Arnold Zable, gave this description:

“One Breath is a compelling collection of poetry and images that range, in their concerns, from the contemporary to the ancient, from radiant skies to the dark clouds of war and pestilence, from perilous journeys in search of asylum to the salve of welcoming, and from expositions of injustice to celebrations of intimate deeds of kindness.”

At the launch a posthumous book of poetry by the late Judith Rodriguez, Yellow Shirt, illustrated by Di’s photos, was also launched by Robyn Rowland. Robyn summarised it in these words:

“The poetry in this small volume explores a number of her themes:  rejection of the injustice in the world; refusal to accept brutality, ignorance. There is sadness at the loss of a dear friend, and yet, her striking sense of humour comes through many lines. But more deeply even, is her attendance to small things. I wonder as we age, do we attend even more to these as a form of ‘noticing’ before we leave, a real focusing.”

One Breath – Read Kevin Brophy’s speech here.
Yellow Shirt – Read Robyn Roland’s speech here.

Di’s first book of poems, The Freedom To Be, was published in 2010. Visit to Kinglake, Bushfire Country, from this collection, was included in the CD, Brunswick 3056, A Pint for Your Mind.
Watch the launch of Freedom To Be here.

In 2014 Di produced her third book of poems, Free Text Space. It included a poem for Reza Barati was an Iranian asylum seeker murdered on Manus Island that year.  Di reads the poem here.

D’s photographs are featured in her poetry books. 
Below is a page from each publication. 
You can purchase the books  here.