Poet Ronald McCuaig and hip hop artist Zac James. Photos supplied.
Ronald McCuaig (2 April 1908 – 1 March 1993) was once described by acclaimed author and historian Geoffrey Dutton, as ‘Australia’s first modern poet.’
McCuaig’s earliest collection of verse, Vaudeville, was written in 1933-34 and was self-published after no fewer than seven printers rejected the manuscript, considering the poems too explicit. With its risk of offending the conservative mores of the age, his work – which explored rape, abused women and sex workers – failed to reach a large audience.
Thuy On is Reviews Editor of ArtsHub and an arts journalist, critic and poet who’s written for a range of publications including The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Sydney Review of Books, The Australian, The Age/SMH and Australian Book Review. She was the books editor of The Big issue for 8 years. Her debut, a collection of poetry called Turbulence, came out in 2020 and was released by University of Western Australia Publishing (UWAP). Her second collection, Decadence, was published in July 2022, also by UWAP. Her third book, Essence, will be published in 2025.
Twitter: @thuy_on Instagram: poemsbythuy
