Graham Rowlands

Graham John Rowlands (born 1947) is an Australian poetryAustralian poet He was awarded the Barbara Hanrahan Fellowship in 2002.

==Life Rowlands is originally from Brisbane. He has a Master of Arts from the University of Queensland and a Ph.D. from Flinders University. He has worked as a journalist and editor in both the poetry and education fields.

Moving to South Australia's capital, Adelaide, in the early 1970s, he published seven poetry collections in the two decades that followed, including Stares and Statues in 1972. It is estimated that his works number upwards of 1000.

While a prolific poet, Graham is an enthusiastic reader (out loud) of his own poetry, and has always been a generous supporter of the poetry of others. He has remained a person and a writer who fits generally within the traditions of the left,although he has expressed admiration for the work of Les Murray, generally considered Australia's best known poet, who is on many aesthetic and social dimensions aligned with the right. Other influences on his work are more consistent with his leftish persuasion. These include the historian and writer Humphrey McQueen and poet/novelist Rodney Hall.

Writing
His own writing is energetic and vigorous. He often begins his poems with elegant abstract images, such as in his early poem LIVES: "As the elegant table-leg of the eagle Holds a ball in its talons…"

Then finishes the poem sudden personal intensity: "I, who see in Orange lava below the crust My hot fluid self burning, Moving and burning alive in my skin."

Recognition
He was awarded the Barbara Hanrahan Fellowship in 2002.

Publications
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy the Australian Poetry Library.