How Decent Folk Behave
we are all just one small disaster away from sinking, and sometimes you only realise when you're gasping for air
On a daylight street in Minneapolis Minnesota, a Black man is asphyxiated — by callous knee of an officer, by cruel might of state, and under crushing weight of colony.
In Melbourne the body of another woman has been found — this time, after catching a late tram home. The Atlantic has run out of the English alphabet, when christening hurricanes this season.
The earth is on fire — from the redwoods of California, to Australia's east coast. The sea draws back, and tsunamis lash out in Samoa and Sumatra. Water rises in Sulawesi and Nagasaki. Bloated cod are surfacing, all along the Murray Darling.
The virus arrives, and the virus thrives. Authorities seal the public housing towers up, and truck in one cop to every five residents. Notre Dame is ablaze — the cathedral spire blackened, and teetering. Out in Biloela, the deportation vans have arrived. Every Friday, in cities all across the world, children are walking out of school.
The wolves are circling. The wolves are circling.
These poems speak of the world that is, and sing for a world that may one day be.
'One of the most compelling voices in Australian poetry this decade' — Overland Literary Journal
'[A] powerful and fearless storyteller' — Dave Eggers
'Readers are left with the sense they have been seen, heard and understood' — Books + Publishing
-
Free Shipping for orders $150+
Publishing has a diversity problem. There are less 'diverse' books being published which limits the discoverability and reach of those authors.
Representation is important. Read more about why we exist here.
Read the Author Interview
Read these other author interviews
An anti-racist social enterprise bookstore specialising in BIPOC books.
Only about 11% of books published are by BIPOC authors — so unless you specifically seek out books by BIPOC authors, you aren't likely to find very many of them organically. At Amplify, BIPOC authors are highlighted and celebrated. Here, they don't have to fight to be seen, and you don't have to fight to find them.
We hope that in our shop, you can discover a new favourite read, find stories that speak uniquely to you, learn about a culture outside your own (or more about your own histories), and gain a better understanding of the systems that connect us all.
Looking for something super specific?
Have a scroll through our tag directory to help direct your search and bring you to curated collections, as grouped by subgenres, identity markers, and more!
