“Belongs to a long line of yarn-spinners ... from Henry Lawson to Frank Hardy to Peter Carey”
Joel Deane is a poet, novelist, journalist and speechwriter.
Born in Bethlehem (the hospital, not the place), he spent his childhood in Mooroopna. In his teenage years, his family moved from the country to North Fitzroy and he started working as a copyboy on a tabloid newspaper, The Sun news-pictorial. Ever since then, he has divided his time between literature, media and politics — publishing nine books and performing poetry readings in Australia, Ireland and the United States while working in newspapers, magazines, television, politics, and internet startups in Australia and the US.
He now lives in Melbourne and works as a freelance author, speechwriter, lecturer and editor. He can be contacted via email.
Publications
Making Progress: How good policy happens, with Jenny Macklin (non-fiction).
Judas Boys (fiction).
Year of the Wasp (poetry).
Catch and Kill: The Politics of Power (non-fiction).
The Norseman's Song (fiction).
Magisterium (poetry).
£10 Poems (poetry).
Subterranean Radio Songs (poetry).
Another (fiction).
Anthologies
Finding My Feet: An Anthology of Poetic Voices, 2024.
Australian Poetry Anthology 2023.
Best Australian Poems 2016.
Australian Poetry Anthology 2016.
Thirty Australian Poets, 2011.
Best Australian Poems 2008.
Awards
Short-listed for the John Bray Poetry Award, 2018.
Won the Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize, 2017.
Short-listed for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, 2017.
Short-listed for the Judith Wright Literary Award, 2017.
Finalist for the Walkley Book Award, 2015.
Finalist for the Melbourne Prize for Literature, 2009.
Short-listed for the Anne Elder Award, 2006.
Won the IP Picks Prize for an unpublished poetry manuscript, 2005.
Won the IP Picks Prize for an unpublished fiction manuscript, 2004.
Runner up for Young Victorian Journalist of the Year Award, 1990.