Poems By Young Australians 2003

A new generation of Australians share their views on the world they see around them, their concerns for the world their elders are leaving them, and their hopes for the beauty the world still has to offer them.

You could be forgiven for thinking that our younger generation are concerned with nothing but the latest mobile phones, video games an designer footwear. A generation brought up on technology, taught to communicate through emails and text messages, living in a throwaway society where everything happens in an instant and everything seems replaceable.

But it seems that our young Australians are more concerned with the world around them than we think. They're probably more concerned than we are.

Ranging in age from 8 to 18, the young voices that emerge in 'Poems by Young Australians 2003' speak out about endangered species, the vanishing countryside, poverty, immigration and the effects of war and terrorism. But they also share their love of nature and wildlife, and the simple pleasures in life, like a trip to Grandma's house or swimming lessons.

Sometimes serious, sometimes playful and light-hearted, what shines through above all else in this beautiful collection of poetry is a powerful feeling of hope for the future and all that the world has to offer.

'Poems by Young Australians 2003' is an anthology of the winning and commended poems from the inaugural Taronga Foundation Poetry Prize. The winners will be officially announced at an awards ceremony at Taronga Zoo. Entry forms are available at schools and youth centres around Australia or at: www.tarongafoundation.com

These are the real voices of Australia's youth, the voices of our time...,

Review:

This enchanting, moving and real book should not be ignored. It contains for the most amusing, provocative, heart-warming and deeply reflective poems that appeal to all ages for generations to come.

Available from Random House Australia for $12.95