Poet Geoff Goodfellow to read

Australian poet Geoff Goodfellow has published 9 books of poetry as well as works of non-fiction prose and multimedia collaborations.  His first collection No Collars No Cuffs, first published in 1986, is now in its 9th printing. Goodfellow left school at fifteen and worked in a variety of semi-skilled jobs before beginning to write poetry in his early thirties, after a severe back injury brought about his early retirement from the building industry.  His career as a writer has included bouts as writer-in-residence in places ranging from St Ignatius’ College at Lane Cove to ‘B’ Division at Yatala Gaol, from York University in Toronto to a national Australian touring residency taking poetry to building workers. His work often provides a public voice for those living close to the margins and who are generally under-represented in contemporary literature. He continues to use his own versatility to assist other people find their voice.  As writer-in-residence at various universities Geoff has toured Cuba, the USA, Canada, the UK, Europe and China and has been a guest at many major literary festivals. Goodfellow details his battle with cancer in a powerful new publication with Wakefield Press, Waltzing with Jack Dancer: a slow dance with cancer, a collaboration with his daughter, the author Grace Goodfellow, and photographer Randy Larcombe.