MICHELLE LEBER'S POETRY exists in the spaces between stylistic execution and historical inquiry. She prefers to write in the field of non-fiction poetry. Her most recent collection, The Yellow Emperor, received acknowledgement for merging the principles of Chinese Medicine in a poetic interpretation of Han mythology. She walks easily through the terrain of the 'erudite and dramatic'. 

Who has inspired her work? Jordie Albiston’s Botany Bay Documents, Dorothy Porter’s Akhenaten and Emily Ballou’s The Darwin Poems are some Australian poetry collections that have influenced and directed her poetry.

Michelle is currently researching women born in the 19th century who contributed to botany, the arts and sciences in Australia. This work focuses on a selection of women who were specimen collectors, maintaining her contribution to biographical recovery through the genre of poetry.

Know for her involvement in the Melbourne poetry community, Michelle has participated on festival boards, and assisted in literary events showcasing the work of First Nation’s people and the culturally diverse. It has been through these connections that poetry continues to offer the greatest value.

A recipient of residencies, awards and Australia Council grants, Michelle’s poems have appeared in Meanjin, The Age, Southerly, Sydney Sun Herald, Cordite, ARC, Das Gerdicht, Etchings, Westerly and numerous anthologies, including three times in The Best Australian Poems series.

PHOTO: Nicholas Walton-Healey