Jayne Fenton Keane is a contemporary Australian poet and poetry performer. She is known for making innovative use of multimedia including Adobe Flash, for publishing her poetry on the web, and for poetry performance.[1][2]

Early life and education

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Keane was born in the United Kingdom. At age one, she emigrated to Australia with her parents, Leslie and Linda Fenton.[1]

Keane was educated at Griffith University, completing a BA (Hons) with her thesis, "Slamming the sonnet",[3] and a PhD, with "Three-dimensional poetic natures".[4] She completed a second PhD, "The Language of Ecotourism", at the University of Southern Queensland.[5]

Career

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Keane has published several books of poetry and a CD recording. She is active as a performance poet and in multimedia poetry.[6] The Transparent Lung was adapted for radio in collaboration with Mike Ladd.[7] Keane has received a Varuna Writers' Centre Fellowship and a grant from Queensland Arts, and has performed at festivals in Australia, Canada and the United States. She is the founding and current director of National Poetry Week.[8]

Reception of work

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Liz Hall-Downs described The Transparent Lung as "intensly 'modern'", and compares Keane's progression as a poet from her previous work Ophelia's Codpiece to The Transparent Lung to Sylvia Plath's progression, noting the clarity of words and emotional directness.[2]

Works

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Poetry

  • Fissure Blooms (1994) ISBN 0-646-20976-0
  • Torn (Plateau, 2000)
  • Ophelia's Codpiece (Post Pressed, 2002) ISBN 1-876682-23-X
  • The Transparent Lung (Post Pressed, 2003) ISBN 1-876682-51-5
  • Nel with Cat, an ekphrastic poem for Nel Bonte[9]

CD

  • The Stalking Tongue (1999)

References

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  1. ^ a b Arana, R. Victoria (2008). The Facts on File Companion to World Poetry: 1900 to the Present. Facts on File. p. 242-243. ISBN 9781438108377.
  2. ^ a b Hall-Downs, Liz (2004). "Thinking and Breathing" (PDF). Australian Women's Book Review. 16 (2): 42–43, 45. ISSN 1033-9434. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  3. ^ Keane, Jayne Fenton (2001), Slamming the sonnet, retrieved 28 August 2023
  4. ^ Keane, Jayne Fenton (2008), Three-dimensional poetic natures, retrieved 28 August 2023
  5. ^ Keane, Jayne Fenton (2015). "The Language of Ecotourism" (PDF). University of Southern Queensland. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  6. ^ The Poetry of Jayne Fenton Keane Archived 4 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine (Thylazine) Accessed: 29 January 2007.
  7. ^ The Transparent Lung (Radio National) Accessed: 29 January 2007.
  8. ^ 5th Australian Poetry Festival (Poets Union) Accessed: 29 January 2007.
  9. ^ Fenton Keyne, Jayne. "Cat for Nel". Nel Bonte. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
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