One of Australia’s foremost but often forgotten poets, whose works have been described by Les Murray as “the gold standard by which complex poetic language has been judged”, is now finally being recognised with a newly published collection. Robert Adamson, Johanna Featherstone, Judith Beveridge and Brook Emery read the works of Francis Webb.

Judith Beveridge (Australian)
Judith Beveridge has published four books of poetry, all of which have won major prizes including the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award, the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award, the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award, the Grace Leven Prize and the Josephine Ulrick National Poetry Prize. Her most recent collection is ‘Storm and Honey’. In 2005 she was awarded the Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal for excellence in literature. She is the poetry editor for ‘Meanjin’ and teaches poetry at postgraduate level at the University of Sydney.
 
Robert Adamson (Australian)
Robert Adamson has written over 20 books of poetry and prose including his highly praised autobiography
‘Inside Out’, ‘Reading The River’ and ‘The Goldfinches of Baghdad’, which won ‘The Age’ Poetry Book of the Year in 2007. His new and selected poems, ‘The Golden Bird’, won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Poetry in 2009. His latest book of poetry is ‘The Kingfisher's Soul’. He lives with the photographer Juno Gemes on the Hawkesbury River.

Johanna Featherstone (Australian)
Johanna Featherstone is the founder and artistic director of The Red Room Company. Her most recent chapbook is ‘Felt’ and her poetry has featured in journals such as ‘Quadrant’, ‘Best Australian Poems’, ‘Papertiger’ and ‘Mascara’. Johanna is a research associate with the University of Western Sydney and an honorary associate of the University of Sydney's School of Letters Arts and Media. In 2008 she received a fellowship from the St James Ethics Centre.

Brook Emery (Australian)
Brook Emery has published three books of poetry: ‘and dug my fingers in the sand’, which won the Judith Wright Calanthe Prize for poetry, ‘Misplaced Heart’ and ‘Uncommon Light’. All three were short-listed for the Kenneth Slessor Prize. Individual poems have won the Newcastle Poetry Prize, the Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize and the Max Harris Award. Brook directed the Australian Poetry Festival in 2008 and 2010 and was chairperson of the Poets Union for a number of years.