The passing of Peter Porter in April created an absence in Australian poetry that many are still mourning.
His obituary in the Guardian quoted Porter’s poetic maxim from the 1960s “What I have written, I have written, and I do the best I can.” which was followed-up by reader’s letters.
The Australian ran their obituary which created several inspiring responses. Alex Miller wrote of his memory of Porter as “generous to his fellow poets and writers and modest about the force of his own richly gifted voice”. Novelist James Bradley captures the moment when he heard the news of the poet’s death and reminds us of the “haunting simplicity” of particularly from his poem ‘Last Words’: “Death Has only one true rhyme”
The Wheeler Centre and the Australian Poetry Centre offer their own memorial to one of Australia’s greatest poets, A Tribute to Peter Porter with poets, musicians, actors and critics.