Mark O'Connor is an Australian poet with a special interest in celebrating natural environments. He has published 12 books of verse, many of them on regions of Australian such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Blue Mountains, and often in co-operation with renowned nature photographers. His work is widely represented in contemporary Australian books of poetry, and he has travelled in Europe, Britain and the Americas.
1945 |
Born Melbourne |
1965 |
Graduated English-Classics Hons 1 and First Place from Melbourne University. Taught English Literature at the University of WA and at the ANU |
1972 |
First poems published |
1973 |
Won the Biennial Poetry Australia International Prize. Again in 1975 |
1977 |
Awarded a Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarship to spend two years living and writing in the Mediterranean region. Travelled extensively until late 1980, mainly in Greece and Italy, and attended the Poets Corner readings in Westminster Abbey in September 1980 |
1979 |
Won the Shell-Artlook $1,250 poetry prize with The Rainbow Serpent and the British Commonwealth Short Story Prize with The Black Cabaret. In June 1980, won the London Time's Kenneth Allsop Memorial Award |
1983 |
Won the Tom Collins Poetry Prize and the South Pacific ACLALS Short Story Prize. Edited the Australian section of London literary annual Aquarius 1983 |
1983 |
Writer-in-residence at James Cook University, Griffith and Darwin (twice), SACAE, Gippsland College, Charles Sturt and Monash Universities, and UNSW and Queensland State Library |
1984 |
NSW National Parks Writing Fellowship (1984 and 1985) |
1985 |
Series of 6 talks on ABC Science Show. ABC TV documentary broadcast on A Big Country |
1986 |
One-month poetry reading tour of Britain arranged by the British National Poetry Society. |
1987 |
Appointed the Thomas Ramsay Science and Humanities Scholar at the Museum of Victoria (one-year residency to write a book of verse The Ship Trans Time published 1989 |
1987 |
Edited and introduced Two Centuries of Australian Poetry (Oxford University Press) published 1988 (reprinted 6 times) |
1988 |
Moved to Canberra. Married Janet Eagleton. |
1988 |
Sent to the Australian Literature Conference in Denmark |
1989 |
Joined with Judith Wright, Dorothy Green and Anne Edgeworth to form the environmental writers group WESP, currently co-convenor |
1990 |
Guest on SBS's Face the Press |
1990 |
Sent to Russia (Vladivostok conference) by DFAT. Overseas writer-in-residence (Australia-China Bilateral Exchange) at East China University, Shanghai |
1990 |
Received $3,000 grant from ACT to produce lyrics with musician Judith Clingan, recently completed as The Canberra Song Cycle |
1991 |
Sent by the Australia Council to represent Australia at World Conference of Poets |
1991 |
Received a $30,000 grant from the NSW National Parks Foundation to work on poems about the High Country |
1993 |
Awarded ACT Literary Fellowship |
1994 |
Appointed Humanities Research Fellow, University of Oregon, USA |
1995 |
Poetry Editor for The Canberra Times |
1995 |
Sent by the Australia-India Countil on a one-man tour of universities in India |
1996 |
Published Tilting at Snowgums, and was the subject of two ABC documentaries, one in The Words to Say It series. Long poem A New Ballad of The Man From Snowy River published in the Christmas edition of the Bulletin. Revised expanded edition of Two Centuries of Australian Poetry published by OUP in 1996 |
1998 |
Published This Tired Brown Land |
1999 |
Appointed H.C. Coombs Creative Arts Fellow at the ANU |