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“I wanted to convey the joy and complexity of life within such parameters, particularly as a child and teenager finding a sense of themselves with no ability to think too far into the future.<\/p>\n
“I’ve had a wonderful life. I’m 50 next year, and I’ve been fit and healthy since my lung transplant nine years ago. I’ve been extremely lucky.”<\/p>\n
Becker believes in the importance of poetry and the liberty it represents for him personally.<\/p>\n
“Poetry for me is freedom from the constraints of day-to-day communications, whether it’s our relentlessly bland corporate language, the daily hustle of personal branding, or the polarised debates online.”<\/p>\n
The north coast region is well known for its fertile creative ground. Becker believes the area helps creatives to thrive.<\/p>\n
“I think the landscapes of our region, and the people that are either drawn to them or emerge from them, show glimpses of what a perfect world could look like, small visions of possibility,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It’s no wonder that we produce so many artists and writers.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Murwillumbah poet Damien Becker has won the 2024 Flying Island Poetry Manuscript Competition for his work Thin Reed Throat. Becker won the first prize of $1,000 cash, publication in the Flying Island Pocket Poets Series and 30 free copies, and a potential writer’s residency at Arbaro Writers and Artists Residency. One of 10 shortlisted finalists, […]<\/p>\n