The Taste of River Water

Disarming, warm and always accessible, Cate Kennedy's poems make ordinary experiences glow. Everything that suffuses her well-loved prose is here- compassion, insight, lyrical precision and the clear, minimalist eye that reveals how life can turn on a single moment. Musing on the undercurrents and interconnections between legacy, memory, motherhood and the natural world, the poems in this exhilarating collection begin on the surface and then take us, gracefully effortlessly, to a far more thought-provoking place. Grounded in lived experience, with all its mysteries and consolations they resonate with a passionate, sensuous honesty.

'Kennedy writes fine poetry ... marvellous.'
-The Age

'Kennedy is at her most effective when dropping spartan images into her lines like stones into a lake. Several pages later the ripples are still moving.'
-Kate Fagan, The Australian

'Pack s an emotional punch. Kennedy excels at drawing extraordinary details out of the seemingly mundane minutiae of everyday life, with a sharp, focused eye for the politics of the personal. Her depictions of rural life and the Australian landscape are particularly evocative. It's a welcome addition to the often-underrated canon of Australian poetry.'
-Herald Sun