In the Photograph
Luke Beesley

The poems in In the Photograph unfold in domestic and suburban settings. They capture the exact moment of writing: how, from it, possibilities branch out into observation, memory, word play, analogy, fantasy, other artworks and other art forms. Cinema, photography, theatre, painting and music all move freely in and out of the poem's frame.

The writing revels in humour and narrative surprise: twists in syntax, jump cuts in time, jump cuts from one category of experience into another. In the Photograph is intimate, familial, often moving; it is also sparklingly clever and alert to the imaginative possibilities that can open out from the minutiae of days.

‘As lush or dreamy as the poems sometimes are, there’s a jittery, jokey, upset the image kitsch-cart motive afoot also...This is a poetry of possibility’. — Michael Farrell, The Australian

'The volume’s exploration of a hybrid poetic prose is characterised by sometimes light-hearted surrealistic gestures that disrupt narrative expectations, along with a pursuit of ekphrastic modes. It demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of the absurdity of domestic and quotidian life. And the best works make the familiar truly strange, asking readers to recalibrate their perceptions.' — Paul Heatherington, Australian Book Review

'In the Photograph intimately explores familial ties and human connections, one thing leading into the next, while embracing the immense and at times playful potential that resides within the seemingly mundane moments of our daily lives.' — Justin Cantrell, Readings Books