Mark O'Connor (born 19 March 1945 in Melbourne) is an Australian poet, writer, and environmental activist. He is the author of twelve books of poetry on regions of Australia such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Blue Mountains, often collaborating with renowned nature photographers. He has also written two books on the issue of overpopulation, This Tired Brown Land (1998) and, more recently, Overloading Australia (2008, co-written by William J. Lines). He has been a staunch advocate of incorporating quality poetry into civil celebrant ceremonies as evidenced for them in his professional development sessions.
Mark O'Connor | |
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| Born | 19 March 1945 Melbourne, Australia[1] |
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| Language | English |
| Alma mater | Melbourne University |
| Genre | Poetry, prose, verse translations of Shakespeare |
| Notable works |
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| Spouse | Janet Eagleton |
| Website | |
| australianpoet | |
Biography edit
Mark O'Connor graduated from Melbourne University with Honours in English and Classics. He has taught English literature at the universities of Western Australia and the Australian National University.[2] He has won several national and international prizes and awards, and he has undertaken fellowships throughout the world including United States, Europe, Russia, China and India. In 1999 he was appointed H.C. Coombs Creative Arts Fellow at the Australian National University, and in 2000 he was given a grant from the Australia Council to write poetry about the 2000 Olympic Games. He is also the editor of the much re-printed Oxford anthology Two Centuries of Australian Poetry.[2]: p.1
In addition to his own poetry, O'Connor is now translating Shakespearean verse into modern English. He is also the inventor and patent holder for the Pro-NOUNCE-it software for showing the pronunciation of English words.
O'Connor was a candidate for NSW Senator at the 2010 Australian federal election, representing the Stable Population Party. He ran again for the senate in the 2013 Australian federal election.[3]
Increasing the audience of poetry in English edit
O’Connor is a strong supporter of the civil celebrancy movement, and an ally of Dally Messenger III, who as Principal of the International College of Celebrancy advocated the use of poems or prose poems, chosen by the couple in consultation with their celebrant, in place of the traditional religious marriage ceremonies. Messenger argued that the ability to read poetry effectively in public was an essential skill of celebrants. O’Connor, who held a civil celebrant’s licence himself from 2004 to 2015, taught professional development courses on ceremonial performance. In these he argued that, “Poetry is memorable speech: rich and evocative memorable speech that is designed to be physically rolled in the mouth.” Some of his essays on poetry as a physical art have been published by the International College of Celebrancy. [4] [5] [6]
References edit
- ^ "Mark O'Connor - Australian Poet - Biography". australianpoet.com. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ a b O'Connor, Mark (2000). The olive tree : collected poems 1972-2000. Alexandria, NSW: Hale & Iremonger. ISBN 0868066974.
- ^ Page, Fleta (16 June 2013). "Advocate of stable population makes bid for ACT Senate". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
- ^ O'Connor, Mark. "A Story: the boy, the funeral celebrant, children and grief". www.funeralsbycelebrants.com.au. International College of Celebrancy. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ O'Connor, Mark (20 October 2019). "Poetry for Funerals 2 by Mark P'Connor". International College of Celebrancy. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ O'Connor, Mark. "Funerals, the ACCC and payment for Funeral Celebrants: Mark O'Connor". www.funeralsbycelebrants.com.au. International College of Celebrancy. Retrieved 21 July 2023.