Grace Perry: Australian Poet, Publisher and Paediatrician

Grace Perry in Berrima Winter 1974 in 'Too many mirrors' writes "I am a hologram/exiled from my own interior"

She is acknowledging her multiple roles and her loss of self. Married to Dr Harry Kronenburg (haemotologist) and mother of 3 children she had a home-based medical practice in Five Dock with her own publishing company (South Head Press) which produced over 20 years of Poetry Australia six times a year. She also played a dynamic role in the 1960s–80s directing poetry workshops and publishing the younger generation of poets, such as Les Murray, and John Tranter. Her longer lyric poems in libre composé form mark her as a great poet so it is no surprise that she was the most published Australian poet in 1968 at home and overseas. It is tragic that she has been allowed to slip out of Australian literary history.

John Millet asked Sydney University for a PhD student to write about Grace Perry after her sudden death in 1987. After reading the thesis his comments were: 'Read with admiration and many thanks.' John Millet was Perry's legal advisor from 1964 and moved to Berrima after she did, to breed horses. They worked together on bull, horse and sheep breeding while he wrote poetry about his war experiences. Together they produced Poetry Australia. After her death he lived in her house (the Magistrate's House in Berrima) with his wife.

I carried Perry's "Frozen Section" for two years after one of her workshops.
– Robert Adamson Sydney Poet

Grace Perry published my first collection of poetry, gave me references when I went overseas, and paid me for my poetry while I was away.
– John Tranter Sydney poet

The mag was an epoch in my life and no-one ever gave me a greater compliment of trust … Six and a half years. We grew some poets in that time didn't we.
– In a letter from Les Murray in Perry's papers dated 22 May 1980.

Dr Jensen is at her very best when writing about Grace Perry's poetry.
– Dr James Tulip

Contents

1. Who was Grace Perry?
2. Early Success 1927-1961
3. Return to poetry 1962-4
4. The Split in the Poetry Society
5. The community of poets
6. Networking and Marketing
7. Grace Perry in 1968
8. Poetry Australia Events: 1969-1987
9. Later writing 1973-1985
10. Selected Poems by Grace Perry
11. Bibliography
12. Acknowledgements