In our Spotlight On series, we chat with a member of the Writing NSW community to celebrate their success and learn more about their writing practice. This month we chat with poet, author, and artist Bronwyn Rodden.

Congratulations on the publication of your most recent collection, Stranded, by Flying Island Books. Your poetry often pulses with the friction between urban and natural spaces – when you step away from the page, in which world are you most comfortable?

Both! I grew up on the fringes of the city and lived for many years in Sydney’s Inner West, which I loved for its excitement and connection with culture. But I also lived in rural NSW at Wagga Wagga for some years as a student, and did some roustabouting in the far west of NSW, as well as spending time with one of my brothers when he worked there. These experiences gave me an appreciation for the quiet spaces, the challenges, as well as the humour and resilience of people living away from easy access to everything the city provides. But I found Sydney becoming a changed city, much too frantic, and moved to Gumbaynggirr Country, a beautiful region with rich biodiversity, where I contribute to local natural and cultural value where I can.

In ‘Five Days in a Dublin Hotel,’ you invoke Joyce’s declaration that “No one can write in Dublin.” Did you find that to be true and where have you been most inspired as a writer?

Yes, Dublin is daunting for writers, you seem to be completely surrounded by literature, visiting pubs famous for patrons like Brendan Behan, and if you go to Trinity College Library… well, yes, it is challenging. However, along with that poem, I did manage to write the beginning of my Irish novel Fish in Dublin, although mostly it is situated in other parts of the country, particularly where my father’s family welcomed me in Donegal. I also learned some Irish language, which I feel helped give me more of an insight into the culture. But I am often inspired by visiting unfamiliar places, the different sounds you hear as well as words. I suppose I was brought up in a family where language was entertainment – even playing a ‘writing game’ which I think was based on an old parlour game called ‘Consequences’.

Your latest collection reads a bit like a travelogue – a night here, a day there, a street, a building, or a room. Do these poems begin with hasty notes at the time, or do they emerge later, as memories that won’t fade?

I usually make notes straight away, some of which may end up in poems, some in prose, some don’t go anywhere. I do think it’s important to record things quickly so your memory is clear. Some poems I have left for many years before revisiting them and editing them, but I don’t interfere with their focus.

‘World Square’ closes with the stark declaration: “I’m edgy.” How central to your work is this sense of the constant tension of the female experience in the modern world?

I suppose I lived through 1970’s feminism and the beginning of Affirmative Action, which included transferring public servant women into previously male-only locations, with no thought for any need for support, which presented many challenges. Since then, my day jobs have been varied, but included two with a focus on women’s issues: a Women in Prison program and Women in Management training. Perhaps, because I came from a family with five brothers, I have some understanding of surviving in a male-dominated world. And while things have changed enormously for women in Australia, there will always be some tension between the sexes, and the definition of what these sexes are, and of course, this is still an issue in many other countries and sometimes in cyberspace.

You mix a wide range of creative genres in your work. Do you see yourself as a painter that writes, a writer that paints, or is it more complex than that?

Ideas for both come to me from anything I encounter, but if an image comes to mind, I usually head to painting. If words come to mind, then writing follows. I enjoy a wide range of writing. For instance, I was remembering the time shift aspect of ‘The French Lieutenants Woman’ many years ago, when I thought of writing my Mexican novel ‘The Moon and The Sea’. This enabling me to include historical Ireland as well as a broader understanding of women pirates, which has also interested me. My Irish novel, ‘Fish’ was inspired by several trips to Ireland, the beautiful landscapes, listening to stories and the way people speak there. I’ve always loved mysteries, and competed with a friend at school as to who could read all the Agatha Christies in the library the fastest. And I visited the Blue Mountains many times, staying there in the big old hotels from when I was young with my sister, eventually living there for a time. As I mentioned, poetry spoke to me from an early age as well. Short stories allow me to capture ideas quickly, though these sometimes stretch to novellas. Life is complex. I’ve never felt constrained to stick to one style or genre, often this comes from the freedom of self-publishing.

What are you currently working on and when do you think we’ll be able to see it?

The majority of my writing has been self-published. I was told that one novel would be published by a major company, but then tragedy hit them and I was told not to contact them again. No other publisher was interested, and it was suggested this was because it had been through someone else’s editors. This was The Crushers, the first of my Blue Mountains Mysteries, and I found I had no option if I wanted to see it in print but to self-publish. I continued with this until finally a poetry publisher took on the manuscript of Stranded.

I have recently completed a collection of poetry focused on my day jobs, which, as mentioned, have been quite varied, and I always took note of anything interesting that I encountered. This collection includes my poem that was a finalist in the Newcastle Poetry Prize, ‘Jumpers’, as well as the one that was part of the opening of the HERstory Festival this year. I have sent the manuscript to a publisher but have not heard back yet, so I am unable to say when my next book will be out. However, I’m also working on a new collection of short fiction, including a story which will be published in the NSW Society of Women Writers Centenary Anthology later this year. And I have notes for another poetry collection, a novella, or novel, or… Half of my work is as a visual artist and I have had art included in some major exhibitions (and won the 2021 Waverley Woollahra 9×5 Landscape Prize), so yes, I am still busy with that too. The cover of Stranded includes one of my paintings, Lost Fish 2, and nature is a focus in my art. I don’t think I’ll run out of inspiration soon…

Bronwyn Rodden is a Sydney-born artist and writer whose work draws inspiration from the natural environment and her diverse cultural influences, including contemporary Australian and Chinese art alongside her Irish heritage.

As a visual artist, Rodden has achieved significant recognition, winning the 2021 Waverley/Woollahra 9×5 Landscape Prize and the Bellingen Works on Paper 2018. She has been a finalist in numerous prestigious competitions including the Moreton Bay Art Prize, Flannery Art Prize, and Sydney Water Earth Prize. Her solo exhibitions include shows at Big Sky Gallery Bellingen and Tap Gallery Sydney, while her group exhibitions span venues from Balmain Watchhouse to Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery.

In writing, Rodden completed an MA at UTS, receiving the Patricia Hackett Prize for short fiction. She has published the Blue Mountains Mystery series, The Crushers, Orphan Rock, and The Weaver of Blackheath. Her short story collection was an Eric Hoffer Award finalist, and her poetry has appeared in international anthologies, including International Anthology of Surrealist and Magical Realist Poetry. She is the recipient of several prizes, awards and grants and continues to explore the nexus between poetry, prose and art from her home on NSW’s Mid North Coast.

Click to learn more about Bronwyn, her writing and art, or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

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