Anne Kellas
Encyclopedia
Anne Kellas is a South African poet, reviewer and editor.
She was born in Germiston
in 1951 in what was then the Transvaal, now Gauteng
, in South Africa. Her earliest work appeared in 1968 but she began writing seriously in 1975 when she met up with a group of writers associated with Lionel Abrahams
who at one stage called themselves the Circle of Eight. This group gathered around Lionel Abrahams had included at various times the writers Anne Schuster, Sinclair Beilis, Basil Du Toit, Debbie Aarons, novelist, critic and editor Ivan Vladislavic
, academic and publisher Shirley Pendlebury, Michael Gardiner
, Francis Faller, and others. An earlier incarnation of this group had included Robert
and Eva Royston, who later moved to the UK.
Anne Kellas's first book of poetry, Poems from Mt Moono, was published by Shirley Pendlebury's Hippogriffe Press in 1989. By this time Kellas and her husband, the journalist/photographer/writer Giles Hugo had already emigrated to Australia. In Tasmania she served for many years as poetry editor for the small magazine Famous Reporter and from circa 2003 was web content editor for Island (formerly Island magazine). Her second collection, Isolated States, received funding from Tasmania's arts funding body
in 1993 and was later accepted for publication by Australian poet/publisher Tim Thorne
. Thorne's Cornford Press was active until 2004 in publishing poets on the political left and/or non-mainstream poets, such as Liz Winfield
and the late Selwyn Hughes
and Jenny Boult/Magenta Bliss.
In 1995 Anne Kellas and Giles Hugo had set up one of the first Australian online magazines, The Write Stuff, which they jointly edit. Among its other content, such as book reviews and interviews with writers, their web site documents the vivid poetry landscape of Tasmania, with an online Showcase of Tasmanian poetry holding vignettes of over 40 Tasmanian poets.
In 2004 Kellas established Roaring Forties Press, a small literary press which, though based in Tasmania, Australia, published the posthumous collection of poetry by Lionel Abrahams, Chaos Theory of the Heart, produced in conjunction with Jacana Media in Johannesburg. They also published the Australian short story-writer Geoffrey Dean's seventh collection, The Literary Lunch.
Some of Kellas' poems have been set to music and recorded by Tasmanian composer and classical singer Matthew Dewey
.
She was born in Germiston
Germiston, Gauteng
Germiston is a city in the East Rand of Gauteng in South Africa. Germiston is now the seat of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality which includes much of the East Rand, and is also considered part of Greater Johannesburg.-History:...
in 1951 in what was then the Transvaal, now Gauteng
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
, in South Africa. Her earliest work appeared in 1968 but she began writing seriously in 1975 when she met up with a group of writers associated with Lionel Abrahams
Lionel Abrahams
Lionel Abrahams was a South African novelist, poet, editor, critic, essayist and publisher. He was born in Johannesburg, where he lived his entire life...
who at one stage called themselves the Circle of Eight. This group gathered around Lionel Abrahams had included at various times the writers Anne Schuster, Sinclair Beilis, Basil Du Toit, Debbie Aarons, novelist, critic and editor Ivan Vladislavic
Ivan Vladislavic
Ivan Vladislaviċ is a South African short story writer and novelist of Croatian origin. He lives in Johannesburg where he also works as an editor. In the eighties he worked as a fiction and social studies editor at Ravan Press...
, academic and publisher Shirley Pendlebury, Michael Gardiner
Michael Gardiner
Michael S. Gardiner is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. He played for the West Coast Eagles from 1997–2006 and the St Kilda Football Club from 2007–2011.- Early life :...
, Francis Faller, and others. An earlier incarnation of this group had included Robert
Robert Royston
Robert N. Royston was one of America’s most distinguished landscape architects, based in the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the United States. His design work and university teaching in the years following World War II helped define and establish the California modernism style in the...
and Eva Royston, who later moved to the UK.
Anne Kellas's first book of poetry, Poems from Mt Moono, was published by Shirley Pendlebury's Hippogriffe Press in 1989. By this time Kellas and her husband, the journalist/photographer/writer Giles Hugo had already emigrated to Australia. In Tasmania she served for many years as poetry editor for the small magazine Famous Reporter and from circa 2003 was web content editor for Island (formerly Island magazine). Her second collection, Isolated States, received funding from Tasmania's arts funding body
Funding body
A funding body is an organisation that provides research funding in the form of research grants or scholarships. These include:* Arts councils* Research councils for the funding of science....
in 1993 and was later accepted for publication by Australian poet/publisher Tim Thorne
Tim Thorne
Tim Thorne is a contemporary Australian poet.Thorne lives in Launceston, Tasmania. He is the author of ten volumes of poetry, the most recent being Best Bitter in 2006 and I Con in 2008....
. Thorne's Cornford Press was active until 2004 in publishing poets on the political left and/or non-mainstream poets, such as Liz Winfield
Liz Winfield
Liz Winfield is a contemporary Australian poet.Liz Winfield lives in Hobart, Tasmania. In 1999 Liz instigated the Republic Readings in Hobart and has coordinated them ever since. She is a poetry editor for Famous Reporter and is young persons' liaison officer for the Fellowship of Australian...
and the late Selwyn Hughes
Selwyn Hughes
Selwyn Hughes was a Welsh Christian minister best known for writing the daily devotional Every Day with Jesus. He founded the Christian ministry Crusade for World Revival and wrote over fifty Christian books...
and Jenny Boult/Magenta Bliss.
In 1995 Anne Kellas and Giles Hugo had set up one of the first Australian online magazines, The Write Stuff, which they jointly edit. Among its other content, such as book reviews and interviews with writers, their web site documents the vivid poetry landscape of Tasmania, with an online Showcase of Tasmanian poetry holding vignettes of over 40 Tasmanian poets.
In 2004 Kellas established Roaring Forties Press, a small literary press which, though based in Tasmania, Australia, published the posthumous collection of poetry by Lionel Abrahams, Chaos Theory of the Heart, produced in conjunction with Jacana Media in Johannesburg. They also published the Australian short story-writer Geoffrey Dean's seventh collection, The Literary Lunch.
Some of Kellas' poems have been set to music and recorded by Tasmanian composer and classical singer Matthew Dewey
Matthew Dewey
Matthew Ingvald Dewey is an Australian composer and singer.-General information:Dewey is an Australian composer and singer who studied composition with Professor Douglas Knehans at the University of Tasmania and composition/theatrical design/singing with Greek-Australian composer/designer...
.
Books
- Poems from Mt. Moono (Johannesburg, Hippogriff Press, 1989; ISBN
- Isolated States (Launceston Tasmania, Cornford Press, 2001; ISBN
- Anthologies: A writer in Stone (Cape Town, 1998);
- Like a house on Fire (Johannesburg, COSAW 1986);
- Moorilla Mosaic (Hobart, Bumblebee Books, 2000);
- River of Verse (Hobart, Back River Press, 2005);