Finding What Always Was
by Deadly Poets Society

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Born in the silence of lockdowns and the noise of systemic change, the Deadly Poets Society began as a circle of Indigenous and non-Indigenous health researchers who met fortnightly to write, reflect, and hold space for one another. What started as a response to the isolation of COVID-19 became something far deeper: a creative practice rooted in trust, Country, and connection. Finding What Always Was is the anthology born of that practice, speaking both to the soul of research and to a nation still reckoning with its identity. Through poetic inquiry, these scholars trace the emotional and intellectual terrain of working across cultures in colonised systems. Their words are rivers eroding mountains: sometimes raging with change, sometimes trickling unseen, but always flowing. They write in open circles etched in sand, in quiet reflection, in a corroboree grown of deep soil where curiosity overcomes criticism, and no tall poppy stands alone. Here, creativity transforms inquiry. Here, scholarship is cool water on a weary day, “a tender dressing for academic hurt,” roots cracking concrete so truth can breathe. Born in the silence of lockdowns and the noise of systemic change, the Deadly Poets Society began as a circle of Indigenous and non-Indigenous health researchers who met fortnightly to write, reflect, and hold space for one another. What started as a response to the isolation of COVID-19 became something far deeper: a creative practice rooted in trust, Country, and connection. Finding What Always Was is the anthology born of that practice, speaking both to the soul of research and to a nation still reckoning with its identity. Through poetic inquiry, these scholars trace the emotional and intellectual terrain of working across cultures in colonised systems. Their words are rivers eroding mountains: sometimes raging with change, sometimes trickling unseen, but always flowing. They write in open circles etched in sand, in quiet reflection, in a corroboree grown of deep soil where curiosity overcomes criticism, and no tall poppy stands alone. Here, creativity transforms inquiry. Here, scholarship is cool water on a weary day, “a tender dressing for academic hurt,” roots cracking concrete so truth can breathe. This anthology is both record and revelation. It is a testament to the strength of community in times of uncertainty, and a meditation on what it means to live, work, and create within complex academic and cultural spaces. It is a reminder that research itself can be a corroboree, a river, a spiral, an act of pure creation, and that poetry is a place where “nothing is destroyed, nothing is lost.”

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The Deadly Poets Society (DPS) is a community of Indigenous and non-Indigenous health researchers who meet regularly to write, reflect, and support wellbeing through poetic inquiry. Formed in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, DPS creates a space where academic rigour meets emotional truth, where lived experience and cultural respect guide every word. Led by Vicki Saunders (Cairns, Australia) and Colm Keegan (Dublin, Ireland), the group cultivates trust, creativity, and connection across disciplines and borders. Finding What Always Was is their first anthology, a testament to the transformative power of poetry to navigate complex systems, honour Country, and deepen our understanding of what it means to live and work together.

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Contributors

Author

Deadly Poets Society

Editor

Colm Keegan

Editor

Vicki Saunders