natalie Damjanovich-napoleon
WRITER - POET - MUSICIAN
praise for if there is a butterfly...
“The metaphorical resonance of butterfly and its tears takes on a haunting significance against the backdrop of rising walls and environmental degradation.”
- Ellie Fisher, Arts Hub
“No one, though, could accuse Damjanovich-Napoleon of reducing motherhood to sentimental Hallmark moments. These poems chart the complexity of motherhood: articulating its frustrations and challenges as much as its rewards and joys.”
- Miriam Wei Wei Lo, Rochford Street Review
“This is a must-read for those who study the poetic form and who love the art of language.”
- Karen Richards, Spill the Tea Book Reviews
“Of woman, for women. Natalie Damjanovich-Napoleon’s words and phrases, settle light as butterfly on the page, and yet are utterly grounded in the reality of motherhood: the grief, pain, the suffering, the complete love. This is a heartbreakingly beautiful collection. A joy to read.”
- Carolyn Abs, Poet and Educator
“These poems sing an incantation of endurance across the trajectory of a woman's life. The words ring like anthems full of beautiful phrases that linger long after reading.”
- Josephine Clarke, Poet
about
Natalie Damjanovich-Napoleon (D-Napoleon) is a poet, songwriter and educator from Walyalup/Fremantle, Western Australia.
She is the winner of both the Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize and Katharine Susannah Prichard Poetry Prize, shortlistee for the Peter Porter Poetry Prize and a two-time finalist for the Penelope Niven Prize in Creative Nonfiction. Her debut book of poetry, First Blood, was published by Ginninderra Press in 2019 and her second book, If There is a Butterfly That Drinks Tears, is out now via Gazebo Book’s poetry imprint, Life Before Man Books.
Natalie currently a lecturer in poetry at Edith Cowan University and an ESL teacher. Her work has been published in various anthologies, journals, and periodicals including Cordite, Antipodes, The Australian, Westerly, Entropy, Griffith Review, StylusLit, Meanjin, Southerly, and Australian Poetry Journal. Natalie is also a singer-songwriter who has toured Australia, Europe and the United States and her 2021 album, You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea reach #1 on the Australian Independent Albums chart..
anthologies
publicationS
*82 Review | Antipodes Journal | AMWP | Australian Book Review | Australian Poetry Anthology |
Australian Poetry Journal | Backstory Journal | Bukker Tillibul | Blue Bottle Journal | Cordite | Fem Static Zine |
Found Poetry Review | Ginninderra Press | Griffith Review | Gunpowder Press | Hecate Journal |
Mascara Literary Review | Meanjin | Mona Magazine | Rabbit Poetry Journal | Recent Work Press | Red Room Poetry | Right Now | Solo Nova Press | Southerly | St. Martin's Griffin | StylusLit | The Manifest Station | The Weekend Australian (Review) | Tincture Journal | Unlost Journal | WA Poets Press | Westerly Magazine | Writers Digest
australian WRITING RESOURCES LIST
A list compiled by Natalie and provided to you for free in the spirit of paying it forward.
(Please acknowledge any copyrighted use of this list.)
Natalie's work was recently featured on NPR's The Great American Folk Show. Listen here:
PRESS
Natalie D-Napoleon is primarily a poet - which I think is the deepest of all areas of the songwriting tradition - and has been acknowledged as an important one.
TOM BROSSEAU
The Great American Folk Show
Events
Perth Poetry Club
Natalie will be reading from If There Is a Butterfly...
and Open Mic
The Moon Cafe
2/323 William St, Perth WA 6000
Saturday, 28th October,
2-4pm
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84254037443
Corporeal Encounters
Presented by Fremantle Public Library...
Conversation and poetry with Lisa Collyer
and
Natalie Damjanovich-Napoleon
Sunday, 12th November
11.30am-12.30pm
$10 Entry
Tickets via Eventbrite
*Drinks and nibbles provided*
5:
Fremantle Public Library
151 High Street,
Fremantle WA 6160