Ross Gillett’s poems have appeared in The Age and The Australian and in magazines including Meanjin, Quadrant, Overland, Poetry Monash, Island, Antipodes, Going Down Swinging, Blue Dog, Australian Poetry Journal and a number of poetry competition anthologies. They featured in Radio National’s Poetica program and three times in Black Inc’s The Best Australian Poems. His book The Sea Factory was one of the Five Islands Press New Poets 2006 series. In 2010 he published a chapbook of old and new poems, Wundawax and other poems, with Mark Time Books. The Mirror Hurlers was published by Puncher and Wattmann in 2019, and his latest book, Swimmer in the Dust, was released by the same publisher in August 2022.
In 2018 Ross’s poem 'Buying Online' won the Newcastle Poetry Prize, and in the same year ‘Paling Fence’ was awarded second prize in the Melbourne Poets Union International Poetry Prize. His sequence 'The Mirror Hurlers' was shortlisted for the 2019 Peter Porter Poetry Prize, as was ‘South Coast Sonnets’ in 2020. In 2021 two of his poems were shortlisted in major competitions: ‘Aubade for the Things Not Done’ in the Australian Catholic University’s Prize for Poetry and ‘Onshore’ in the UK’s Bridport Poetry Prize.
Ross’s earlier awards include the Robert Harris Poetry Prize, the Broadway Poetry Prize, the FAW John Shaw Neilson Award (twice), the Melbourne Poets Union Poetry Prize, the Reason-Brisbane Poetry Prize, the City of Greater Dandenong National Poetry Prize and the Woorilla Poetry Prize. His long poem ‘Going Dead’ won second prize in the 2010 Queensland Poetry Festival’s Val Vallis Award, and his sequences 'River Lines' and 'Bridge' were shortlisted for the Blake Poetry Prize in 2013 and 2014 respectively. 'Istán and Other Places' was awarded second place in the 2016 Newcastle Poetry prize.
He has read at venues in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, the ACT and New Zealand. He has lectured and run workshops in poetry writing, and has judged a number of poetry competitions. He has been awarded a Varuna Residential Writing Fellowship and a grant from the Literature Board of the Australia Council.
In 2018 Ross’s poem 'Buying Online' won the Newcastle Poetry Prize, and in the same year ‘Paling Fence’ was awarded second prize in the Melbourne Poets Union International Poetry Prize. His sequence 'The Mirror Hurlers' was shortlisted for the 2019 Peter Porter Poetry Prize, as was ‘South Coast Sonnets’ in 2020. In 2021 two of his poems were shortlisted in major competitions: ‘Aubade for the Things Not Done’ in the Australian Catholic University’s Prize for Poetry and ‘Onshore’ in the UK’s Bridport Poetry Prize.
Ross’s earlier awards include the Robert Harris Poetry Prize, the Broadway Poetry Prize, the FAW John Shaw Neilson Award (twice), the Melbourne Poets Union Poetry Prize, the Reason-Brisbane Poetry Prize, the City of Greater Dandenong National Poetry Prize and the Woorilla Poetry Prize. His long poem ‘Going Dead’ won second prize in the 2010 Queensland Poetry Festival’s Val Vallis Award, and his sequences 'River Lines' and 'Bridge' were shortlisted for the Blake Poetry Prize in 2013 and 2014 respectively. 'Istán and Other Places' was awarded second place in the 2016 Newcastle Poetry prize.
He has read at venues in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, the ACT and New Zealand. He has lectured and run workshops in poetry writing, and has judged a number of poetry competitions. He has been awarded a Varuna Residential Writing Fellowship and a grant from the Literature Board of the Australia Council.
