Year in Review
Now more than ever, the world needs art to illuminate the strange, speculative spaces that help us to grapple with who we are, where we are and how we live.
In 2024 we were excited to establish a partnership of Poetry Sydney with Elite Publishing for the inaugural book program Poetry Oceania Yearbook 2025. Designed as a lunisolar calendar journal partitioned in the twelve months of the year, the publications features the poetry of twelve aspiring young poets, in addition to seven visual artists from across Oceania.
The end of a project is always full of anticipation and we are nourished with a sense of inspiration and potential.
The program was produced throughout 2024 with the Zodiac animal theme of the Year of the Dragon. The Dragon is a mythical beast with enviable qualities of exceptional intelligence and power.
How many individuals would find their imagination strangely affected by a Dragon? What thoughts would race through the mind?— what mental images be born?— what emotions stirred by the fantastic structure of this powerful and evocative creature. No artist could pass a Dragon by.
The imagination can be stretched by a process of gradual building, a step-by-step movement from a first stimulus to allow each stage of development to suggest the next, until the theme can be carried no farther.
Decisions requiring both thought and feeling had to be made to arrive at a stage of completeness. This process would seem to employ all a poet’s creative resources—for in making these decisions, the eye sense, the mind perceives and appraises the words, and evaluates the poetic form that grows.
These youthful contributors have the ability to discover the symbolic means of stating the depth and profundity of the poetic experience.
The poems in the book are arranged in alphabetical name and title order to demonstrate the rewarding breakthrough in their practice.
As you read the poems in company with the images, a dynamic correspondence emerges from poet and artist to the reader.
Congratulations to this year’s contributors, we look forward to where your imagination and hard work take you.
The Poetry Oceania Yearbook 2026, will celebrate the Year of the Snake.
Angela Stretch
Editor
C O N T R I B U T O R S A R T I S T S T A T E M E N T S
Cuddihy (Australia)
Cuddihy, born in 2010, is an aspiring poet whose work is grounded in a deep passion for classical studies, exploring themes such as identity, grief, and ostracisation through the lens of mythology, etymology, theology— or whatever other “ology” has become the obsession that week. Cuddihy loves poetry because “that’s what you do when you experience life-altering traumas and can’t rap”, and if not reading, can usually be found standing outside in the rain, quoting Joe Biden while laughing maniacally, drinking hot chocolate, and insisting that “fictional teenage detective” is a real job, thank you very much.
Tiger Han (Australia)
Tiger Han started to learn piano from five years old at Sydney Piano School & Pedagogy Research Centre. Tiger is now 14 years old and has won many prizes in various Music Eisteddfod and international piano competitions.
Isabelle Hu (Australia)
Isabelle Hu is 10 years old, and weaves her observations of life and nature into heartfelt poetry, drawing readers into her unique perspective. Isabelle’s poetry reveals a rare maturity, coupled with a childlike wonder. Her ability to turn ordinary moments into vivid, reflective experiences marks her as a young poet with immense potential and a voice worth celebrating.
Jonathan Ji (Australia)
Jonathan Zekai Ji has a passion for reading, as it fuels his imagination and takes him on thrilling adventures. He enjoys playing the piano, learning new songs, and expressing his creativity through drawing. Swimming is another favorite activity, helping him stay active and energised.
Jonathan has earned awards in Spelling Bee, Math, and English, and proudly secured First in Grade honors. His love for poetry earned him the Poetry Reading Award, with his poem published in Listening to The Future. In 2023, he showcased his artistic talent by winning 3rd place in the creative drawings category (youth group) of the second Dunhuang Youth Project.
Isla Rose Skerten (New Zealand)
Isla Skerten was born in Christchurch, New Zealand on the Year of the Dragon, 2012. In her spare time she enjoys creative writing and loves drawing cartoon illustrations. She has learnt a bit of piano and has been learning trombone in the past year. She is a member of a number of bands including the school orchestra, jazz band, community bands and she really enjoys playing with other people. Performing on stage is something she has always loved.
Ruby Grace Skerten (New Zealand)
Ruby Grace Skerten was born in Christchurch, New Zealand on the Year of the Dragon, 2012. She has a tremendous appreciation for music and plays trumpet and tenor horn. She has been playing trumpet for about two years (when I started intermediate) and tenor horn for less than a year and performs in a variety of musical groups. Besides music, she enjoys drawing cartoon creators and creative writing.
Yonzhen Woon (Australia)
Yongzhen Woon is a 14 years old, year 9 student attending Pacific Hills Christian School in Sydney, Australia. His hobbies include tennis, badminton, piano and ballet.
Macie You (Australia)
Macie You is 10 years old. She started to write poems from six. She loves to draw and read non-fiction magazines. She enjoys making crafts and wants to be an artist when she grows up.
Jeremy Zeng (Australia)
Jeremy Zeng was born on March 5, 2012, in Sydney, Australia. He is currently a student at Normanhurst Boys High School, one of New South Wales’ prestigious selective schools. From a young age, Jeremy has shown a deep passion for poetry, music, and art, channeling his creativity into various forms of expression.
Joanna Zhu (China)
In the field of music, Joanna has attained the Grade 10 Certificate in the Chinese folk instrument, the erhu, an accomplishment that reflects eight years of dedicated practice. She was honored to receive third place in the “Angel’s Voice” Chinese Regional Folk Music Competition and has also obtained a basic music theory certificate. She is a member of the Shanghai Skylark Folk Orchestra, participating in numerous competitions and has performed at the Shanghai Theatre Academy Experimental Theatre.
Eleanor H. Zhu (Australia)
Eleanor, a Year 11 student at Abbotsleigh, was selected as one of the two exchange students to Collingwood School in Canada. She’s also engaged in the UN Youth Australia program and appointed as an Abbotsleigh ambassador for Tanzania in July. She has received a position on the Elite Young Artist Program 2024 ’Through Dragon’s Eyes’. Eleanor’s talents span a wide array of disciplines, she is fluent in English, French, and Chinese. Her linguistic abilities extend even further, as she reads Korean and German with proficiency. She also captivates audiences with her operatic performances in Italian, demonstrating a vocal talent that complements her multilingual fluency.
Julian H. Zhu (Australia)
Julian has shown artistic talent from an early age, making music, chess, calligraphy, and painting integral parts of his life. He has been honored as the Best Performer at the Sydney International Spring Festival Gala, First Prize Winner in the Sydney Recitation Competition, and Public Art First Prize Winner in the Dunhuang Youth Art Program. As a contributing poet to Listening to the Future, a youth poetry anthology. His sensitivity to nature and animals brings a lively innocence and philosophical depth to his verses. In poetry, he finds joy, explores confusion, and seeks understanding through words, gradually shaping a unique self-awareness as a young poet.
