What is Cordite?
Cordite is better known as a type of propellant used in the manufacture of armaments, including bullets and bombs. You may recall the phrase "the smell of cordite" from various pot-boilers and noir crime novels. Of course, you're probably better off not taking that definition too literally. This website is not devoted to the projectile arts.
Okay, so what is Cordite?
Cordite is a bi-annual online poetry journal dedicated to showing off new and established Australian poets to the world.
Who started Cordite?
Cordite was created by two Sydney poets - Adrian Wiggins and Peter Minter. Since 1997, a whole range of poets has been involved in the production of Cordite.
What is the true history of Cordite?
Cordite Press Inc., formed as an incorporated entity in 1997, is a Melbourne-based poetry publisher. Its "flagship" publication, Cordite Poetry Review, began in 1997 as a print journal based in Sydney. A total of six issues were published in a broadsheet format (see our archives for details of how to access these issues online).
Then what happened?
In 2000, Cordite moved to an Internet format, presenting poetry from Australia and abroad on a free, web-based platform. Cordite #12, our Test Match issue, was the first to use a free web-based publishing application called Movable Type. This shift has meant that a great deal of our production process is now transparent - so you get to see a whole lot more of our experiments and mistakes!
Do you maintain a weblog?
As of mid-2005 we migrated all of our news posts to the Cordite Newsblog which utilises another free content management system called Wordpress.
Is that it?
In recent times Cordite Press has branched out into other forms of publishing, setting up a poetry book imprint COD and setting up guest blogs including Nick Whittock's Ashes Urn and the beast that is Babble.
What kind of poetry ae you looking for?
We are often asked to provide information as to the kinds of poetry we prefer. The best way to answer this question for yourself is to read the poetry we have already published. We seek to exert some influence over the submissions we receive by announcing themes - for example our 24th issue, COMMON WEALTH.
How can I contact Cordite?
Click here to contact us. Please note that Cordite is produced by a dedicated group of volunteers. Should we fail to respond to any of your inquiries within your preferred timeframe, we ask you to bear this fact in mind.
Does Cordite pay?
Thanks to a Presentation and Promotion grant from the Australia Council for the Arts, we are able to pay Australian contributors.
Will Cordite be preserved for future generations?
Cordite Poetry Review is archived by the National Library of Australia's Pandora Project. We are also currently planning a print anthology of the last 15 issues produced online.
Are words really bullets?
Yes, we think so. Just ask Bill Hayden.
