Welcome to Katherine Gallagher's website

Katherine Gallagher is a widely-acclaimed poet with eight books published as well as four chapbooks. Born in Australia, Gallagher has lived and worked in London since 1979. She has been an active force in the community, giving poetry readings, running workshops (for adults and children), judging poetry competitions, and participating in poetry festivals.
Her work has been widely reviewed, see Reviews. In addition, Gallagher has undertaken translations (from French) and her reviews of the work of other poets have been extensively published. Gallagher's own poetry has been translated into French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Romanian, and Serbo-Croat. 

Home

www.katherine-gallagher.com

Biography

About Katherine Gallagher

Tutoring

Workshops and courses

Other projects

Latest News and Events
Australia
Children’s poetry
Poems
Haiku
Publications
Past Events
Workshops and courses

Poetry collections

Can The Dandelions Be Trusted?
Rencontres Encounters
Acres of Light
Carnival Edge: New & Selected Poems
Circus-Apprentice
After Kandinsky
Tigers on the Silk Road
Shifts
The Sleepwalker with Eyes of Clay
Finding the Prince (pamphlet)
Fish-rings on Water
Passengers to the City
Tributaries of the Love-song (pamphlet)
The Eye's Circle

Contact and links

Email/links
Katherine

(Photo by Marie Hyde)

Knebworth Park

A cave of air softens,
hovers over our heads.
We’ve waited all year for this:
the March lull, the park
almost tourist-free.
Put your ear
to this unsaddled soil,
sound out the mating-calls
of otters, rabbits, voles;
hear horses hoofbeats
pound nearer-far.
I have made an altar of calm
among these ageing oaks,
lines of stiff-backed trees.
Our walk circles the ancient house,
grounds set off by daffodils.
A five-year-old sings a nursery-rhyme,
wanting to pat sheep. Their beady eyes
distract, promising only puzzles.
We call ourselves comfortable explorers,
notice a wine-glass left among the ferns.
A squirrel skids into wintry hiding.
As the light fades, we study
each other’s faces
for signs of sun.

© Katherine Gallagher
First published in Tigers on the Silk Road,
and in 2020, in Places of Poetry (One World
Publication, £12.99 UK)

News & events

Stop Press ⚊ Can The Dandelions Be Trusted? ⚊ My first launch

My first launch for my new book was a zoom-Launch at 6.30pm. 12/01/2025. Special Thanks to Luigi Marchini and Gary Studley for facilitating my zoom-Launch on Sunday, 12 January, 6.30p.m. There was a reading by me for 20 minutes, followed by Questions. As a measure of their success, Luigi and Gary are booked up until 2027.

General Launch of ⚊ Can The Dandelions Be Trusted? ⚊ Thursday’ 16th January, 2025 at 7:30pm

Everyone was in good form. Poems were read by Katherine Gallagher introduced by Vivienne Fogel who also read some poems. There was an interval for chat, nibbles and signings. among the many poets and writers there. Unfortunately. Tony Ward and Angela Jarmxzan, Publishers of Arc, who had planned to come from Todmordern, were finally unable to come due to family ill-health. I would like to thank Tony and Angela especially for my book, my 7th and my 5th with them. I love its colour and design. splendid. And the night went very well. Poetry was in the air. air, as the dandelions sang free.

Many thanks too, to the Hillbilly Social(Maisy and Staff) for their excellent hospitality. Myddleton Road, N22, had a real buzz. Many thanks to those who came. I was very grateful.

The Stanza

My Website has been quiet for a few years. However, this was due to my ill-health and I am pleased to say I am happily back writing again. The Stanza was capably led by Julian Bishop and Jude Willets, and these days now, fu[l responsibility is with Julien Bishop. But The Stanza are an exemplary team – great critics too.

Poetry in Palmers Green

Poetry in Palmers Green Pages on Facebook are regularly updated by Martyn Crucefix. It is great to have such a Poetry Corner right in the heart of Stevie Smith territory. I’m pleased to be doing aome readings and other tutoring work locally.

My books are now available on Amazon's Kindle, and . . .

Can you Trust the Dandelions?

Can you Trust the Dandelions?, 2024

shifts

Rencontres Encounters, 2024

Fish-rings on Water

Fish-rings
on Water, 1989

shifts

shifts, 1997

and from Arc Publications
You can order those below online from my publisher, Arc Publications. Click on the cover page of your choice for more information:
Carnival Edge
Carnival Edge
 
Circus-Apprentice
Circus-Apprentice
 
Tigers on the Silk Road
Tigers on the Silk Road