Poetry in Propel Magazine
Propel magazine, edited by Ondaatje- prizewinning and TS Eliot prize-shortlisted poet Anthony Anaxagorou, is a platform for poets who have not yet published a full collection. Each issue of this selective publication features an esteemed guest editor and is competitive; the issue my poem was selected for was edited by Harry Josephine Giles. The poem was further selected from all of the poems in the first eight issues for publication in Propel’s first anthology.
Project Summary
Spring’s eternal fox-piss park
in ivy’s chokehold blossoms
spectacular blotting asphalt white
like dog-chewed bread-husks indigestible
mulching notice do not feed the pigeons it encourages vermin squirrel
eyes dough hungrily and I
under standing scale-sky try
to weigh what’s owed
how to repay
with interest
with investment
bubble- joy of you unfurled
the hope of happening
upon you
windblown
St. Francis
“I’ve had the privilege of seeing Shani perform at poetry events, and her creative work is as intellectually rigorous as it is emotionally resonant. Her writing blends historical research with innovative poetic experimentation, particularly in the realm of ecopoetics and environmental humanities. In her PhD project, Trees Revisited: Exploring the Nature of Identity in Nineteenth-Century Arboreal Poetry, she engages deeply with nineteenth-century botanical knowledge, colonial histories of plant migration, and ecological entanglements. Her concept of ‘dendrology’—a poetic method that mirrors botanical classification—demonstrates both her originality and ability to translate complex ideas into compelling narratives. Whether in performance or on the page, Shani’s work bridges scholarship and creativity in ways that would make her a valuable asset in any writing, research, or editorial role”
— Stephen Willey | PhD co- supervisor and Co-Academic Director of Environmental Education Projects, School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication, Faculty of Humanities and Social Science.