‘Riviere cites ‘austerity’ as Merriam-Webster’s word of the year in 2010 and in 2024 that word was ‘polarization’. Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year for 2024 was ‘enshitiffication’. I have found myself with an abundance of supporting evidence, and in the interim between the publication of 81 Austerities and 51 Alterities, Leonard Cohen, who famously wrote that ‘deprivation is the mother of poetry, has died. 51 Alterities is what remains of my lyric voice and what remains for me of poetry as it competes for valency in our increasingly amped-up era of tech broligarchy.’

Keri Glastonbury reflects on her latest collection, which began as a loose adaptation of UK poet Sam Riviere’s 81 Austerities. 51 Alterities will launch on 20 September at Watt Space Gallery as part of the Newcastle Writers Festival Spring Program. Register here.

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