Dive into the vivid world of Tug Dumbly, the poetic alter ego of Geoffrey Forrester, in The Lyrebird Murders. This compelling collection unveils a rich tapestry of poems that blend humor, poignancy, and keen observations of life’s intricate details. From the intimate and domestic to the wild and natural, Dumbly’s voice resonates with authenticity and depth.
Rooted in his Australian heritage and honed through decades of performance and radio presence, Dumbly’s poems explore the everyday and the extraordinary with equal passion. Whether reflecting on the quirks of language, the quiet moments of grief and memory, or the subtle beauty of nature and its creatures, his work invites readers to reconsider the world around them with fresh eyes.
Award-winning and widely published, Tug Dumbly’s latest collection is a celebration of language’s power to connect, heal, and provoke thought. With poems that range from the playful to the profound, The Lyrebird Murders is a must-read for lovers of contemporary poetry that embraces life’s complexity and charm.
Join Tug Dumbly on this unforgettable journey—where words become a lens to see the unseen and hear the unheard in the ordinary rhythms of existence.
A masterful blend of wit, wisdom, and wonder awaits.
IP (Interactive Publications Pty Ltd) –
“Tug Dumbly is a fun poet. It’s typically a dark kind of fun he’s peddling. Or let’s say it’s fun with underbelly – often tickles. He covers a vast range of topics but the natural world keeps to the fore of this misbehaving poetic consciousness. You never know who you’ll meet next in these pages. There’s some nicely twisted déjà vu though. All our old friends are there – great dictators, the tuckerbox (under)dog, two Ronnies, Charles Bronson and Bronte breakers, the Australian crawl… they’re there but changed utterly, and maybe not so terribly beautiful as we might like to recall. There’s a lot of haiku/senryu sensibility, even almost a villanelle. This is technically accomplished work that never draws attention away from the magic of the artefact – the what-the-poem-shows. The Lyrebird Murders is a kind of a cultural history and snapshot in one – a place where the facts of everyday experience and the wonder of the world as lived may be relied upon to overwhelm any received wisdom. There’s always one more trick up the sleeve and there’s always more piss to take. This is poetry of the here-and-now, where we ‘refind that phial/ drink this little instant’. And always look forward to more from one of Australian poetry’s most under-sung heroes!”
– KIT KELLEN (PROFESSOR CHRISTOPHER KELLEN, POET AND PUBLISHER OF FLYING ISLAND BOOKS)
“Tug Dumbly deals words like a kind-hearted croupier who knows sentimental crimes may be all we have left”.
“When we reach the scenic lookout at the end of everything, Tug Dumbly will be there with a gleam in his eye, ready to show us the sights”.
“What makes the coming End of Everything bearable is knowing Tug Dumbly will be there, too, with his kind heart and a wicked grin”.
– CASSIE MCCULLOUGH (ABC BROADCASTER, COLUMNIST, WRITER)
“Flamboyant yet rueful, there’s a melancholic comedic spirit at work here. Punning and rhyming, Tug Dumbly lights another string of firecrackers and chucks it into the stuffy poetry seminar room. Beyond the wisecracking, this collection speaks of a disappearing natural world, and of a quirky mind exploring the idea of home”.
– MIKE LADD (POET, AND PRESENTER OF RADIO NATIONAL’S POETICA)