PERFORMANCE POET

Myron Lysenko is a poet, author, editor, small press publisher, poetry organizer, lyricist, workshop convenor & humorist. Born in Victoria to Ukrainian parents, he thought all Australians spoke Ukrainian until his family moved to Melbourne.

Myron published his first story in 1980 and his first poem in 1983, but he held off becoming a professional poet until 1989. He has published four books of poetry, COUGHING WITH CONFIDENCE (SoftManCon, 1988), PETS & DEATH & INDOOR PLANTS (Penguin, 1991), WINNING AND LOSING (Hit & Miss, 1998) and I'M UKRAINIAN, MATE (Alternativy 2000).

In 1980, Myron co-founded, co-edited and published the first edition of the annual literary journal, GOING DOWN SWINGING. He stayed in this role for another 15 years before departing in 1995. In addition to GDS, Myron compiled and edited a number of anthologies, including CLEELAND LIVING POETS SOCIETY (Cleeland Press, 1989) and POETS & OTHER ENDANGERED SPECIES (Zoo Education Service, 1993).

His poems have been published over 230 times in literary journals, newspapers and anthologies across the globe, including La Mama Poetica, Made in Australia, Latitude, Short Fuse, Top Lines, New Horizons, Meanjin and Overland.

Myron has performed his poetry over 2,000 times in the last 21 years and has conducted over 3,000 poetry workshops throughout Australia and Canada. He frequently visits primary & secondary schools, TAFE Colleges and universities, where he gives poetry readings and conducts poetry writing workshops.

Currently working on a project with Hit & Miss Publications, Myron is editing books of poetry by new, young poets. The first four books in the series will be published in 2003.

"Myron's laid-back humour deals with a wide range of subjects and always from an unexpected angle."

- Anne Edgeworth, Muse.

"His book is packed full of remarkable poems, absolutely consistent in their idiomatic, conversational style. The poems are clever and amusing."

- Stephanie Trigg, Island Magazine.

"Lysenko speaks plainly and directly about his everyday experiences; and his poetry rises in an entertaining way, when he describes the absurd in the commonplace. He is a poet living very much in the present. The situations that concern him will be familiar to many people."

- R.A. Simpson, The Age.