Greek Cypriot Australian writer Luke Icarus Simon has released his latest work titled “Swimming In Words”, headed by a 4,000-word prose poem of the same name reflecting on many personal elements among which being his heritage and surviving Stage 4 cancer.
The new anthology combines 70 of Simon’s poems, many revised and re-shaped, in a collection that explores the human condition, how we relate to family and partners and the shaping of our identity through the shifting currents of love, friendship and grave illness.
The anthology is headlined by a new poem of the same name as the book, which sees the Cyprus-born writer reflect on his history, heritage, migration, personal relationships as well as surviving Stage 4 cancer.
The poem is highly critical of our society’s invalidation of diverse creatives with Simon remaining defiant but fully committed to continue to break down gatekeeper obstacles.
“Swimming In Words” represents Simon’s fourth poetry collection and his seventh book overall,
His writing (poems, short stories, plays) first appeared in the early 1980s with many of his pieces covering LGBTQI+ and immigrant themes.
Simon has appeared widely in literary journals, magazines and anthologies for the last 40 years, which has seen him break through the glass ceilings in the conservative fields of Australian Literature and Theatre.
His play ‘A House On An Island In The Aegean’ was notably produced at La Mama Theatre in 2021, and he has worked as a principal in tertiary and vocational settings as well as an actor and screenplay writer.
