Haskell raises money for Cancer Council WA

Poet Dennis Haskell is set to launch his eighth and most personal collection of poetry to date, Ahead of Us. Written in memory of his late wife, Rhonda, the book will raise much needed funds for the Cancer Council WA.

‘Rhonda died of ovarian cancer – a form of cancer that can be difficult to detect and which is fatal unless detected early. I hope Ahead of Us will help raise awareness of the disease and its symptoms,’ said Haskell.

Publisher Georgia Richter said working on the book had been a privilege.

‘Ahead of Us charts the course of a relationship from the very beginning of love to mourning the loss of a life partner. It’s a beautiful and inspiring read,’ said Richter.

‘Dennis has always distinguished himself through his service to the WA community as a practising poet, academic and a contributor in many ways to the arts community. It is a mark of his generous spirit and his love for Rhonda that he would choose to donate the royalties from this book to the Cancer Council WA,’ said Richter.

Haskell has been a professor, deputy dean of the Arts Faculty and chair of the Academic Board at the University of Western Australia as well as serving as a visiting professor and poet at universities in Europe, the USA and Asia. He has chaired the Australia Council’s Literature Board and is currently chair of writingWA.

Ahead of Us will be launched by Lucy Dougan at 5.15 pm on Tuesday 8 March in the Patricia Crawford Court of the Arts Building at the University of Western Australia campus. To RSVP please email admin@fremantlepress.com.au.

Haskell will appear at the Perth Writers Festival in February 2016. Ahead of Us is available in all good bookstores and online now.