The Dawn of Postmodern Poetry – a Performance of Frank O’Hara’s poems

Join us for a performance of Frank O’Hara’s poems by Dr Kai Jensen.

Dr Kai Jensen is a poet who lives at Fairhaven, on Wallaga Lake. Frank O’Hara is one of his two or
three most favourite poets.

Frank O’Hara was a central figure of the New York school of poetry and painting in the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of the first and most influential postmodern poets. O’Hara devised a new kind of poetry mixing elements of surrealism with down-to-earth everyday language and reportage of his own day-to-day experience. Because O’Hara was at the centre of the New York art and literature scene, his daily experience made for vivid poetry. His poetry is playful, ironic, but also tinged with sadness at his inability to form a lasting love-relationship. 

The performer -Dr Kai Jensen is an experienced performance poet, he has a
doctorate in English, equipping him to help audiences understand poetry. Kai’s poems have been
published in many Australian, New Zealand and United States literary journals. His first book of
poetry, The Zebra Path of Tree Light, was published by 5 Islands Press in May 2025.

Ages – Adults and youth over 15.
Cost- Free