Jennifer Rankin Explained

Jennifer Rankin (born Jennifer Mary Haynes) (28 November 1941 – 8 December 1979) was an Australian poet and playwright.^{[1] [2]}

Early life and education

Jennifer Mary Haynes was born in Chatswood, New South Wales, on 28 November 1941.^[3] She grew up in Sydney and went to Ravenswood Methodist School. She then studied English and psychology at University of Sydney, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1962.^[4] At university, she was affiliated with the Downtown Push, "a loose group of artists, bohemians, and libertarians which included Clive James and Germaine Greer". She later completed a Diploma of Education at UNE in 1968. She worked mainly in education in Australia and England.

Writing

Her first surviving poems date from 1969; her first play, untitled, from 1973. Some of her plays (there are eight in all), were produced for stage and radio during her lifetime. She received an Australia Council Senior Literary Fellowship in 1978 and had two books of poems published. The first, Ritual Shift, was published in 1976. Her Collected Poems was edited posthumously by Judith Rodriguez and published in 1990.^{[5] [6] [7]}

Works

Bibliography

• Art Workshop (1974)
• Ritual Shift (1976)
• Earth Hold (1978)^{[8] [9]}
• The Mud Hut (1979)^[10]
• Jennifer Rankin: Collected Poems. Ed. Judith Rodriguez (1990)^[11]

Plays

• Bees (1974)^{[12] [13]}
• Razorback Mountain Journey (1976)^[14]
• Night Spaces^[14]
• Surfaces^[14]
• I Heard the Door Close^[14]
• A Steady Face^[14]
• Catwalk^[14]
• The Darling's Been Done^[14]

Personal life and legacy

She was first married to John Roberts, having a son in 1965. After separating in 1966, she lived for a time with writer Frank Moorhouse. In 1969, she married painter David Rankin.^[15] She died in Melbourne from cancer on 8 November 1979. Her daughter with Rankin, Jessica, later became an artist.^{[16] [17] [18]} Jennifer Rankin Lane in Canberra is named in her honour.^{[19] [20]}

Further reading

• Cassidy. Bonny. The Sounds of Sight: Jennifer Rankin's Poetics. Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature. 2007. 6. 91–102. 1833-6027.

External links

• Guide to the papers of Jennifer Rankin at the University of New South Wales

Notes and References

1. Web site: Jennifer Rankin . 2021-11-01 . Oxford Reference . en .
2. Cassidy . Bonny . Pre-thought: Jennifer Rankin's Littoral Topography . Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment . 2011 . Oxford University Press . 18 . 3 . 511–526 . 10.1093/isle/isr085 . 44087004 .
3. Web site: Guide to the Papers of Jennifer Rankin [MSS 348] ]. 2021-11-04 . . en.
4. Rankin . Jennifer . September 1976 . Jennifer Rankin's Bees . Theatre Australia . 24 . 2021-11-04. CORE and University of Wollongong.
5. News: 4 August 1990 . Jennifer Rankin: A poet of significance . 64 . 8 . . 20,203 . Saturday Magazine . Australian Capital Territory . National Library of Australia . 3 November 2021.
6. News: Gray . Robert . 1976-06-19 . Showing feeling for sound . 17 . The Sydney Morning Herald . 2021-11-02.
7. News: Simpson . R. A. . 1979-06-09 . Wedding poets to the visual . 25 . The Age . 2021-11-04 . R. A. Simpson.
8. News: Harrison . Martin . 1979-06-02 . Holding the elements . 19 . The Sydney Morning Herald . 2021-11-04.
9. Curry . Neil . 1979 . [Review of ''Earth Hold'' by Jennifer J. Rankin, John Olsen] . Ambit . 78 . 68–69 . 44332381 .
10. Atwood . Margaret . Rankin . Jennifer . 1979 . From the Mud Hut . The North American Review . University of Northern Iowa . 264 . 2 . 9–17 . 25125686 .
11. News: Strauss . Jennifer . 1990-09-22 . Memories stitched together skilfully . 171 . The Age . 2021-11-04.
12. News: Costantino . Romola . 1976-07-19 . 'Oink' go pigs, no 'buzz' in Bees . 7 . The Sydney Morning Herald . 2021-11-04.
13. News: Adam . Victoria . 4 August 1976 . Review - Bees . Sydney Tribune.
14. Web site: 8 December 2011. Jennifer Rankin. 2021-11-04. AustLit. en.
15. Book: Brooks, David. The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry in English. Oxford University Press. 1994. 0-585-26169-5. Hamilton. Ian. Ian Hamilton (critic). 440. Rankin, Jennifer (1941–79). 45733957. David Brooks (author).
16. Web site: Austlit . Jennifer Rankin . 2021-11-01 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . en.
17. News: 1979-12-14 . Jennifer Rankin, poet . 8 . The Sydney Morning Herald . 2021-11-02.
18. News: Purcell . Andrew . 2016-07-15 . Artist Jessica Rankin's new show charts the search for her mother's grave . en . The Sydney Morning Herald . 2021-11-04.
19. Web site: 18 October 2007 . Public Place Names (Franklin) Determination 2007 (No 3) . 2021-11-04 . ACT Government.
20. News: 1 April 2011 . What's in a name? . 2 . The Canberra Times.