As we began to compile this issue towards the end of 2020, the local Melbourne poetry scene (and beyond) was deeply saddened to hear of the unexpected passing of Ania Walwicz.

Ania was a poet, writer and artist born in Poland in 1951; she came to Australia in 1963 with her family, and it became her permanent home. I first met Ania in person about 10 years ago; we sat at an outside table at Federal Coffee Palace in the Melbourne CBD as I interviewed her about her dual careers in writing and teaching (that interview was published in issue no. 7 of Rabbit). I had read Ania’s prose poems and other experimental works long before this time, and had also heard her read at numerous events—her distinctive voice and style, both on and off the page, disrupted norms of speaking and communicating as she regularly challenged concepts of self and belonging. She was also fond of psychoanalytic modes of thinking, which infused all of her writing. Not only had Ania amassed a considerable following, but she always managed to draw a crowd to a public reading event. And yet, chatting to Ania in person for a few hours showed me the expanse of her thinking mind, and her curiosity and concern for art and for the world.

A Rabbit issue that is themed ‘form’ offers a particularly apt space within which to discuss Ania’s legacy, as her various artworks continued to explore and push the boundaries of form, whether that be through her unique take on prose poems, her persistent use of repetition, her disregard for punctuation (taken to the extreme in her poetic autobiographical-novel hybrid red roses), and even in her visual experiments in sketching self-portraits (as showcased in Rabbit no. 7). But beyond her own work, Ania was an engaging and supportive teacher, one who celebrated the formal experiments of her students and peers—she could be critical of some writing, but she also believed that there was a place for any writer, no matter their voice or style or chosen form. The following contributions (poems, interviews, essays, reviews, homework exercise and artwork) highlight a heterogeneous celebration of ‘form’, and as we send the issue off to print, I think about how such a diverse gathering of poems and writings might constitute a radical po(e)sy for Ania Walwicz—a fitting tribute and dedication to her memory. She will be greatly missed, but her influence will be felt for many years to come.

I would like to extend special thanks to Charmaine Papertalk Green and Stuart Barnes for guest co-editing and curating the 30 new poems, from an enormous submissions list, for this ‘Form’-themed Rabbit. I am also excited to officially welcome to the Rabbit team both Zoe Dzunko, as our website manager (she has constructed our brand-new website), and also Jeanine Leane as First Nations Editor. In all future issues, Jeanine will showcase poetry, and/or other writings relating to poetry, by First Nations authors, as part of Rabbit’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation. In this issue, she presents ten new poems by First Nations writers who participated in an online workshop series, run by Jeanine, during 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.

One thing that was heartening to witness during 2020 was how numerous poetry projects were instigated as a way to counter the difficulties of the year, such as Melbourne’s Poet Laureate series (run through the City of Literature), Overland’s Friday poem series, IPSI’s Well-Known Corners project, Red Room Poetry’s In Your Hands anthology and many more, as well as numerous online events that brought together local, national and international communities. It is great to see this recognition of poetry not only as outlet, consolation or source of strength, but also for its flexibility, resilience, and as a means to bring communities together.