The Mermaid Problem

The Mermaid Problem (2010) is Chloe Wilson's first poetry collection.  

Poems in this collection first appeared in The Age, Wet Ink, Page Seventeen, Voiceworks and Strange. 'Juno and the Cow' was awarded first place in the John Marsden Prize for Young Australian Writers, 'Columbinae' won the Poetry and Youth categories in the (Melbourne) Lord Mayor's Creative Writing Awards and 'Black Swans' won the Page Seventeen Poetry Competition. 'St Francis and the Wolf' was shortlisted for the David Harold Tribe Award, 'Dorothy Wordsworth, Boiling Turnips' was highly commended in the inaugural Blake Prize for Poetry, and 'Inheritance' was Highly Commended in the Seagull Poetry Prize.

The Mermaid Problem was commended in the Anne Elder Award and Highly Commended in the Mary Gilmore Award. 

'From Hypatia's execution to a tiger's postprandial grooming The Mermaid Problem exhibits a wicked, free-range imagination, formal panache and scintillating wit - a stunning debut collection.'
                                                                                          - Marion May Campbell