Flying Island Books

Flying Island Books is an Australian not-for-profit poetry publisher associated with New South Wales and founded by poet and academic Kit Kelen in 2010. The publishing initiative was established in Macau and Markwell, a locality in New South Wales near Bulahdelah, before being incorporated in New South Wales in 2021. Its principal identity is built around the Flying Islands Pocket Poet Series, a collection of small-format poetry books designed to make contemporary poetry portable and easy to read in everyday settings. The pocket-book format is central to the imprint’s positioning. Rather than treating poetry as a specialist literary product intended primarily for libraries, classrooms, or formal readings, the series presents individual poets and selections in books that can be carried in a pocket or bag. A 2024 review described the series as offering poetry suitable for reading on trains, airplanes, or while waiting at a doctor’s office, highlighting the accessibility and physical convenience that distinguish the project. Flying Island Books operates as more than a conventional publishing label. Alongside its books, the organization runs online poetry workshops and a manuscript competition held twice each year. These activities extend the imprint into literary development and community participation, giving writers opportunities to learn, submit work, and engage with poetry beyond the publication of finished volumes. The combination of publishing, workshops, and competition suggests a small-scale cultural and literary model rather than a mass-market commercial press. The series also has an international and multilingual dimension in its subject matter and contributor base, although the available reference material does not establish a defined global sales network or formal overseas operating markets. In 2025, an anthology brought together 100 poets who had appeared in the Flying Islands Pocket Poet Series, providing a retrospective view of the project’s breadth and serving as a milestone for the imprint. Flying Island Books remains best understood as a specialist poetry publisher whose distinctive contribution is the creation of accessible pocket editions and related opportunities for poets and readers.

Flying Island Books was founded by Kit Kelen in 2010 as a not-for-profit poetry publishing initiative. Its early establishment connected Macau with Markwell in New South Wales, near Bulahdelah, giving the project a cross-regional origin while its institutional base developed in Australia. The imprint’s main publishing concept became the Flying Islands Pocket Poet Series, which presents poetry in compact editions intended to be carried and read in ordinary daily situations. The pocket format is both a design choice and a literary-access strategy. By producing books small enough for a pocket or bag, Flying Island Books places poetry within commuting, travelling, and waiting-room contexts rather than limiting it to formal literary environments. The series has become the publisher’s defining offering and has provided a platform for a large number of poets. In 2021, the organization was incorporated in New South Wales. This marked an important formal stage in the development of the publishing initiative, although the available sources do not provide detailed information about its finances, staffing, distribution agreements, or governance beyond its not-for-profit character. The imprint has also developed activities beyond book production, including online poetry workshops and a manuscript competition conducted twice a year. These programs support emerging and established writers while reinforcing the publisher’s role as a literary community organization. A 2024 review drew attention to the appeal of the pocket books and their suitability for casual, portable reading. In 2025, the publisher marked the scale of the series with an anthology featuring 100 poets who had appeared in it. That collection provided a consolidated record of the project’s contributor community and demonstrated the breadth reached by the series over time. Flying Island Books is therefore best characterized as a specialist Australian poetry publisher combining small-format publishing with workshops, competitions, and literary community-building.

• 2025

  Anthology of 100 series poets

  [1]Flying Island Booksen.wikipedia.org

  An anthology collected contributions from 100 poets who had appeared in the Flying Islands Pocket Poet Series.

• 2024

  Pocket series receives review attention

  [1]Flying Island Booksen.wikipedia.org

  A review praised the compact poetry books as an appealing selection suitable for portable, everyday reading.

• 2021

  New South Wales incorporation

  [1]Flying Island Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was incorporated in New South Wales, giving the publishing initiative a formal Australian legal structure.

• 2010

  Flying Island Books founded

  [1]Flying Island Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Kit Kelen founded Flying Island Books as a not-for-profit poetry publishing initiative associated with Macau and Markwell in New South Wales.

A not-for-profit, small-format poetry publisher focused on portable books, contemporary poets, literary participation, and accessible engagement with poetry.

• Poetry books

  Flying Islands Pocket Poet Series

  The publisher’s signature series of compact poetry volumes, each associated with an individual poet or a focused selection of poetry. The pocket-sized format is intended to make the books easy to carry and suitable for reading during travel, commuting, or short periods of waiting. The series is the central platform through which Flying Island Books has presented a broad range of poets.

• Poetry anthology · 2025

  100 Poets anthology

  A 2025 anthology bringing together poets who had previously featured in the Flying Islands Pocket Poet Series. The collection functions as a retrospective representation of the series and its contributor community.

• 2025

  Publication of the 100-poet anthologyProduct launch

  Background

  The Flying Islands Pocket Poet Series had featured a substantial group of poets over its history.

  Action taken

  Flying Island Books assembled an anthology featuring 100 poets from the series.

  Aftermath

  The anthology documented the reach of the series and consolidated work from its contributor community.

  Source

• 2021

  Formal incorporation in New South WalesStrategy

  Background

  Flying Island Books had operated as a not-for-profit poetry initiative founded in 2010 and associated with Macau and Markwell in New South Wales.

  Action taken

  The organization was incorporated in New South Wales.

  Aftermath

  The incorporation established a formal Australian organizational structure. No further governance or financial effects are specified in the available reference material.

  Source

1. 1Flying Island Booksen.wikipedia.org