Wordflower poetry blog was founded by Catherin J Pascal Dunk (she/they) in 2018. Catherin is a nonbinary poet, writer, activist, yarnbomber and book editor currently living on stolen Darkinyung land. She identifies as queer, Pythian, autigender, aceflux and bi+.
Wordflower’s first guest poet, Jessica Perini, appeared on Wordflower in 2021. Other poets showcased include Beck Wolski, Catia Castrucci, Kari McKern, Drager Meurtant (in collaboration), Lisa Ford, Nolcha Fox, and Nuno Rodrigues de Sousa. Some posts include accidental (found) poetry.
Catherin J Pascal Dunk started out working in the Australian book publishing industry in 1995, first in research, acquisitions and product development. Since 2001 she has operated a freelance editorial business offering copyediting, proofreading and back of book indexing. Her first book as an author was the educational title Genetics (2004, Watts Publishing, Australian focus on issues series, co-written with Campbell McPherson Page).
Catherin has studied poetry and creative writing under Australian poets David Musgrave (University of Newcastle) and Mark Tredinnick (University of Sydney), and her poem ‘Rainbow Buddha‘ placed second in the 2018 Central Coast Council Library Service poetry competition. It was subsequently published on the council’s website and displayed as a canvas print in Central Coast Council (NSW) buildings from 2018 to 2024.
In 2023 Gillian Burgess produced Catherin’s first poetry chapbook, Wordflower.
Two commissioned works by Catherin, ‘Shell song‘ and ‘Spring song‘, appear in The Loud Way Home (ACON 2024, eds Parker, Mohajer & Whelan).
Her poems, ‘Awash‘ and ‘Mardigras‘, were included in Sappho Poetry Forum‘s fifth anthology, Sapphic Voyage (2023, eds Chappelow & Lahiry), with two more poems in their 2025 anthology, Sapphic Space.
Catherin’s work appeared in issues 2 & 3 of DIRTY MOUTH queer poetry zine in 2023 (‘Snyx-media‘ and ‘Shhhh‘) and in Edge of Humanity online magazine in 2024 (‘Cathatonia‘, ‘SHOCK‘, ‘As for the rest / Final instructions / Rebellion‘, and ‘Before I was bad‘).
Kink in the Tale: live storytelling for grownups host Donné Restom invited Catherin to perform an erotic poetry set at Fun Haus Factory Gosford in March 2024 for International Women’s Day.
In 2025 Catherin’s work has been accepted for publication by online journals Punt Volat (in their collaboration ‘America, Land of‘) and LatinosUSA/Chewers for Masticadores (‘The Joy of Purpose‘, a short story, and a poem ‘The Tawnies‘).
Catherin reads her work at poetry slams and open mic nights such as Sappho Queer Poetry Forum in Newcastle and Pride Poetry in Woy Woy.
Wordflower 