Robbie Coburn | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 June 1994 Melbourne, Australia |
| Known for | Poetry, young adult fiction |
| Notable work | The Foal in the Wire |
| Website | www |
Robbie Coburn (born 25 June 1994) is an Australian poet and young adult author. [1]
Born in Melbourne in 1994, Robbie Coburn grew up on his family's farm in Woodstock, Victoria, the son of a horse trainer. [2] As a child, his mother would read him the verse of Banjo Paterson. When he was a teenager, writer John Marsden came to his high school as a visiting author; an experience he considers one of the most formative moments of his life.
He began writing poetry at the age of 14, inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Robert Adamson, whose work Coburn discovered as a teenager, was his idol and mentor, and one of his greatest influences. [3]
Coburn’s debut young adult verse novel The Foal in the Wire was published by Hachette Australia in 2025.
His first published poem appeared in anarchist poet Pi O's literary journal Unusual Work when he was 17 years old. [1] His poems have appeared in Poetry, Poetry Salzburg Review , Hobart, Meanjin , Island, Westerly and elsewhere. His poems have also been included in many anthologies.
He is the author of several poetry collections including And I Could Not Have Hurt You (Kiddiepunk, 2023). [4] He has also published a number of chapbooks and zines.
Sonya Hartnett described The Foal in the Wire as “the real deal” and Kevin Brooks said the book “will stay with you forever”.
Robert Adamson noted that Coburn's poems “come from tough experiences, yet are created with a muscular craft that glows with alert intelligence”. [5] Due to its openness in dealing with personal themes such as mental illness, trauma, addiction, self-harm and suicide, Coburn's work has often been categorised as confessional poetry. Sarah Holland-Batt wrote that Coburn's “raw and intimate poems are marked by a strong presence of voice: confessional, consolatory, despairing, and defiant” and that his poems “speak of impulses that are often repressed or left unsaid.” [6]
His work is also known for using imagery related to his upbringing on his family's farm, horses and rodeo. [7]
Coburn suffers from severe depression, and has struggled with alcoholism and self-harm, topics frequently explored in his work. [8] In an interview with 3CR Melbourne, Coburn stated “I 100% believe that I would be dead without poetry.” [9]