Locust and Other Poems
'Metaphors are ways of understanding the unfamiliar in terms of the familiar. And in a world that seems to be increasingly unfamiliar, disturbing, and perplexing.
Joel O’Connor offers us a provocative and powerful means of making sense out of the political chaos that has emerged as nations slide or leap into what appears to be a totalitarian and fascist future.
Locusts provide the metaphorical lens through which we might see how mindless, mass mania can create a nightmarish world—particularly for any individuals that might wish to escape from, or even to defy, the swarm.'
Jeffrey A. Lockwood
Professor of Natural Sciences & Humanities University of Wyoming
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‘Locust is a multifaceted poetic rampage’
Celia Berrell, reviewer and host of www.sciencerhymes.com.au
South Sydney Herald review, July 2026
https://southsydneyherald.com.au/locust/
‘In this epic, O’Connor uses the metaphor of the locust to liken a swarm to how a nation might
slide into fascism… bringing scientific knowledge & poetry together.’
Jenny England, reviewer and Australian author, journalist and poet
Independent Australia review, June 2026
Podcasts:
‘Locust looks at the contrast between tenderness and human kindness, and the contradiction in
fascism of fear. It touches on the dangers of power in the hands of a single person.’
Zach Charles, podcaster and poet, Cascadia Poetry Lab
Cascadia Poetry Lab podcast, June 2026
https://cascadiapoeticslab.org/2026/06/interview-with-joel-oconnor-about-locust