Bush Poet • Storyteller • Entertainer • Poetry Educator
A good yarn can travel a long way. Marco Gliori has spent decades taking Australian stories into schoolrooms, country pubs, festival crowds and theatres, finding the humour, heartache and humanity in the people he meets. One of Australia’s leading performance bush poets, he has also been a generous supporter of Country Campfire since the early days of the Bush Poetry Podcast.
Born and raised in Warwick, Queensland, Marco’s journey took him from country childhood to detective work, then into a life writing and performing poetry. His roots are on the Darling Downs, but his stories have found listeners right across Australia.
This is Marco’s permanent home around the campfire: a place to discover his story, find his books and performances, and return to the poems and recordings he has shared with Country Campfire.
From a Queensland Copper to a Life in Verse
Marco grew up in Warwick and attended Warwick State High School before joining the Queensland Police Service. He served for ten years, reaching the rank of Detective Senior Constable, before leaving to pursue performance poetry.
That is a fair change of occupation, but the people at the centre of the stories remained. Country childhood, family life and experiences as a copper all became material for his writing. Some memories lend themselves to a laugh; others ask an audience to stop and listen.
Marco’s Italian heritage is part of that story too. His writing draws on the working life and family memories of his migrant father, alongside the landscapes and characters of the country where he grew up.
Taking Bush Poetry to the Crowd
Marco’s career has carried him from the North Gregory Hotel in Winton to Melbourne’s Regent Theatre, with poetry breakfasts, country festivals and community gatherings along the way. His festival work includes Gympie, Tamworth, Woodford, Winton and Tenterfield’s Oracles of the Bush.
He was also part of The Naked Poets, joining Murray Hartin, Shirley Friend, Ray Essery, Bobby Miller and musician Pat Drummond in shows that brought poetry, comedy and music together. It was bush verse with a live audience at its heart: stories shared, personalities let loose and plenty of laughter.
That ability to read a room has taken Marco into conference halls and sporting functions as well. He works as a performer, host and compere, and writes commissioned poetry for special occasions. The setting might change, but the connection between storyteller and listener remains central.
Giving the Next Generation a Voice
Schoolchildren have been an important part of Marco’s audience since he began touring with the Queensland Arts Council in 1991. He went on to spend more than a decade working through the Queensland and Victorian Arts Councils’ education programs.
His school visits bring writing and performance together. Through workshops, recitals and writer-in-residence programs, students can turn their own experiences and ideas into poems, then discover what happens when they stand up and share them. It gives young Australians a way into a tradition they can help carry forward.
Humour, Heart and Recognition
There is plenty of mischief in Marco’s work, but laughter is only part of his repertoire. His poems also make room for loss, remembrance, ordinary courage and the people whose lives might otherwise pass without much notice.
In 1995, his poem Swaggie won ABC National Radio’s Spirit of Waltzing Matilda award during the song’s centenary celebrations. Slim Dusty presented the award in Winton. In 2020, Marco won the Bronze Swagman Award for Bush Verse with Fumbles.
His work is also available in books and recordings, including Poet in the Pub, Sometimes Stuff Rhymes, Poetry in Motion and Poets Never Lie. They offer another way to spend time with the stories beyond a festival morning or a night at the pub.
Find Marco, His Books and His Performances
For performances, school visits, writing workshops and other enquiries, visit Marco’s official website. His online shop brings his books and recordings together in one place.
- Marco Gliori’s official website
- Books and recordings
- School visits, workshops and entertainment
- Contact and booking enquiries
A Shared Place in Episode 100
Marco was one of eight contributors who helped bring Banjo Paterson’s The Man From Snowy River to life for the podcast’s hundredth episode. Published on 23 June 2021, the recording brought voices from across the bush poetry community together for one shared recital.
His willingness to lend a hand is part of Country Campfire’s story. Alongside the poems themselves, this recording preserves something of the generosity that helped the podcast find its feet.
Marco Gliori on Country Campfire
The following poems by Marco Gliori have been shared on Country Campfire:
The Million Star Motel
A warm, gently humorous bush poem about swapping fancy accommodation for a swag beneath the stars, and finding contentment in the simplest pleasures.
Rights And Permission
Poems and contributions are shared by Country Campfire with permission.
Poems, recitals, photographs, stories and original works remain the property of their original creator and are shared by Country Campfire with permission.
Country Campfire Legend #27