Poet • Children’s Author • Publisher • Performer
Jai Thoolen is a Rosebud poet, children’s author, publisher and performer whose writing ranges from Australian bush verse and comic rhymes to children’s literature.
Raised on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Jai discovered an early love of writing and has drawn inspiration from writers including Henry Lawson, A.B. “Banjo” Paterson, Terry Pratchett and Spike Milligan. His work moves easily between formal verse, Australian slang and playful writing for younger readers.
Jai’s poetry and performances have found a lasting place around the Country Campfire, including his contribution to the special 100th-episode recital of The Man From Snowy River. This page brings his story, books, recordings and Country Campfire appearances together in one permanent home.
Where the Next Rhyme Might Be Waiting
Jai Thoolen doesn’t seem to go looking for poems. More often, they find him. A passing comment, an odd character, something spotted in the garden or a line arriving in the middle of the night can be enough to set another rhyme in motion.
Raised around Rosebud on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Jai developed a love of words early. His influences stretch from Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson to Terry Pratchett and Spike Milligan—which helps explain why his writing can wander comfortably between Australian bush verse, sharp wordplay, children’s stories and the wonderfully ridiculous.
One of those ideas arrived aboard a ferry while returning from Tasmania. With his partner battling seasickness, Jai wrote his first children’s poem, My Beard, on the back of a sick bag. That unlikely beginning eventually became a children’s book.
A former carpenter, Jai went on to establish Pickle Poetry as a home for his work. His books include A Selected Collection of Rhymes for Inspection, My Safe Word is Poetry and My Beard—all part of a growing body of work shaped by humour, imagination and a mind that rarely seems to stop rhyming.
Follow Jai Thoolen
Jai Thoolen on Country Campfire
Lake Boga Hotel
A cracking country-pub yarn about a boastful city slicker, a fifteen-hundred-dollar challenge and the Grandad who quietly drank him under the table.
Episode 100: The Man From Snowy River
Jai was one of the voices who came together for Country Campfire’s special 100th episode, a collaborative recital of A.B. “Banjo” Paterson’s The Man From Snowy River.
Bush Poetry Podcast Appearances
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 #21