Join us on Saturday 14 November, 2pm for a special Books@Stones afternoon with Ernesto Alcalá in-conversation with Stuart Cooke to celebrate the launch of Viaje a un reino aparente - Journey to an Illusory Kingdom

Journey to an Illusory Kingdom draws on surrealism and experimentation — perhaps the terrain where original voices most deeply take root. The machinery of language, ruthless in its precision, is countered by the power of imagination and by a vigorous metaphorical impulse that, once released, opens onto a space of serene depth that invites transformation. In this collection, Ernesto Alcalá constructs a poetic realm shaped by intuition and dream. His work observes human nature with lucid, almost meditative attention and centres on those fundamental qualities that shape our experience in the world. Here, language becomes a vehicle that gestures toward realities it cannot fully contain. The result is a book that uses poetry as an expression of identity and as a site of discovery, transcendence and freedom. A luminous, unsettling and deeply imaginative journey.

The voice of Ernesto Alcalá (Barcelona, 1971) emerges from a profound engagement with imagination and the inner workings of human nature. He is the author of the poetry collections Geometría de lo imposible (2021) and Insinuaciones del agua (2023). In addition to being a poet, Alcalá is a teacher of Spanish as a foreign language, has written travel literature and, for a decade, led a translation agency — an experience that propelled his fascination with the nuances and hidden possibilities of language. His activity as a musician has shaped his identity and has occupied the greater part of his professional life since the 1990s. Alongside his creative work, Alcalá provides psychosocial support in the mental health and wellbeing sector. A naturalised Australian citizen, Ernesto Alcalá has lived in Brisbane since 2011.

Stuart Cooke is a poet, scholar and translator, and an Associate Professor of Creative Writing and Literary Studies at Griffith University. In addition to multiple prizes, he has received residential fellowships from the Atlantic Center for the Arts (USA), Djerassi Resident Artists' Program (USA), Omi International Arts Centre (USA) and Hawthornden Castle (UK), among others. His work appears in a range of anthologies, including multiple editions of The Best Australian Poems. His books include four collections of poems, The grass is greener over your grave (2023), Lyre (2019), Opera (2016) and Edge Music (2011).

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Contact the host of Books@Stones event: Journey to an Illusory Kingdom (Viaje a un reino aparente) by Ernesto Alcalá