A Happening in Hades

S. K. Kelen's oeuvre covers a diverse range of styles and subjects, and includes pastorals, satires, sonnets, odes, narratives, haiku, epics, idylls, horror stories, sci-fi, allegories, philosophical musings, prophecies, politics, history, love poems, portraits, travel poems, memory, people and places, animals, trees, cars, meditations, and ecstasies etcetera. The poems' vision is encyclopaedic and intimate, humorous yet deadly serious; bustling with imagery, voices, dreams, spirit, fun, adventure, and serenity.

A Happening in Hades exhibits a marvellous ear and restless eye, a gift for narrative that challenges as much as it reaffirms, and a willingness to tackle anything that takes his attention. This collection presents a close-ordering of the senses, breaking open into a visual and aural feast.

Anthony Lawrence, Australian Book Review

The work sharpens the Australian vernacular against suburban experience, while foraging through the shipwreck of Western literature. Kelen's lyricism is rich with allusion and dislocation, and there is a redemptive, recurrent sense of grace throughout.

Michael Brennan, Australian Book Review