Under the Mop Top Tree is a warm, open-hearted poetry book collection that captures a life fully lived. At its core are relationships — between family, friends, lovers, and the natural world of trees, birds, and sky.
The poems move through memory and loss, grief for parents, love for a cherished pet, and the small joys and humour of everyday life. Woven throughout is a deep compassion for those affected by war and injustice. Together, the poems offer an embracing, humane response to what it means to be alive today.
About the author Vanessa I. R. Craven is a poet, author, artist, and singer-songwriter based in Daylesford, Victoria, after a tree change from Melbourne where she worked as a health sciences librarian. Born in Mussoorie in the Himalayan foothills of northern India, she lived there for 25 years before moving to Australia.
