'Steve is a fine exponent of lyrical poetry - the exacting nature and resonant quality of his verse has been there from the start, and he has been an influential figure in Australian poetry.' - Anthony Lawrence

'Even in the world of the very ordinary, Evans finds extraordinary poetry.' - Peter Goldsworthy

'The stunning "Bent Wolf" sequence moves between observer and observed with poems of delight and revelation in assured, original voices that range from wry to cunning to gritty.' - David Adès

'Steve Evans has been a substantial figure in Australian poetry for several decades.' - Geoff Page

'Steve Evans takes the tiny, the taken-for-granted, the cats and dogs, birds and bees, snails and ants that accompany us through our "very big and important" human lives and casts them on a higher plane than we can ever hope to land upon.' - Louise Nicholas

Steve Evans has taught literature and creative writing in universities, most recently as the Director of the Creative Writing Program at Flinders University. After his award-winning first poetry collection, Edison Doesn't Invent the Car, he has gone on to win further prizes, including the Queensland Premier's Poetry Prize and a Barbara Hanrahan Fellowship, and been shortlisted for several national and international awards. He has written and edited twenty other titles, including fiction and non-fiction. Animal Instincts is his ninth collection of poetry.