For my last day of the Canberra Writers Festival I chose two quite different sessions, as you will see! This post is on the first one ... (Note: these two posts will be in lieu of this week's Monday Musings.) The Art of Books Chong, Bowers, Katauskas I chose this session primarily because one of … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2018, Day 2, Pt 1: Art, Books and Politics
Author: Whispering Gums
Canberra Writers Festival 2018, Day 1, Pt 4: Indigenous Australians (2)
My first day of the Canberra Writers Festival ended with a bang - two hours with several of Australia's top indigenous writers, organised by FNAWN (First Nations Australia Writers Network). It was a not-to-be-missed event, and was divided into two parts: "Because of her I can": poetry readings with Ellen van Neerven, Yvette Holt, Jeanine … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2018, Day 1, Pt 4: Indigenous Australians (2)
Canberra Writers Festival 2018, Day 1, Pt 3: Indigenous Australians (1)
I planned to write a combined post for my last two events of Day 1, given both focussed on Indigenous Australians, but there was so much that I wanted to document (for myself, at least) that I decided to devote a post to each. There was, though, some overlap in terms of issues discussed, albeit … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2018, Day 1, Pt 3: Indigenous Australians (1)
Canberra Writers Festival 2018, Day 1, Pt 2: Two panels
My next two festival sessions were panels - firstly at the National Museum of Australia, and then after a quick jaunt over the lake, chauffeured very kindly by Mr Gums, at the National Library of Australia. This Festival is spread too widely, geographically speaking - but I've said that before ... The power, politics and … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2018, Day 1, Pt 2: Two panels
Canberra Writers Festival 2018, Day 1, Pt 1: A memoirist in conversation
It's the last weekend August which means it's the Canberra Writers Festival. This could become a habit. Wouldn't that be nice - to have a regular writers' festival here again, I mean. The Festival's ongoing theme is Power, Politics, Passion, which is particularly appropriate this year, given last week's shenanigans in Australian politics. (For those of you from … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2018, Day 1, Pt 1: A memoirist in conversation
Jenny Ackland, Little gods (#BookReview)
The universe is telling me something. Jenny Ackland's Little gods is the second novel I've read in a few months that is set in the Mallee region of northwestern Victoria, the other being Charlie Archbold's Mallee boys (my review). Interestingly, both are coming-of-age novels, both involve farms, and both have a death at the centre. … Continue reading Jenny Ackland, Little gods (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Women science fiction writers
This year's National Science Week finished yesterday, 19 August, but I figured no-one would mind if I wrote a Science-Week-dedicated post a day late. In past years I've written Science Week posts on novels about scientists (2015), science-based non-fiction (2015), and science writing (2016). I didn't write a post last year. So, what to do … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Women science fiction writers
The Griffyns inspire us in Science Week
It's been two years since I last wrote about the Griffyn Ensemble. In that post I reported that they were not returning with their usual season in 2017. Wah, I wrote. They did, in fact, perform in 2017 - presenting a special Music Festival - but I didn't write that up, because I was unwell and barely … Continue reading The Griffyns inspire us in Science Week
Tania McCartney and Christina Booth, The Gum Family finds home (#BookReview)
As many of you know, I recently became a grandmother - and if you know anything about becoming a grandparent you'll know that THE critical question is "what are you going to be called?" Well, I would like to be called Gummie - the name given me here by one of my favourite bloggers Guy … Continue reading Tania McCartney and Christina Booth, The Gum Family finds home (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: War-time reading tastes, World War 2
Continuing last week's brief survey of war-time reading habits... World War 2 And then we come to the Second World War. Here's The West Australian again, this time in July 1940, less than a year after the war had started (a bit like our 1915 World War 1 report last week.) The article is headed, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: War-time reading tastes, World War 2
Whispering Gums 