Author: Whispering Gums

Monday musings on Australian literature: Nancy Cato

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Last year I posted on a book called Trailblazers: 100 inspiring South Australian women. I decided then that it could inspire some Monday Musings posts, because it includes writers among its inspiring women. The first writer to appear in this alphabetically-arranged book is Nancy Cato. She is described as "Writer and activist", which enhances her … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Nancy Cato

Monday musings on Australian literature: Best Young Australian Novelists (3)

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I've posted twice on The Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Australian Novelists, last year, and back in 2013. Bill, in fact, chose that 2013 post in his Bill Curates series on this blog. The award was established in 1997 by the newspaper's then literary editor, Susan Wyndham, making this year its 25th year. An emerging … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Best Young Australian Novelists (3)

Erik Jensen, On Kate Jennings (Writers on writers) (#BookReview)

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It took Kate Jennings' death for me to finally pick up one of Black Inc's Writers on writers books, Erik Jensen's On Kate Jennings. The series, says Black Inc, involves leading authors reflecting "on an Australian writer who has inspired and influenced them". It continues, "Provocative and crisp, these books start a fresh conversation between … Continue reading Erik Jensen, On Kate Jennings (Writers on writers) (#BookReview)

Marian Matta, Life, bound (#BookReview)

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In August 2020, small independent publisher MidnightSun sent me two short story collections, Margaret Hickey's Rural dreams (reviewed last month), and Marian Matta's Life, bound. I enjoyed Rural dreams, as some of you may remember, for its exploration of rural lives from multiple angles and points of view. Life, bound is a very different collection. … Continue reading Marian Matta, Life, bound (#BookReview)

Monday musings on Australian literature: Kate Jennings (1948-2021)

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Strangely, Australian writer and intellectual, Kate Jennings, has been in the air lately, even though she has lived in New York since 1979. She's been in blogosphere because blogger Kim Forrester reviewed her novella, Moral hazard, just last month, but she's been more broadly visible too because she features in the documentary Brazen hussies which … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Kate Jennings (1948-2021)

Sydney Writers Festival 2021, Live and Local (Session 1)

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This is the third year I've attended Sydney Writers Festival's Live and Local live-streamed events at the National Library of Australia. More often than not, I attend these events alone, but I was lucky to find that one of our wonderful local authors, Karen Viggers, was also attending alone, so I had company in my … Continue reading Sydney Writers Festival 2021, Live and Local (Session 1)