In early October, the shortlist for the biennial Barbara Jefferis Award, worth $50,000, was announced. This award, for those of you who don't remember it, has very specific criteria: "the best novel written by an Australian author that depicts women and girls in a positive way or otherwise empowers the status of women and girls … Continue reading Barbara Jefferis Award 2020 Winner Announced
Author: Whispering Gums
Monday musings on Australian literature: Political biography
With the US election going, going ... but not quite gone it seems ... and with a new biography of President-elect Joe Biden, Joe Biden: The life, the run, and what matters now by Evan Osnos, hitting the bookstands, I thought it might be apposite to consider the political biography in Australia. By "political biography", … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Political biography
John Kinsella, Displaced: A rural life (#BookReview)
I haven't talked about reading synchronicities for some time, but when I started reading John Kinsella's memoir, Displaced, I couldn't help but think of the book I had just finished, Gay Lynch's historical novel Unsettled (my review). Both have one word titles which play with opposites; in both cases, those opposites refer to physical meanings … Continue reading John Kinsella, Displaced: A rural life (#BookReview)
Living under COVID-19 (4)
It's some months since I wrote a "living under COVID-19" post, as things have been pretty much pottering along here in the Australian Capital Territory, but I've decided it's time to do an update (for posterity if for no other reason.) COVID-normal There's been much talk about living under COVID-normal, though what that means is, … Continue reading Living under COVID-19 (4)
Monday musings on Australian literature: “You don’t walk away until the work is done”
This is a different type of Monday Musings, but its relevance will become apparent, I promise you! It's inspired by Julia Baird's Phosphorescence which I read a couple of weeks ago. In my review, I mentioned that one of the book's four main sections is devoted to failure and imperfection, but I didn't share much … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: “You don’t walk away until the work is done”
Six degrees of separation, FROM The bingo palace TO …
Two months into spring here down under, and we are enjoying a wetter spring than usual. I don't love rain, but my has it resulted in lovely spring blossoms, and we do need our dams to be filled - which they are! Now though, onto today's business, this month's Six Degrees of Separation meme. As … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM The bingo palace TO …
Monday musings on Australian literature: Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
Yes, you read right. This week's Monday Musings on Australian Literature focuses on an award established by the Swedish government, but it is an international award. Established in 2002 to honour the Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren (as you'll have guessed), the prize is five million SEK, making it, says Wikipedia, the richest award in children's literature and one of … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
Yarra Valley Writers Festival 2020 (Online): New Release Sundays: Robert Dessaix
Back in May, I attended several sessions of the Yarra Valley Writers Festival (YVWF), a COVID-19 bonus, as most of you know. The Festival also runs two regular events, a weekly New Release Sundays and a monthly Bookclub. I haven't managed to attend any, until today, which involved Festival Ambassador Michael Veitch speaking with Australian … Continue reading Yarra Valley Writers Festival 2020 (Online): New Release Sundays: Robert Dessaix
Julia Baird, Phosphorescence (#BookReview)
Much as I love watching Julia Baird on The Drum, and much as Mr Gums and I worried about her multiple cancer diagnoses and her extended journey to recovery over recent years, I'm not sure I would have read her book, Phosphorescence: On awe, wonder and things that sustain you when the world goes dark, … Continue reading Julia Baird, Phosphorescence (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Supporting genres, 2: Short stories
When I started this little sub-series, I wondered how to describe it - genres or forms or genres and forms? In the end, I chose "genres" on the assumption that we could define it very loosely to include forms. I hope this works. After all, the content is more important than the name! I decided … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Supporting genres, 2: Short stories
Whispering Gums 