Creative Australia is the - how shall we say it - rebranded Australia Council for the Arts / Australia Council. Under whatever name it has, this is the body that serves as the major arts funding and advisory body for the Australian Government. You can read its history on Wikipedia if you are interested. The Australia Council … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Creative Australia Awards in Literature
Monday musings
Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (14), Louise Mack, the “colonial”
(Courtesy OCAL, via clker.com) Early in 2023, I created a Monday Musings subseries called Trove Treasures, in which I share stories or comments, serious or funny, that I come across during my Trove travels. Having posted on her two sisters the last two Mondays, I thought it might be fun to round off the series with … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (14), Louise Mack, the “colonial”
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 14, Gertrude Mack
Gertrude Mack is the third of the Mack literary sisters, and by far the least known, though at the time she was well-recognised, with her activities and thoughts frequently reported in the newspapers. Her "disappearance" from view is most likely because, unlike her sisters, all her writing was for newspapers and magazines. She did not … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 14, Gertrude Mack
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 13, Amy Mack
In the first decades of the 20th century, a family of sisters made some splash on Australia's literary scene. I have already written about the eldest of them - Louise Mack - but there were also Amy (this post's subject) and Gertrude, all of whom appeared in newspapers of the time as writers of interest. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 13, Amy Mack
Monday musings on Australian literature: Michael Crouch Award
The Michael Crouch Award is part of the National Biography Award (NBA) suite of prizes. I have written about the NBA before, but have never specifically focused on the Michael Crouch Award. But first, a quick recap ... the National Biography Award has been going since 1996, and celebrates excellence in life writing, that is, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Michael Crouch Award
Monday musings on Australian literature: Finlay Lloyd’s 20/40 Publishing Prize, progress report
Nearly three years ago, I reported on a new literary prize, the 20/40 Publishing Prize which was being offered by the non-profit publisher, Finlay Lloyd. It has now been awarded in both 2023 and 2024, and preparations for announcing the 2025 winners are well under way. Briefly, the aim of the award is to "encourage … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Finlay Lloyd’s 20/40 Publishing Prize, progress report
Monday musings on Australian literature: National Poetry Month 2025
National Poetry Month - in Australia - is now five years old, and once again it is spearheaded by Red Room Poetry, which should not need any introduction by now to regular readers here. This year it runs a bit over a month, from 30 July to 3 September. As before, they have appointed Poetry … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: National Poetry Month 2025
Monday musings on Australian literature: Quiet achievers 1, Terri-ann White of Upswell Publishing
Over the years I have started several Monday Musings sub-series, some of which I've nearly completed (such as those on writers centres and on supporting genres) while others are still continuing (like Forgotten writers). Today, I'm introducing a new one. It was inspired by an email I received the other day from Terri-ann White of … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Quiet achievers 1, Terri-ann White of Upswell Publishing
Monday musings of Australian literature: National Tree Day
Around ten years ago, I wrote a post on National Arbor Day. It was inspired by a Library of America story. The thing is that then I didn't, and I still don't hear, about Arbor Day anymore. Indeed, Mr Gums and I reminisced that it was mainly through school that we heard about it at … Continue reading Monday musings of Australian literature: National Tree Day
Monday musings on Australian literature: Factory novels
"I love a factory novel"! So wrote Buried-In-Print blogger Marcie on my post earlier this year on the Australasian Book Society. I do too, I replied, and noted to myself that this could be a topic for Monday Musings. I have not done as much research as I would have liked, but I figured I … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Factory novels
Whispering Gums 