You may have noticed that it's been fairly quiet here at the Gums over the last week or so. This is because I've been travelling for nearly two weeks now in Australia's island state of Tasmania. I scheduled last week's Monday Musings in advance and had planned to also schedule a Tasmanian "Let's get physical" … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: A Tasmanian interlude
Monday musings
Monday musings on Australian literature: Writer-in-residence programs
I've written before about Writers' Retreats, which are sometimes framed as writer-in-residence programs. However, for this post, I want to focus not on those programs that are designed for writers to withdraw (retreat) to focus on a personal project, but on those for which engagement with the community in which they reside is a significant … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Writer-in-residence programs
Monday musings on Australian literature: Literary fellowships
In past Monday Musings I've written about Writers' retreats and Writers' development programs. Related to these are fellowships. They involve providing a writer with money and/or resources to enable them to develop a new work. Fellowships usually involve a significant amount of money, and tend to be granted for specific projects. Australia Council Fellowships are offered … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Literary fellowships
Monday musings on Australian literature: Nature writing in Australia
Blogger Michelle (Adventures in Biography) posted last week on a presentation by literary agent, Mary Cunnane, at the HARDCOPY writers' workshop she attended here in Canberra. Answering a question about narrative non-fiction, Cunnane apparently said "I do wonder, for example, why there isn’t more really good nature writing in Australia". Quite coincidentally, last week another blogger, Stefanie … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Nature writing in Australia
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian literary biographies
Given that a literary biography won the National Biography Award this year, that I've recently posted Musings on literary autobiographies/memories, and that my next review will be for a literary biography, it seemed high time that I devoted a Monday Musings to the form, don't you think? Brenda Niall's True North: The story of Mary … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian literary biographies
Monday musings on Australian literature: Where is Australia’s George Orwell?
In a comment on my review last week of Kate Grenville's One life, Lisa (ANZLitLovers) asked "Where's Australia's George Orwell?". This was in reference to the idea that more novelists should write about climate change to help change public opinion. Interesting question, I thought, and one that I could explore in a Monday Musings. You … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Where is Australia’s George Orwell?
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian novels adapted for opera
Today's post is inspired by an article, "Fly away Peter: When Australian literature goes to the opera", published in May this year in The Conversation. Written by Michael Halliwell, Associate Professor of Vocal Studies and Opera at the University of Sydney, it was inspired by the production of an opera based on David Malouf's wonderful novel, Fly away Peter. Now, as some … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian novels adapted for opera
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian literary autobiographies
I've written Monday Musings on autobiographies and memoirs by indigenous Australians, and I've reviewed biographies of Australian writers, like Mary Durack and Madeleine St John. However, I haven't written about what we might call literary autobiographies, that is, autobiographies by authors. So, today's the day. I have read several literary autobiographies, but few since I started blogging. Being a … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian literary autobiographies
Monday musings on Australian literature: Science-based non-fiction
National Science Week, which inspired last week's post, finished yesterday, but I decided to extend it a day by writing a post on Australian non-fiction on science subjects. I'll focus of course on works created for general readers, not academic works. Unlike last week's list, I haven't read all the books I list here. Given the … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Science-based non-fiction
Monday musings on Australian literature: Novels about scientists
It's National Science Week (15-23 August) here down under and, while science is not my area of expertise, my mind is always opened by the breadth of events and discussions that take place. I don't, I admit, get to many events, but I do enjoy the increased focus on science on my favourite radio station, ABC Radio National. For … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Novels about scientists
Whispering Gums 