I think ... how all our best art is free; as complex as that, as simple as that. (Gaudi and the light) I rather liked this statement from Mike Ladd's collection Invisible mending, even though I'm not totally sure what he means! Does he mean freely available, that is, we don't have to pay to access it? … Continue reading Mike Ladd, Invisible mending (Review)
Australian literature
Monday musings on Australian literature: on Nation and people
Do you keep your old textbooks? I do, though am now starting to move them on. But some I still can't part with, one being my high school history text. Called Nation and people: An introduction to Australia in a changing world, and first published in 1967, it was written by Brian Hodge and Allen Whitehurst who … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: on Nation and people
Cassie Flanagan Willanski, Here where we live (Review)
"Write what you know" is the advice commonly given to new authors - and it's something Cassie Flanagan Willanski, author of Here where we live, seems to accept. Set in South Australia, where Willanski lives, this debut collection of short stories reflects her two main interests, creative writing and the environment. The book won Wakefield Press's Unpublished Manuscript Award a couple … Continue reading Cassie Flanagan Willanski, Here where we live (Review)
Monday musings on Australian Literature: The Vagabond
Quite by accident - no, I tell a lie, it was through a link sent by a good friend (thanks Kate) - I came across "The Vagabond", a mysterious journalist who wrote for Australian newspapers - primarily in Victoria - in the late 19th century. The link was for an article he wrote on sixpenny restaurants, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian Literature: The Vagabond
More from David Marr …
To write my recent post on David Marr, I did some research, as I usually do when I take notes at a lecture or seminar, because I need to make sure that the book title or author name or quote that I recorded in my notes are correct. That's how, for example, I found the exact quote … Continue reading More from David Marr …
Here I stand: David Marr’s Seymour Biography Lecture
This week Mr Gums and I went to our second Seymour Biography Lecture, an annual lecture devoted to life-writing which was endowed by the Seymours in 2005. Our first, last year, was given by Robert Drewe who discussed memoir as a form of life-writing that is differentiated from but as valid as autobiography. It was a wonderful lecture, so … Continue reading Here I stand: David Marr’s Seymour Biography Lecture
Monday musings on Australian literature: Inga Clendinnen
I cannot let this week pass without adding my voice to the tributes made by my blogger friends to anthropologist-historian Inga Clendinnen (1934-2016), who died last week at the too-young age of 82. It seemed fitting to delay my tribute for a couple of days to make her a Monday Musings topic. Clendinnen deserves no less (says she, applying … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Inga Clendinnen
Ariella Van Luyn, Treading air (Review)
It wasn't until I reached the end of Ariella Van Luyn's debut novel, Treading air, that I discovered it was loosely based on the life of a real person. I'm glad it happened that way. I like introductions, but I always read them last because I like to come to my reading as unencumbered as possible … Continue reading Ariella Van Luyn, Treading air (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: The inaugural Australian Short Story Festival
Promotion is hotting up for the inaugural Australian Short Story Festival (ASSF) to be held in Perth this year, from October 21st to 23rd. At least, it's hotting up, if you follow them on social media, because they've been actively promoting the event on Twitter and Instagram*. ASSF Inc is a non-profit organisation, and they are aiming … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The inaugural Australian Short Story Festival
Idan Ben-Barak on writing clearly about complicated science
As I mentioned in my post on The best Australian science writing 2015, Iran Ben-Barak was a runner-up in the Bragg UNSW Press Science Writing Prize in 2015 with his article "Why aren't we dead yet?" It's an entertaining article about a complicated subject - pathogens (which are many and varied), the immune system, and how … Continue reading Idan Ben-Barak on writing clearly about complicated science
Whispering Gums 