This author talk was not one of my usual series - that is, not ANU/Canberra Times Meet the Author or Muse Canberra's conversations. Instead, it was presented by the Friends of the National Library of Australia, of which I am a member. Despite the cold, drizzly night, it was a full house, which is not … Continue reading Author Talk: the Craft of Crime, Sulari Gentill & Chris Hammer with Anna Steele
Literary events
Shankari Chandran in conversation with Karen Viggers
Shankari Chandran's conversation with Karen Viggers is the second Meet the Author event I've managed to attend this year, and it reminded me how much I wish I could get to more of these sessions. This one featured Shankari Chandran, author of the Miles Franklin winning novel, Chai time at Cinnamon Gardens (my review), in … Continue reading Shankari Chandran in conversation with Karen Viggers
Monday musings on Australian literature: Stella Prize 2024 Winner
The 2024 Stella Prize winner was announced last Thursday, the 2nd of May, but that was the also the day my blog turned 15, and I didn't want to flood cyberspace with too many posts. Then this weekend was the SixDegrees meme which meant another post coming at you. So, I decided to do my … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Stella Prize 2024 Winner
Monday musings on Australian literature: Blak and Bright, 2024
Eight years ago, I wrote a post about a new festival called Blak and Bright, which was described at the time as "the debut event of the Victorian Indigenous Literary Festival". I am thrilled to find that eight years later, this festival is still going strong. So often festivals, and literary initiatives in general, appear … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Blak and Bright, 2024
Stella Prize 2024 Longlist announced
As has happened in the past, this week's Monday Musings has been gazumped by the announcement this evening of the Stella Prize longlist. I attended the online streamed announcement from the Adelaide Festival Writers Week As I say every year, I don't do well at having read the Stella Prize longlist at the time of … Continue reading Stella Prize 2024 Longlist announced
Karen Viggers in conversation with Alex Sloan
When Colin Steele emailed out the schedule, to date, for this year's Meet the Author series, I immediately marked in my calendar those events I could attend. There weren't many, as life is busy with yoga, tai chi, reading group and concert subscriptions, but the first I could attend was local author Karen Viggers (who … Continue reading Karen Viggers in conversation with Alex Sloan
ACT Book of the Year Award 2023 shortlist and winner
This year I attended, for the first time, the announcement of the ACT Book of the Year award, which was held at the Woden Public Library. For some reason our award doesn't get the media recognition or attention that it deserves. Sure, it is not one of the wealthiest literary prizes in the country, and … Continue reading ACT Book of the Year Award 2023 shortlist and winner
Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Publishing Prize 2023 Winning Books Launch with Conversation
I have written about Finlay Lloyd's 20/40 Publishing Prize a few times now, so I hope I'm not imposing too much on your precious time. However, this weekend was the launch here in Canberra, and it involved a conversation led by a favourite Canberra journalist, Virginia Hausseger, with the two winning authors. I had to … Continue reading Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Publishing Prize 2023 Winning Books Launch with Conversation
Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Winners, 2023, announced
The Winners of the the Prime Minister's Literary Awards for 2023 were announced this evening. The website says that 643 entries were received across six literary categories: fiction, non-fiction, young adult literature, children’s literature, poetry, and Australian history. Each shortlisted entry receives $5,000 with the winner of each category receiving $80,000. The awards are now … Continue reading Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Winners, 2023, announced
Chris Hammer in conversation with Jack Heath
Apologies for those of you expecting a Monday Musings. I did think about it, as this conversation turned out to be a bit of a Chris Hammer retrospective so it could have worked as one of my Monday Musings spotlight-on-an-author post. However, after considering my options, I decided to call this post what it is, … Continue reading Chris Hammer in conversation with Jack Heath
Whispering Gums 