I can't believe it's been a year since I attended an ANU/The Canberra Times Meet the Author event, but this year has been packed. Finally, though, we were free on at the right time - and the event happened to be one of high interest for me, Melissa Lucashenko being interviewed about her latest book, … Continue reading Melissa Lucashenko in conversation with Alex Sloan
Literary events
Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 4, Into the Wild
How good was it that my two sessions today involved books my reading group has done this year, Debra Dank's We come with this place, and, in this session, Robbie Arnott's Limberlost. The session, subtitled "Robbie Arnott in conversation with Astrid Edwards", sounded broader in ambit: Robbie Arnott’s fiction is steeped in the wild: women … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 4, Into the Wild
Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 3, A Jewel of a Book
Which book you are presumably wondering? The session's subtitle will give you a hint: Debra Dank in Conversation with Evelyn Araluen. The book, then, is Debra Dank's We come with this place, which won a record four prizes in this year's NSW Premier's Literary Awards (as I described in my post). The session description commenced … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 3, A Jewel of a Book
Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 2, Celebrating the classics
When I saw the line-up for this session - Debra Dank, Evelyn Araluen, Ellen Van Neerven and Yasmin Smith - I was in. I have read and admired writing by three of these writers and was keen to attend that rare thing, an all First Nations panel. Its topic was described as follows: A new … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 2, Celebrating the classics
Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 1, Canberra’s Biggest Book Club
A preamble The Canberra Writers Festival is back in 2023, with a new Artistic Director, the writer and critic Beejay Silcox. The Festival's theme continues to be "Power Politics Passion", which, for this year's Festival organisers, begs big questions: What do we value? Whose stories are heard? How do we reckon with the past and … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 1, Canberra’s Biggest Book Club
Monday musings on Australian literature: Poetry Month 2023
This year Red Room Poetry is running their third annual National Poetry Month. How excellent is that? I don't know how successful it is at reaching its goal of increasing "access, awareness and visibility of poetry in all its forms and for all audiences" but sometimes you just have to hang in there and build … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Poetry Month 2023
ACT Notable Book Awards 2023
Board Chair Emma Batchelor, and acting CEO Katy Mutton, at the Awards Tonight I attended the presentation of the ACT Notable Book Awards which are made by Marion (the ACT Writers Centre). It was a well-organised event, but had a wonderfully natural and friendly feel to it at the same time, appeals to me. I'll … Continue reading ACT Notable Book Awards 2023
Stella Prize 2023 Winner announced
The 2023 Stella Prize winner was announced tonight and, for the second year in a row, it's a poetry collection ... Sarah Holland-Batt's The jaguar Darn it! I nearly bought it last weekend when I was at the National Library but with my move and having stuff everywhere, I put it back down again and … Continue reading Stella Prize 2023 Winner announced
Stella Prize 2023 Shortlist announced
It says something about my discombobulated year that I didn’t post on the Stella Prize longlist. And then, I was packing for Melbourne this morning while I listened to the shortlist announcement on ABC RN Breakfast. (Something new I think for Stella.) I didn't have time to stop and write my post, then, but here … Continue reading Stella Prize 2023 Shortlist announced
Meet the Author: Dervla McTiernan
You’ve heard me say it before and I’m sure to say it again, I am not a “crime reader” - but I do read crime novels when something about them catches my attention. I have been interested to read Irish-born Australian writer Dervla McTiernan since her first book started appearing with positive reviews on the … Continue reading Meet the Author: Dervla McTiernan
Whispering Gums 