Every now and then I feature a specific writer in my Monday Musings - and they've usually been women because they tend to be overlooked. Take Jessica Anderson (1916-2010), for example. Most keen AusLit readers will know her because her novel Tirra lirra by the river made quite a splash when it was published in 1978, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Jessica Anderson
Women writers
Dorothy Porter, On passion (Review)
Do you read "little" books? You know those small books that are carefully placed on bookstore sales counters where you are buying the book you really came for? I don't often, but every now and then one catches my eye. Today's review is of such a book from Melbourne University Press's Little books on big themes … Continue reading Dorothy Porter, On passion (Review)
Delicious Descriptions from Down Under: Francesca Rendle-Short on writing
In my recent review of Francesca Rendle-Short's fiction-cum-memoir, Bite your tongue, I concluded on the suggestion that for Rendle-Short the act of writing, as well as of reading, "changes things". Today I thought I'd share two excerpts from her novel that confirm this, one from her fictional persona of Glory, and the other from her … Continue reading Delicious Descriptions from Down Under: Francesca Rendle-Short on writing
Bettye Rice Hughes, A Negro tourist in Dixie (Review)
I have plenty to read at the moment, but when I see a Library of America story come through that is set in the early days of the Civil Rights Movement in the American South, well, I can't resist. I've never heard of  the author Bettye Rice Hughes, which turns out to be not surprising … Continue reading Bettye Rice Hughes, A Negro tourist in Dixie (Review)
Kyung-Sook Shin, Please look after mom (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Image by Matt Todd of A Novel Approach Am I right in thinking that mothers are more often the subject of novels and memoirs than fathers? Or, is it just that I'm a woman and am subconsciously (or even consciously, if I'm honest) drawn to the topic? Of course, with the Shadow Man Asian Literary … Continue reading Kyung-Sook Shin, Please look after mom (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australia’s first Children’s Laureates
It has been so busy here at Monday Musings that I am late with this announcement ... but that doesn't mean it's not worth making! On December 6th, 2011, the idea of an Australian Children's Laureate was inaugurated with the appointment of not one, but two, children's authors to the role. They are Alison Lester … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australia’s first Children’s Laureates
Francesca Rendle-Short, Bite your tongue (Review)
How much do you think about the first sentence of your review? Like me, you probably try to find some anchor or point of interest to lead off from, but my problem with novelist-journalist Francesca Rendle-Short's fiction-cum-memoir, Bite your tongue, is that I have too many angles to choose from. Which one do I use? Do … Continue reading Francesca Rendle-Short, Bite your tongue (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post from Kim of Reading Matters
This week's Monday musings brings you my fourth guest post, this time from Kim of Reading Matters. Like Guy, Kim started commenting on my blog in its infancy and I soon discovered that this blogger from England was actually an Australian. Naturally we developed a rapport. I have appreciated Kim's support of my blog - … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post from Kim of Reading Matters
Monday musings on Australian literature: Some Australian Literature online events for 2012
What better way to kick off Monday Musings in 2012 than by heralding some exciting Australian Literature initiatives from around the 'net. Here they are, in no particular order: Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012Â by Elizabeth Lhuede. Her aim is to promote women writers across all fields and genres of writing. The challenge involves signing up … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Some Australian Literature online events for 2012
Ana Menéndez, Celebrations of Thanksgiving: Cuban offerings
I love food and I enjoy reading about food. I particularly enjoy reading about food - and food traditions - from other cultures. And so, when Ana Menéndez's story popped up on the Library of America last month I made a note to read it. The last piece of food writing that I read from LOA, … Continue reading Ana Menéndez, Celebrations of Thanksgiving: Cuban offerings
