When this post goes live (during NAIDOC Week) I will be in Australia's Top End, touring a region called Arnhem Land - and will most likely be incommunicado. Located in the north-east of the Northern Territory, it is named after the ship captained by Dutchman William van Colster who visited the area in 1623. The … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: about Arnhem Land
Six degrees of separation, FROM Tales of the city TO …
It's July - a cold month in my city - but when this post is published I won't be there. I'll be in the far north, about to start a 12-day tour of Arnhem Land which is not only a fascinating place to visit, but a warm one! However, I didn't want to miss this … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Tales of the city TO …
Michelle Scott Tucker, Elizabeth Macarthur: A life at the edge of the world (#BookReview)
There's something special about reading a good, engaging history - and this is how I'd describe debut author Michelle Scott Tucker's biography Elizabeth Macarthur: A life at the edge of the world. There are, in fact, three prongs to my statement, namely, it is history, it is good history, and it is engaging history. I … Continue reading Michelle Scott Tucker, Elizabeth Macarthur: A life at the edge of the world (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: New Territory 2018
Last year, some of you will remember, I was a mentor for the ACT Writers' Centre ACT Lit-bloggers of the future program. It was great fun, and I really enjoyed working with Angharad and Emma over the six-months the program lasted. I wrote a couple of posts about the program, but if you'd like to … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: New Territory 2018
My literary week (12), some art, a film, and an unseen play
Much as I'd like to, I don't have time to write full posts on the three "events" I'm writing about today, but I do want to at least document them. I don't, in fact, document every film, show or exhibition I attend but I have particular reasons, which will hopefully become obvious, for wanting to … Continue reading My literary week (12), some art, a film, and an unseen play
Randolph Stow, The merry-go-round in the sea (#BookReview)
Randolph Stow is a writer I've been meaning to read for the longest time - since, would you believe, the 1970s? Embarrassing, really, given his significance. My plan had always been to read his Miles Franklin award-winning novel To the islands first. However, the first I actually bought was The merry-go-round in the sea - back in … Continue reading Randolph Stow, The merry-go-round in the sea (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: VerityLa
I've mentioned the literary blog-cum-journal, VerityLa, a few times before here, partly because one of its founders is local writer, Nigel Featherstone. For those of you who haven't come across it, however, it is, in its own words, "an on-line, no-way-for-profit, creative arts journal, publishing short fiction and poetry, cultural comment, photomedia, reviews, and interviews." I … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: VerityLa
Jan Wallace Dickinson, The sweet hills of Florence (#BookReview)
There are several reasons why I enjoyed Jan Wallace Dickinson's historical novel The sweet hills of Florence, the first being Florence itself. I fell in love with Italy in Florence. Brunelleschi's dome, Giotto's belltower, the Uffizi and all the other gorgeous places of art and architecture, not to mention the food, combined to capture my heart. … Continue reading Jan Wallace Dickinson, The sweet hills of Florence (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Grace Gibson
Today's post was inspired by a tweet, yesterday, from the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB). Using the hashtag #OTD (On This Day), they promoted their entry on Grace Gibson who was born on 17 June (in 1905.) Not only was that tweet a blast from my working-life past, but it also introduced an aspect of … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Grace Gibson
Miles Franklin Award 2018 Shortlist
Having posted this year's Miles Franklin Award Longlist I decided I may as well keep on with it! After all, it is, probably, Australia's most watched award. The shortlist was announced in Canberra tonight - not that I was invited! Here is the list: Felicity Castagna's No more boats (Giramondo) (Lisa has reviewed) Michelle de … Continue reading Miles Franklin Award 2018 Shortlist
Whispering Gums 