Those of us who follow Jessica White have been waiting for the biography of nineteenth century botanist, Georgiana Molloy, that we know she has been researching, but then, almost out of the blue, appeared something a little different, a collection of ecobiographical essays titled, Silence is my habitat. Published under the beautiful Upswell imprint, Silence … Continue reading Jessica White, Silence is my habitat (#BookReview)
Australian writers
Carmel Bird, Crimson velvet heart (#BookReview)
If you have read Carmel Bird's memoir Telltale (my review), you will know about her love of story, particularly of history, and fairy story, and legends. You will also know about her love of objects, of beautiful objects or strange ones, and of the meanings embodied within them. And, if you have read anything by … Continue reading Carmel Bird, Crimson velvet heart (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 16, Edna Davies
Of all the forgotten writers I’ve researched, Edna Davies proved by far the most difficult. Even AustLit had nothing on her besides a list of a few works, but she intrigued me so I soldiered on. This post, like most of my recent Forgotten Writers posts, a revision, with a little bit of added information, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 16, Edna Davies
Angus Gaunt, Anna (#BookReview)
Last month, I posted on the winners of the 2025 Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Publishing Prize, of which Angus Gaunt's Anna was one. I am thrilled with this prize, not only because I love the novella form, but because of the variety of stories we are seeing. So far the fiction winners have been an historical … Continue reading Angus Gaunt, Anna (#BookReview)
Teffi, The examination (#Review, #1925 Club)
Mostly for the Year Clubs, I read an Australian short story, usually from one of my anthologies. However, for 1925, I couldn't find anything in my anthologies, so turned to other newspaper-based sources, including Trove, but I mainly found romances or works that were difficult to access. And then, out of the blue, I found … Continue reading Teffi, The examination (#Review, #1925 Club)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 15, Tarella Daskein
I first came across Tarella Daskein back in 2021 when Bill (The Australian Legend) wrote a post about her as the result of her coming up in discussions and reading about Katharine Susannah Prichard. She then slipped my mind until a couple of months ago when I was searching around for a subject for my … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 15, Tarella Daskein
Prime Minister’s Literary Awards 2025, Winners
In lieu of my usual Monday Musings post, I am reporting on the 2025 Prime Minister's Literary Awards which were announced this evening, and which I attended via the live-stream from the Creative Australia website. I shared the short list several weeks ago, so I won't repeat those here. The awards ceremony was a long … Continue reading Prime Minister’s Literary Awards 2025, Winners
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 14, Gertrude Mack
Gertrude Mack is the third of the Mack literary sisters, and by far the least known, though at the time she was well-recognised, with her activities and thoughts frequently reported in the newspapers. Her "disappearance" from view is most likely because, unlike her sisters, all her writing was for newspapers and magazines. She did not … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 14, Gertrude Mack
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 13, Amy Mack
In the first decades of the 20th century, a family of sisters made some splash on Australia's literary scene. I have already written about the eldest of them - Louise Mack - but there were also Amy (this post's subject) and Gertrude, all of whom appeared in newspapers of the time as writers of interest. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 13, Amy Mack
Helen Trinca, Looking for Elizabeth: The life of Elizabeth Harrower (#BookReview)
Like many, I was astonished when I read Elizabeth Harrower's The watchtower (my review), upon its publication by Text Classics in 2012. Astonished not so much for its writing, though that is excellent, but for its subject, which is what we'd now call coercive control. The astonishment comes from the fact that The watchtower was … Continue reading Helen Trinca, Looking for Elizabeth: The life of Elizabeth Harrower (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 