Commenting on my post on Telling indigenous Australian stories, Australian author Carmel Bird mentioned her 1998 book The stolen children, describing it as her contribution "to the spreading of indigenous stories through the wider Australian culture". It contains stories told to, and contained in the report of, the National Enquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and … Continue reading Carmel Bird (ed), The stolen children: Their stories (#BookReview)
Australian writers
Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post from ACT Lit-blogger Emma Gibson
With the ACT Lit-bloggers of the Future program in its closing months, I thought it would be lovely for you to hear directly from Emma and Angharad via a guest post, and they both agreed. First up is Emma - and she chose to write about ... The great Australian writer you’ve (possibly) never heard of: Randolph … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post from ACT Lit-blogger Emma Gibson
Ellen van Neerven (ed.), Writing black (#BookReview)
Writing black: New indigenous writing from Australia is one of the productions supported by the Queensland Writers Centre's if:book that I wrote about in a recent Monday Musings. It's an interactive e-book created using Apple's iBooks platform, and can be downloaded free-of-charge via the if:book page or directly from iBooks. Writing black was edited (and commissioned) by Ellen van … Continue reading Ellen van Neerven (ed.), Writing black (#BookReview)
Catherine McKinnon, Storyland (#BookReview)
It is still somewhat controversial for non-indigenous Australian authors to include indigenous characters and concerns in their fiction, as Catherine McKinnon does in Storyland. But there are good arguments for their doing so. One is that not including indigenous characters continues the dispossession that started with white settlement. Another is that such fiction brings indigenous characters and … Continue reading Catherine McKinnon, Storyland (#BookReview)
Heather Rose, The museum of modern love (#BookReview)
As I neared the end of Heather Rose's Stella Prize-winning novel The museum of modern love, I slowed down. I wanted, of course, to know how it was going to resolve, but I wanted to savour it too. It doesn't seem right to rush the end of thoughtful books like this. But, I have to … Continue reading Heather Rose, The museum of modern love (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Memorable Australian characters
The inspiration for today's somewhat fun post, came from something more serious, Kim Scott's Ray Mathew lecture that I attended last week. As I was waiting in the National Library's gorgeous theatre waiting for the lecture to start, I found myself thinking about Bobby in Scott's novel That deadman dance. What I realised was that … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Memorable Australian characters
Phil Day, A chink in a daisy-chain (#BookReview)
You've "met" Phil Day, author of A chink in a daisy-chain, here before. He illustrated co-publisher Julian Davies' Crow mellow (my review) and Hartmann Wallis' Who said what, exactly, which I reviewed very recently. This time, though, Day is author as well as illustrator. It's a fun, mind-bending book - with the fun starting on … Continue reading Phil Day, A chink in a daisy-chain (#BookReview)
Canberra Writers Festival, 2017, Day 2, Pt 2: Two book launches
At last year's festival, I attended a few excellent book launches, and so decided to do so again. Authors need all the support they can get after all. Book launch: Ian Burnet: Where Australia collides with Asia The first of today's two launches was for a book with a very long title, by geologist Ian … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival, 2017, Day 2, Pt 2: Two book launches
Canberra Writers Festival 2017, Day 2, Pt 1: A conversation with Tony Jones
Choices, choices. Such a surfeit of riches across such dispersed venues made today a difficult one. In the end I had to make the tough decision to not see Jane Rawson, whose session was across the lake, though it broke my heart. My decision was made harder by the fact that as I was drafting … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2017, Day 2, Pt 1: A conversation with Tony Jones
Canberra Writers Festival 2017, Day 1: A panel and a conversation
It's on again - the newly revamped Canberra Writers Festival, I mean. Due to a family commitment in Melbourne, from which I only returned at midday today, I didn't get to some of the first day's prime events. I missed, for example, a conversation with Graeme Simsion. I also missed a wonderful sounding panel titled … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2017, Day 1: A panel and a conversation
Whispering Gums 