Whispering Gums

Books, reading and more … with an Australian focus … written on Ngunnawal Country

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Canadian writers

Every folkie knows … Leonard Cohen

May 27, 2011May 27, 2011 / Whispering Gums / 6 Comments

I recently wrote about the National Folk Festival in relation to Australian stories and history, but I can't resist also writing a little post about "the man" because he was, it seemed, everywhere. I'm exaggerating of course but he - Leonard Cohen, of course - did seem to keep popping up. There were performers who … Continue reading Every folkie knows … Leonard Cohen

Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad

June 25, 2010April 26, 2025 / Whispering Gums / 23 Comments

This is the second time I have read Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad. Much as I enjoyed it the first time around, I probably wouldn't have read it again if it hadn't been scheduled for one of my online bookgroups. However, given that scheduling and the fact that I had recently listened to Simon Armitage's dramatisation … Continue reading Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad

Alice Munro, Dimension

June 23, 2009August 27, 2011 / Whispering Gums / 2 Comments

Alice Munro won this year's Man Booker International Prize. You probably know that she is a Canadian short story writer. I have read many of her short stories over the years, though not as many as I would like. WARNING: SOME SPOILERS! Her short story "Dimension" was published in the New Yorker in 2006, and … Continue reading Alice Munro, Dimension

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Recent Whisperings

  • Stella Prize 2026 Winner announced
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  • Maxine Beneba Clarke, Beautiful changelings (#BookReview)
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  • Vale Michael Sollis (1985-2026)

Latest comments

  1. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Stella Prize 2026 Winner announcedMay 14, 2026

    Yes, and that might mean it won’t be over dinner time.

  2. kimbofo's avatar
    kimbofo on Stella Prize 2026 Winner announcedMay 14, 2026

    Thanks for your report of the event, Sue. I couldn't watch it because the timing coincided with my drive home…

  3. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (17), Women readers (1)May 14, 2026

    Yes, exactly … there are also those who just have to share the way they improved a recipe by adding…

  4. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Maxine Beneba Clarke, Beautiful changelings (#BookReview)May 14, 2026

    Interesting point … I think poetry does lend itself to humour very well because of the opportunity it offers to…

  5. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Monday musings on Australian literature: National Poet Laureate for AustraliaMay 14, 2026

    Thanks Marcie … that gives me an idea of role and visibility.

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Australian Literary Awards for (mostly) Fiction, 2026


The Age Book of the Year:
ALS Gold Medal:
Australian Book Industry Award (Literary Fiction):
Barbara Jefferis Award:
Indie Book Awards (Fiction):
Miles Franklin Award:
NSW Premier's Literary Award (Christina Stead Prize):
Patrick White Award:
Prime Minister's Literary Award:
Queensland Literary (Fiction) Award:
South Australian Literary Awards:
Stella Prize:
Victorian Premier's Literary (Fiction) Award: Omar Musa, Fierceland
Western Australian Premier's Book of the Year Award:

Acknowledgement of Country

I acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the nation in which I live, of land that was never ceded. I honour and respect their cultural heritage, customs and beliefs, and am truly thankful for their ongoing care of this country.

Copyright on my content

This work by Whispering Gums is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 DEED Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareALike 4.0 International

Copyright on images used in this blog

I am careful about the images I use in this blog. Some of them are my own, some I've specifically obtained permission to use from an owner, and some book cover thumbnails are used under fair use provisions. However, I have used others under Creative Commons (and similar licences) when the owners have indicated on their sites/pages that they release their material under such licences. Where possible, I have tried to properly attribute the owners/creators of uploaded images. If you think I have breached your copyright in any way please let me know. Any photos not attributed to others or to public domain are mine. Unless otherwise specified, you are welcome to use them under the Creative Commons license described under Copyright on my content above.

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