Sigrid Nunez has been on my radar for a long time. So, why now? I blame Jonathan (Me Fail? I Fly!), since it was his post on Nunez's latest novel, The vulnerables, that captured my attention and encouraged me to make now her time. What an intriguing book! I have no idea whether it is … Continue reading Sigrid Nunez, The vulnerables (#BookReview)
COVID-19
Monday musings on Australian literature: The Guardian Australia’s Unmissables (2)
Two years ago, I wrote a post on The Guardian Australia's Unmissables series, which was initiated in 2019 and aimed to highlight 12 new releases they deem "significant". The series was supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund. I wondered at the end of my previous post whether the project would continue after the initial … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The Guardian Australia’s Unmissables (2)
Living under COVID-19 (5): Holds on happiness
It's nearly a year since I wrote a COVID-19 post. I nearly wrote one a few months ago when things were going COVID-normal smoothly, by which I mean our lives were minimally restricted, with daily life being as free as we could hope given the world-wide situation. We (I mean we Ken Behrens) were visiting … Continue reading Living under COVID-19 (5): Holds on happiness
F*ck Covid: An Online Literary Affair (2)
This is the second of my two posts on the F*CK COVID online-only event. My first post introduced it and covered the fiction session. This post will report on the non-fiction session. I'll start by noting that while the first session involved established authors, this one, I think it's fair to say, involved emerging writers, who … Continue reading F*ck Covid: An Online Literary Affair (2)
F*ck Covid: An Online Literary Affair (1)
An initiative of the ACT Writers Centre and its Creative Producer Nigel Featherstone, F*CK COVID, was an online-only event. It comprised two panel discussions, featuring "four of Australia’s most exciting literary voices", one focused on fiction, and the other non-fiction. I will report on these in separate posts. Both sessions included the authors reading from their books … Continue reading F*ck Covid: An Online Literary Affair (1)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading and publishing, pandemic-wise
In his 1946 essay, "The prevention of literature", George Orwell named "the unwillingness of the public to spend money on books" as one of the threats to literature. I commented in my post that I didn't know how that stood now in England, but that I thought Australians were currently buying books. The week's Monday … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading and publishing, pandemic-wise
The Griffyns are back – with Songs from a Stolen Senate
COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the performing arts industry, as we all know, and that, of course, included our beloved Griffyn Ensemble. However, they clearly didn't spend the time twiddling their thumbs, because this weekend they returned to live performance at the new Belco Arts Theatre. What a thrill it was to see and hear these … Continue reading The Griffyns are back – with Songs from a Stolen Senate
Living under COVID-19 (4)
It's some months since I wrote a "living under COVID-19" post, as things have been pretty much pottering along here in the Australian Capital Territory, but I've decided it's time to do an update (for posterity if for no other reason.) COVID-normal There's been much talk about living under COVID-normal, though what that means is, … Continue reading Living under COVID-19 (4)
Yarra Valley Writers Festival 2020 (Online): New Release Sundays: Robert Dessaix
Back in May, I attended several sessions of the Yarra Valley Writers Festival (YVWF), a COVID-19 bonus, as most of you know. The Festival also runs two regular events, a weekly New Release Sundays and a monthly Bookclub. I haven't managed to attend any, until today, which involved Festival Ambassador Michael Veitch speaking with Australian … Continue reading Yarra Valley Writers Festival 2020 (Online): New Release Sundays: Robert Dessaix
Melbourne Writers Festival 2020: Navigating our future
I didn't think I'd get to this session, but when my regular Thursday evening commitment was cancelled, I knew exactly what to do ... Navigating our future (Thursday 13 August 6-7pm) This intriguingly titled session was described as follows: Australian literature provides a means through which we might better understand ourselves, and our relationships with … Continue reading Melbourne Writers Festival 2020: Navigating our future
Whispering Gums 