(Richard Flanagan, National Press Club address) Indigenous Australia has, after great thought and wide discussion, asked that it be heard, and that this take the form of an advisory body to parliament – a body that would be recognised in the constitution. Indigenous Australia wasn’t even recorded as a general… Continue reading
Emmett Stinson, The Guardian, Thursday 5th April, 2018 Murnane is a deeply eccentric character; as he told the Times, “I think you can probably see that I’m sane, but I say and believe things that insane people believe.” After the death of his wife of 43 years, he moved to… Continue reading
It is Saturday, when Australian writer Richard Flanagan meets Yu Hua for the first time during an event at a Beijing bookstore. They seem to find a lot in common and any third person is unnecessary in their exchanges. They just know the right questions to ask one another. Read… Continue reading
Lyn Reeves, book launch: “On March 17th I had the privilege of launching Jane Williams’ new haiku collection, Echoes of Flight in the bushland setting of Waterworks Reserve, on a day of perfect autumn sunshine sharpened with the pungency of eucalyptus leaves and blossom.” More at Australian Haiku Society
In Geneva, the UN children’s fund issued a blank “statement” to express its outrage at the casualties among Syrian children, saying it had run out of words. Kareem Shaheen, The Guardian, 20th Feb 2018, reporting on continued fighting in eastern Ghouta, Syria
If you’re in Hobart on Thursday March 1st and in the mood for some standout poetry, join us for the launch – by Jane Williams – of Tim Thorne’s newest collection of poetry ‘Running out of Entropy’ (Walleah Press) at 5:30 pm at Hobart Bookshop, 22 Salamanca Square. This is… Continue reading
[5th Feb 2018] – Varuna announces its Publisher Introduction Program for 2018 Varuna is pleased to announce the shortlist for the Publisher Introduction Program (PIP 2018). This year we selected 25 unpublished manuscripts written by new or emerging Australian writers to send to our eight publishing partners. From these shortlisted… Continue reading
A new issue of Plumwood Mountain, self-described as ‘An Australian Journal of Ecopoetry and Ecopoetics’, is now live with 31 poems guest edited by Michael Farrell on the theme ‘Poetry and Consumption’, a bumper set of 20 book reviews, an essay on Amitav Ghosh by Jennifer Mackenzie and the section… Continue reading
Dolores O’Riordan, Hugh Masekela, Mark E. Smith….
Initially, Rebecca Watts, ‘The Cult of the Noble Amateur’, PN Review 239 and Hollie McNish’s response, PN Review Melanie Branton, Accessibility vs elitism The Guardian, ‘Poetry world split over polemic attacking amateur work by young female poets Responses by Don Paterson and Rebecca Watts, The BBC A Poetry Foundation response,… Continue reading
