I attended the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards last night. I drank a lot of red wine, Casey Bennetto sang, awards were given, people got emotional, Peter Temple was hilarious, there was a dessert buffet, and Penguin CEO Gabrielle Coyne and I had a conversation about Michael Jackson. The Wheeler Centre, administering the awards for the first … Continue reading The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2010
Month: September 2010
Guest review: Sam Cooney on The Lifted Brow no. 7
The Lifted Brow no. 7 ed. Ronnie Scott 2010 (website) Reviewed by Sam Cooney The Lifted Brow no. 7. It’s good. (Could I leave it at that? Yes.) Ronnie Scott’s short editorial is about penises, sneakers and a forgotten Halloween special. I will extract two declarations from the editorial that sum up this Brow: 'I’ve never … Continue reading Guest review: Sam Cooney on The Lifted Brow no. 7
Some notes on the 'new world' of publishing
On the weekend I was a guest of the Write Around the Murray Festival in Albury. Besides giving a blogging/social media workshop, I was on a panel called The New World of Publishing alongside author Cate Kennedy, zinester Anna Poletti, self-published memoirist Melinda Marengo, and Barry Dorr and Jo Costello from JoJo Publishing. I thought I'd … Continue reading Some notes on the 'new world' of publishing
Investing in rainbows: Lisa Lang’s Utopian Man
Utopian Man Lisa Lang Allen & Unwin 9781742373348 2010 (Australia) Edward Cole was the forward-thinking, optimistic and eccentric founder of Cole’s Book Arcade – a utopian hive of 1880’s Melbourne. In the Arcade was stacked all manner of books (which were able to be perused on in-store lounges), pamphlets (including challenging, self-published explorations by Cole), and eventually, … Continue reading Investing in rainbows: Lisa Lang’s Utopian Man
Writers for Burma, Wheeler Centre Program Three & other upcoming events
There are many events on the Melbourne literary calendar and mostly I'll track what looks interesting on Twitter, but there are a few coming up I'd like to devote a bit more space to... On October 3 is Writers for Burma, at the Bella Union Bar, Trades Hall, Carlton, from 2:30pm. MC and organiser Paul Mitchell … Continue reading Writers for Burma, Wheeler Centre Program Three & other upcoming events
Guest review: Chris Flynn on Justin Cronin’s The Passage
The Passage Justin Cronin (Aus, US) Orion 9780752897851 Reviewed by Chris Flynn It’s funny how movies influence books so much these days. The fact that The Passage was optioned by Sir Ridley Scott for $1.75 million within a week of Cronin settling on a $3.75 million publishing deal for his vampire apocalypse trilogy is unsurprising … Continue reading Guest review: Chris Flynn on Justin Cronin’s The Passage
‘What is a short story?’ Jon Bauer’s Sleepers Almanac and app launch speech
Last night, author Jon Bauer (Rocks in the Belly, Scribe) launched the sixth Sleepers Almanac and the new Sleepers literary app at the Bella Union Bar, Trades Hall, Melbourne. I thought his speech was wonderful, so with Jon's kind permission, here it is for you all to read: Have you ever had that moment on a … Continue reading ‘What is a short story?’ Jon Bauer’s Sleepers Almanac and app launch speech
Guest review: Lyndon Riggall on Kelly Link’s The Wrong Grave
The Wrong Grave Kelly Link Text 9781921520730 (Aus) Reviewed by Lyndon Riggall It took me a little while to work out exactly what The Wrong Grave was. A book of short stories, yes. But why these stories, and why in this order? You see, some of the tales featured here appear in her book Pretty Monsters and others … Continue reading Guest review: Lyndon Riggall on Kelly Link’s The Wrong Grave
