Faces in the Water – Janet Frame (1961) Skills acquired by reading: ~ The way to create an external world and circumstances that symbolise or reflect an internal one. ~ The way to express loneliness, emptiness, and deprivation in subtle, tugging ways. ~ The way to write about large-scale oppression and unfairness in society by … Continue reading Literature Aspiring Writers Should Read – Part 2
Author: Angela Meyer (LiteraryMinded)
Reflection, Pleasure and Inevitability – a film review of Evening and Venus
Evening (directed by Lajos Koltia, screenplay by Susan Minot and Michael Cunningham) and Venus (directed by Roger Michell, screenplay by Hanif Kureishi) were released on DVD in Australia in January 2008. When you are in your final years, is there any point in regret? You have made choices in regards to love, lifestyle and … Continue reading Reflection, Pleasure and Inevitability – a film review of Evening and Venus
Punk Romance and Time Travel – an interview with Audrey Niffenegger
The Time Traveler's Wife is a highly absorbing read with quirk, warmth and genuine romance. It follows the connecting stories of Henry, who suffers from spontaneous time travel, and Clare, his destined partner. LiteraryMinded caught up with Audrey Niffenegger somewhere in time and space to ask her a few questions about the novel... The … Continue reading Punk Romance and Time Travel – an interview with Audrey Niffenegger
The Spell Book of Listen Taylor – Jaclyn Moriarty
Macmillan, September 2007, 9780330423489 (Young Adult) (Review first published in Viewpoint, vol. 15, no. 4, Summer 2007) The Zing family have a secret. Every Friday night they meet in the garden shed to discuss it. Listen Taylor’s Dad has just moved in with Marbie Zing. Listen wonders if it might be the secret of happy … Continue reading The Spell Book of Listen Taylor – Jaclyn Moriarty
Lunar Eclipse – a poem
puppets of vertigo under the lipsticked corpse of an eclipsed moon shadowed by us how small we are and yet our silhoette casts curved three-dimensional taint sultana or ovalteenie (i minimise it) with a light cusp a moon party - the sun is playing puppets with us it is tongue on teeth, red painted fingernail … Continue reading Lunar Eclipse – a poem
The Outsider by Albert Camus – An 'I’ve Always Wanted to Read That' Review
(first published 1942) Penguin Classics, 9780141182506 (Aus, US) Mr. Meursault lives out his life fulfilling ‘natural’ physical and emotional urges. He is in a comfortable position at work and feels no need to advance himself. He has a girlfriend who he may marry, but is honestly not sure whether he loves her. He has buried … Continue reading The Outsider by Albert Camus – An 'I’ve Always Wanted to Read That' Review
Birthday – Short Story – extract
My short story Birthday has appeared in Lip magazine #14 available from their website. Lip is a young feminist magazine, for real girls. My story is about a girl on her eighteenth birthday. She grieves for the loss of her childhood in five stages. Here is an extract: Birthday stage one Alice awoke expecting excitement … Continue reading Birthday – Short Story – extract
Pecking – a poem
loathed marrow jealous crystals pecking sparrows future nitpick, which way what? golden pathways human blocks tongue out for adventure feed please feed? battering cages withering away pecking at seeds
Update – Dec 07
A bit of background and an update to regular readers - I wrote the poem (Pecking, next post) while in a relationship. Some of you know I have recently come out of this relationship. It is strange to look back on my writing when I was with him. There is no doubt that I loved … Continue reading Update – Dec 07
The Room by Ray Melnik
2007, 9781589615427 There are people who can write, and there are ‘writers’. Ray Melnik uses his imagination to spin a yarn around issues and interests he is passionate about. The Room is definitely readable, and interesting, but the word ‘quaint’ comes to mind. The narrative revolves around Harry, a decent man from an abusive background. … Continue reading The Room by Ray Melnik
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