This cumulative kind of effect when you stop: an interview with Emily Maguire on Smoke in the Room, part two

/ Angela Meyer (LiteraryMinded) / 3 Comments

Part One of this interview can be found here. Pictured: Emily Maguire and I before the Sleepers Salon in October. I ask Maguire about the setting. Is it pertinent for this story to be set in Sydney? She says it probably could have been a few cities, but ‘western Sydney is – the cliché is … Continue reading This cumulative kind of effect when you stop: an interview with Emily Maguire on Smoke in the Room, part two

This cumulative kind of effect when you stop: an interview with Emily Maguire on Smoke in the Room, part one

/ Angela Meyer (LiteraryMinded) / 4 Comments

In Smoke in the Room (Aus), three characters end up in a share house in Sydney. Katie works on instinct and is weighted by an overwhelming empathy. Adam, an American, is grieving and needs to save money to get home. Graeme, an aid worker, has rid himself of possessions and simplified his existence. In this … Continue reading This cumulative kind of effect when you stop: an interview with Emily Maguire on Smoke in the Room, part one

Moving house, check out Readings Monthly and diminishing attention spans

/ Angela Meyer (LiteraryMinded) / 2 Comments

Lots of books are getting moved from one place to another this weekend (and categorised and alphabetised) so forgive me for being a bit quiet. It's not online yet, but my feature interview with Alex Miller, on his new novel Lovesong, has just come out in the November issue of Readings Monthly. Pick up a copy … Continue reading Moving house, check out Readings Monthly and diminishing attention spans

Buying time: Liz Sinclair on asking for money to write her book

/ Angela Meyer (LiteraryMinded) / 11 Comments

I was very curious when I heard about Liz Sinclair's project 'Help Me Write My Book'. Like many writers, Liz has to work to support herself, and of course, work takes time away from what she's really wanting to do - write that book. My first reaction, honestly, was something along the lines of 'why does she … Continue reading Buying time: Liz Sinclair on asking for money to write her book

Chairing panels at writers’ festivals: a few things I’ve learnt

/ Angela Meyer (LiteraryMinded) / 11 Comments

Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2009 'Blogging, Dissent & Solidarity' session. Kadek Adidharma, Dian Hartati, yours truly, Ng Yi-Sheng & Antony Loewenstein. Pic from official festival Facebook page. I've attended several writers' festivals over the last three years, and in the past year have begun to chair or sit on panels at some of these. … Continue reading Chairing panels at writers’ festivals: a few things I’ve learnt

Guest review: Lorelei Vashti on Linda Neil’s Learning How to Breathe

/ Angela Meyer (LiteraryMinded) / 3 Comments

9780702237348 UQP September 2009 (Australia) Review by Lorelei Vashti When I was first offered this book to review I thought: Well, Ms Meyer, it seems that not only are you literary-minded but you’re also literally minded, because what you have given me here is a book about a Brisbane girl returning home to her family. … Continue reading Guest review: Lorelei Vashti on Linda Neil’s Learning How to Breathe

Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press – Melbourne screening (win tickets!)

/ Angela Meyer (LiteraryMinded) / 5 Comments

The preview: Obscene is a film biography of Barney Rosset, the influential publisher of Grove Press and the provocative Evergreen Review.  He was the first American publisher of Samuel Beckett, Kenzaburo Oe, Tom Stoppard, Che Guevara, and Malcolm X. He also battled the government to overrule the obscenity ban on groundbreaking works such as Lady Chatterley’s Lover, … Continue reading Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press – Melbourne screening (win tickets!)