The shortlist for the 2013 Carmel Bird Short Fiction Award has just been announced on the Spineless Wonders website. These are all excellent, imaginative stories, and I'm so excited that they will be joining those by the invited writers published in The Great Unknown (including Carmel Bird herself). They range from an existential story from the POV of … Continue reading Carmel Bird Award shortlist
books
Edinburgh International Book Festival 2013
I'll be brief as I'm on the road and very busy, but hopefully will write soon to tell you about going to the V&A in London to see the Bowie exhibition, and visiting Stratford-upon-Avon—Shakespeare's birthplace and grave! I just wanted to put up the panels/interviews I'm hosting at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this year, … Continue reading Edinburgh International Book Festival 2013
Hungry hearts: Big Ray and Big Brother, guest post by Kylie Mirmohamadi
Michael Kimball, Big Ray, Bloomsbury Circus, 2012, 9781408828052 (paperback, ebook) Lionel Shriver, Big Brother: A Novel, HarperCollins, 2013, 9780732296384 (paperback) Guest post by Kylie Mirmohamadi An armchair, lumpy with indents left by a sitter of some bulk, adorns the cover of Michael Kimball’s 2012 novel about grief and a childhood shaped by the looming presence of an abusive … Continue reading Hungry hearts: Big Ray and Big Brother, guest post by Kylie Mirmohamadi
SWF 2013: writing & philosophy
Cross-posted on the Stoffers blog. — At the Sydney Writers’ Festival last week I went along to a session on writing and philosophy, and I thought a summary of the insights (and work of the panellists) might be of interest to some of you. The moderator was Joe Gelonesi from ABC Radio National’s The Philosopher’s Zone and the panellists were … Continue reading SWF 2013: writing & philosophy
Word-cloud: Steeplechase by Krissy Kneen
— You might also like: Love, sex and intimacy with Krissy Kneen, author of Affection (a ‘responsive’ interview) (2009) Swallow the Sound review (2007)
Explaining myself and my many hats
I was recently asked to write a blog post for Collaboration, the blog of the Book Industry Collaborative Council (BICC), explaining what I do and how I came to be involved in so many different facets of the book industry. It took me a while, as it felt strange to 'explain myself'! If you are curious … Continue reading Explaining myself and my many hats
The books of life: By the Book by Ramona Koval
This feature interview was first published in The Big Issue no. 421. Text Publishing 9781922079060 November 2012 (buy hardcover, ebook) Ramona Koval’s enthusiastic explorations of literature would be familiar not only to those who enjoyed her long-running ABC Radio National program, The Book Show, but also to audiences at writers’ festivals around the world. As an interviewer, … Continue reading The books of life: By the Book by Ramona Koval
20 classics #15: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
I’m reading 20 classic, modern-classic or cult books. Read more about this project here. See the other classics here. Why did I want to read it? Because I already know and love the story so well (mainly via Scrooged and A Muppet Christmas Carol) and I’ve been meaning to read the original around Christmas-time for years! When was it published? First … Continue reading 20 classics #15: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The alpha brother: Annabel Smith on Whisky Charlie Foxtrot
Fremantle Press, November 2012 9781922089144 (buy paperback, ebook) Whisky and Charlie are identical twins, but they couldn't be more different. Whisky is in a coma after a serious accident, and Charlie has to face up to the kind of brother—and person—he's become. Whisky Charlie Foxtrot moves between the brothers' earlier lives and their difficult present. It's a great … Continue reading The alpha brother: Annabel Smith on Whisky Charlie Foxtrot
The Age Book of the Year Awards
This is cross-posted from the Melbourne Writers Festival 2012 blog. The Age Book of the Year awards were announced last night at the Melbourne Writers Festival 2012 opening event, prior to Simon Callow’s enthusiastic, informative Keynote speech on Charles Dickens. The awards, now in their 38th year and highly regarded, were presented by Age literary editor Jason Steger. They went … Continue reading The Age Book of the Year Awards
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