Just in. The books shortlisted for the 2011 Miles Franklin Literary Award are: Bereft by Chris Womersley That Deadman Dance by Kim Scott When Colts Ran by Roger McDonald Of course, the comment has begun (on Twitter) about the fact that there are only three books. Martin Shaw says (@thebooksdesk) 'A shortlist of 3 becomes … Continue reading Miles Franklin 2011: the short shortlist
Chris Womersley
A mini-diary of Perth Writers Festival 2011
Thursday On the flight over I read Jonah Lehrer, watch Animal Planet and listen to Philip Glass and Emily Haines. Nathan Scolaro picks me up at the airport and on the drive we discuss some of the festival authors. Nathan asks if I've read Armistead Maupin and I say, unfortunately, no. He loves Tales Of … Continue reading A mini-diary of Perth Writers Festival 2011
Chris Womersley’s Bereft
This review first appeared in the August issue of Bookseller+Publisher, and is cross-posted over at Bookseller+Publisher's Fancy Goods blog. Bereft Chris Womersley Scribe, September 2010 (Australia) 9781921640605 Chris Womersley’s Bereft, his second novel after 2008’s award-winning The Low Road, is a rich, gripping tale of love, loss, conflict and salvation. The prologue states that in 1912, during a … Continue reading Chris Womersley’s Bereft
Last weekend’s literary connectivity, and what I’ve been reading lately
On the weekend I was up in sunny Brisbane for the Australian Booksellers Association 2010 conference. It’s a conference for members and friends of the ABA – so, booksellers, publishers, and some librarians and media. I was officially there as a ‘blogger’ – on a panel called ‘Customers, Connections and Communities’, with Andrew McDonald from … Continue reading Last weekend’s literary connectivity, and what I’ve been reading lately
Guest review: Elena Gomez on Kill Your Darlings Issue One
I was really excited when Ange asked me to review the very first issue of new literary journal Kill Your Darlings, created by some hip Melbourne literary-types, edited by Affirm Press’s Rebecca Starford. Then I read its opening article: Gideon Haigh’s scathing piece on the Australian book review landscape. I got a little stage fright … Continue reading Guest review: Elena Gomez on Kill Your Darlings Issue One
Guest review: Tom Conyers on Readings and Writings: Forty Years in Books
Jason Cotter and Michael Williams (eds) 2009 9781740668217 With Readings and Writings: Forty Years in Books, there doesn’t appear to have been an overriding theme or subject limitation placed on the contributors. Instead, the writers involved, who have all had supportive associations with Readings Books & Music (Melbourne) over the years, are given free reign. … Continue reading Guest review: Tom Conyers on Readings and Writings: Forty Years in Books