Does all lust start and end like this? Don't get me wrong. I loved my wolf. I held him tethered like a pussycat. I nursed the rumble in his belly with hands gentle as a burglar's. He lived on milk and blood and ocean. He had violets for his furs. It's just that he was … Continue reading How to Eat a Wolf by Sharanya Manivannan: a poem
Other People’s Words
Mark Twain made 'em laugh: an edited extract from Susannah Fullerton's Brief Encounters: Literary Travellers in Australia
The following is an edited extract from Brief Encounters: Literary Travellers in Australia by Susannah Fullerton. Published by Picador Australia, June 2009. Mark Twain came to Australia billed as 'the funniest man in the world' and Australians loved his dry humour and stories... Their expectation was by now at fever pitch, their bodies perspiring from … Continue reading Mark Twain made 'em laugh: an edited extract from Susannah Fullerton's Brief Encounters: Literary Travellers in Australia
Notes for Somebody in Berlin: a poem by Bel Schenk
1. You are worth keeping like the ticket stub for this museum. You are worth remembering like the catastrophe I am trying to understand. 2. I tell you about my school. Between the green glow of the exit light and the echoing sounds of Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum I look for families in the … Continue reading Notes for Somebody in Berlin: a poem by Bel Schenk
South-west. A poem by Geoff Lemon
South-west By Geoff Lemon I'm driving south. Or roughly south I'm sure of that. The car's a Mustang, 60s build rich with that old leather smell. Adam West is in the passenger seat, window halfway down. It's night and warm outside. The air rolls in like oil. Adam West is smoking - Chesterfields. Somehow this … Continue reading South-west. A poem by Geoff Lemon
From the LiteraryMinded inbox…
I get emails quite often from people who read LM, usually a few lines saying they enjoy the blog, or letting me know about an event coming up, or a book I might be interested in. But this is by far the best 'fan' email I have gotten, a story in itself. Michael said I could use his … Continue reading From the LiteraryMinded inbox…
Other People's Favourite Books – Chris Pash on Larry McMurty's Lonesome Dove
Tell us a little about yourself and what you do. I did the old-style traditional stint as a cadet journalist on a newspaper but most of my life has been spent doing hard news fast as a newswires reporter, correspondent, bureau chief and editor in charge. Tight 350 word news stories. In the mid 1990s … Continue reading Other People's Favourite Books – Chris Pash on Larry McMurty's Lonesome Dove
Two Short Stories I Like
I came across this wonderful story by Charlotte Wood on her website, after reading The Children, called 'Honeymoon' And winner of the BNZ Katherine Mansfield Novice Writers Award - Joseph Ryan's 'Stranger Than Beautiful'
But in a Fiction, in a Dream of Passion
Last night I went to that gorgeous old theatre The Astor to see the full-length version of Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. I will soon be doing a discussion piece about this version and John Marsden's recent novel adaptation (and express my enthusiasm for Shakespeare in more detail). For now, out of so many powerful scenes, I'll share … Continue reading But in a Fiction, in a Dream of Passion