I'm fairly time-poor at the moment, but I wanted to at least make a small note about a couple of books I've read lately in preparation for the Sydney Writers' Festival next week! The Fine Colour of Rust, PA O'Reilly, Blue Door, 9780007434930, March 2012 (buy paperback, ebook) I'm a big fan of Paddy O'Reilly's … Continue reading Recently read: The Fine Colour of Rust by PA O’Reilly & What the Family Needed by Steven Amsterdam
Paddy O’Reilly
Sydney Writers’ Festival 2012: tickets on sale
I've attended the Sydney Writers' Festival as 'media' before but this year I'll get to chat with some great authors on stage. I'm chairing three panels in one day, Thursday 17 May. If you see me that night, don't be surprised if I'm drunk or asleep in the corner of the hotel bar. Two of … Continue reading Sydney Writers’ Festival 2012: tickets on sale
Peter Goldsworthy on Gravel
Gravel Peter Goldsworthy Hamish Hamilton March 2010 (Australia) 9781926428192 Gravel is Peter Goldsworthy's new collection of short stories - amusing and moving - covering a range of predominantly white middle-class characters in conflict with their own egos. But there are also stories exploring erotic awakening (something Goldsworthy did well in Everything I Knew) and others where … Continue reading Peter Goldsworthy on Gravel
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
Newstead Short Story Tattoo
Pictured: The Fictitious Woman readers at the Dig Cafe: Eleanor Marney, Zoe Dattner (behind, who chaired), Carmel Bird, Cate Kennedy, Tiggy Johnson, Janet Barker, Josephine Rowe and moi. The inaugural Newstead Short Story Tattoo took place 15 to 17 May 2009. We gathered, we listened, we absorbed, we read, we learnt, we escaped, we were … Continue reading Newstead Short Story Tattoo
Overland 192
Overland is an Australian literary journal that has been around for over fifty years. It claims to be ‘temper democratic, bias Australian' and is proudly left-leaning. I got my hands on the Spring issue (no. 192) at the Melbourne Writer's Festival and have been devouring the eclectic selection of articles, poetry, stories, and reviews here … Continue reading Overland 192
The End of the World – Paddy O'Reilly – A creative review
2007, University of Queensland Press, ISBN: 9780702235948 (Aus, US) This is a book of short stories by Australian author Paddy O’Reilly. She has published one novel The Factory. Denise O’Dea in Australian Book Review says of The Factory: ‘...it turned an ingenious intellectual premise into a complex, gripping, flesh-and-blood story. It was full of ideas … Continue reading The End of the World – Paddy O'Reilly – A creative review