Last night, author Jon Bauer (Rocks in the Belly, Scribe) launched the sixth Sleepers Almanac and the new Sleepers literary app at the Bella Union Bar, Trades Hall, Melbourne. I thought his speech was wonderful, so with Jon's kind permission, here it is for you all to read: Have you ever had that moment on a … Continue reading ‘What is a short story?’ Jon Bauer’s Sleepers Almanac and app launch speech
writing
Like, embrace the pain: the Bret Easton Ellis interview (part 1)
Pictured: Carrie, Samantha, Carrie Let’s begin at the end. After Kathy Charles and I finished our interview with the very engaging Bret Easton Ellis, we sat with his publicist over a couple of glasses of Chandon, waiting for Ellis to wrap-up with our friend Robbie Coleman. Robbie emerged, white-faced and swearing, revealing that the interviewee had turned interviewer … Continue reading Like, embrace the pain: the Bret Easton Ellis interview (part 1)
Alex y Robert by Wena Poon: virtual book tour
I met the talented, vivacious Singapore-born American writer Wena Poon last October, sharing a taxi ride from Denpasar airport to Ubud, Bali, for the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. In that taxi and during her panels I learnt that Wena was dauntingly 'together' - interweaving careers in writing and Law, travelling the world, and seeming like she … Continue reading Alex y Robert by Wena Poon: virtual book tour
Guest review: Elizabeth Bryer on Josephine Rowe’s How a Moth Becomes a Boat
How a Moth Becomes a Boat Josephine Rowe Hunter Publishers, 2010 (Aus) 9780980397420 Reviewed by Elizabeth Bryer In Meanjin 67:2, 2008, Wayne Macauley describes the painstaking process he underwent in his search for a publisher for his allegorical novel, Blueprints for a Barbed-Wire Canoe, which went on to receive rave reviews and was even picked … Continue reading Guest review: Elizabeth Bryer on Josephine Rowe’s How a Moth Becomes a Boat
Exquisite restraint for maximum expression: an interview with Colm Tóibín (part two)
Brooklyn Colm Toibin (Aus, US) Picador 9780330425612 Part one of this interview can be found here. Tóibín has, to date, written or edited 21 books. I asked him which had been the most difficult to write, and which had been the most joyful. He said: ‘There’s a long story in the collection Mothers and Sons which I … Continue reading Exquisite restraint for maximum expression: an interview with Colm Tóibín (part two)
What I’m learning about my writing process
Thanks to the wonderful Victorian Writers' Centre, I received a fellowship which allows me three months in a studio in Glenfern, St Kilda - a gorgeous heritage house. Seventy percent of my Doctor of Creative Arts will be fiction, and so - I have begun the novel. As this is the first time since I was … Continue reading What I’m learning about my writing process
Elif Batuman, author of The Possessed: a ‘responsive’ interview
Elif Batuman's The Possessed (Aus, US/Kindle) is a personalised, intelligent, humorous exploration of Russian literature; and of academia, reading, and writers - with plenty of travel and adventure. It's the kind of book you devour and dog-ear - where you're learning with delight, being provided insight into authors, stories, countries, languages and lifestyles. I thought Elif would … Continue reading Elif Batuman, author of The Possessed: a ‘responsive’ interview
On writing, blogging and social media: an interview from Victorian Writer
After reading A.S. Patric's thoughts on blogging, in an interview he did for Nigel Featherstone at the Canberra Times, I thought I'd reprint a recent interview I did for Victorian Writer, the Victorian Writers' Centre magazine, to add to the conversation. Enjoy! And please share your thoughts in the comments, or via the Facebook fan page, Twitter, your own blogs, … Continue reading On writing, blogging and social media: an interview from Victorian Writer
Soul-scorching voyage (bring it on!)
This is absolutely the best article I’ve read for a while on contemporary issues in writing – the way it’s talked about, taught, and so on: ‘A Writing Career Becomes Harder to Scale’, by Dani Shapiro. Shapiro says: ‘the decisive factor is what I call endurability: that is, the ability to deal effectively with uncertainty, … Continue reading Soul-scorching voyage (bring it on!)
Guest review: Elena Gomez on Janine Burke’s Source: Nature’s Healing Role in Art and Writing
Allen & Unwin November 2009 (Aus) 9781741759177 The meticulous research that went into this book is a testament to renowned art historian Janine Burke’s passion for art and its influences. In Source, she explores the resonating impact of nature and environment on the works of various writers and artists of the modern era. I have … Continue reading Guest review: Elena Gomez on Janine Burke’s Source: Nature’s Healing Role in Art and Writing
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