The Gifts of Reading for the Next Generation curated by Jennie Orchard

The Gifts of Reading for the Next Generation curated by Jennie Orchard The Gifts of Reading for the Next Generation: essays on nurturing a passion for reading. Inspired by Robert Macfarlane, curated by Jennie Orchard, contributors include Matt Ottley, Alice Pung, Nardi Simpson, Shankari Chandran, Michael Morpurgo, Tristan Bancks, William Boyd and others. Published by […]

Confessions of a Minor Poet by Phil Brown

Confessions of a Minor Poet by Phil Brown (Transit Lounge) “I was transplanted from a school like the one in Goodbye, Mr. Chips to one more akin to Lord of the Flies. But while my outward life tended to be surfing, partying and reading Tracks magazine, I retained a rather bookish inner life. I was […]

No Dancing in the Lift: A Memoir by Mandy Sayer

No Dancing in the Lift: A Memoir by Mandy Sayer Published by Transit Lounge, 2025 An edited extract: Mandy Sayer on the enduring legacy of her father’s humour Dad was forever joking, even in the most inappropriate settings. Once, on the way to radiotherapy, he leaned heavily against the lift’s handrail, winked at me and […]

Gail Jones, Hannah Kent, Sophie Laguna & Book Reviews for ArtsHub

My book reviews for ArtsHub The Name of the Sister by Gail Jones (Text Publishing) https://www.artshub.com.au/news/reviews/book-review-the-name-of-the-sister-gail-jones-2801217/ My other book reviews for ArtsHub Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent Hannah Kent’s new book is Always Home, Always Homesick. It a memoir about her time living in Iceland and the writing of Burial Rites. (Pan Macmillan […]

Dr Lilly Brown CEO Magabala Books

Interview with Dr Lilly Brown CEO Magabala Books Congratulations to Gumbaynggirr woman Dr Lilly Brown who is the new CEO of the seminal Magabala Books. Magabala’s role in publishing and promoting books by First Nations’ creators cannot be overstated. Over the years I have consistently recommended books published by Magabala and some of my personal […]

This Is Not a Sad Book by Elizabeth Vercoe illustrated by Grace Fraraccio

This Is Not a Sad Book (But It’s OK to Feel Sad) by Elizabeth Vercoe, illustrated by Grace Fraraccio (A guide to grief, loss and getting through hard times published by Affirm Press) This Is Not a Sad Book (But It’s OK to Feel Sad) was originally The Grief Book – now in a new […]

Close to the Subject: Selected Works by Daniel Browning

Close to the Subject: Selected Works by Daniel Browning (Magabala Books) Close to the Subject: Selected Works by Daniel Browning is the intelligent, honest WINNER of the 2024 Prime Minister’s Literary award for Non-Fiction. “My stories are always collaborative, and I try to produce content that represents not simply the who, what and why – […]

The Discipline of Suffering by Dr Katherine Thompson

The Discipline of Suffering:Redeeming Our Stories of Pain by Dr Katherine Thompson The Discipline of Suffering is published by Acorn Press and is shortlisted for the 2024 Sparklit Awards. “The best outcome is found in facing the challenges in front of us one at a time. In doing so, we gain purpose and clarity about […]

Jessica Au & Cold Enough for Snow

Jessica Au wins the 2023 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction. Cold Enough for Snow (Giramondo Publishing) wins another literary prize. Congratulations! Read my interview with Jessica Au and other panellists at Brisbane Writers Festival 2023. Jessica Au, Susan Johnson, Anne Casey-Hardy & Ianto Ware at BWF 2023 It was great to be moderating sessions […]

Epiphany: Byron Writers Festival 2022

Byron Writers Festival 2022: Epiphany Byron Writers Festival returned in 2022 to great celebration on the lands of the Arakwal Bumberbin and Minjungbal peoples of the Bundjalung Nation. Artistic director Zoe Pollock and author Emily Brugman (whose novel The Islands has one of the best openings and setting you will be privileged to read) created […]