“Hummingbirds and angels don’t need two good feet. They have wings.” (The Theory of Hummingbirds) The Theory of Hummingbirds by Michelle Kadarusman (UQP) is an intriguing middle fiction novel with appealing, idiosyncratic protagonists Alba and Levi. It has an important message, told in a refreshing, imaginative way. Thank you for speaking to PaperbarkWords, Michelle. Hello, […]
Read More The Theory of Hummingbirds by Michelle Kadarusman“I am going to the Olympics. Not just as a spectator because anyone can do that. I will be a competitor. I haven’t found out which sport I’m good at yet.” (As Fast as I Can) Thank you for speaking to PaperbarkWords, Penny. I have read all your books since being on the CBCA judging […]
Read More As Fast as I Can by Penny TangeyBrisbane author Amanda O’Callaghan has crafted a thoughtful, darkly-hued work in This Taste for Silence (UQP). This, her debut collection of short stories seems to be set in both Australia and the UK. The cover, with its still-life arrangement of three flying porcelain ducks and a comfortable but empty (apart from a painting) chair in […]
Read More This Taste for Silence by Amanda O’CallaghanInside the CBCA Shortlist Ghost Bird is an exceptional YA debut by Wuilli Wuilli woman, Lisa Fuller. It explores the relationship between Stacey and her very different twin Laney, who disappears. Stacey seems to share some of Laney’s experiences through nightmares and she resolves to find her despite times of deeply unnerving danger. Thank you […]
Read More Ghost Bird by Lisa FullerIf you like Thea Astley, you will like her Selected Poems (University of Queensland Press). However, arguably the book is more of an academic work rather than a collection of great poems. The poems serve a purpose, to provide an x-ray into her mind. It is an autobiography of her life in intimate moments. The […]
Read More Thea Astley: Selected PoemsAt this year’s Brisbane Writers Festival I was fortunate to moderate the memorable session, People in the Margins. Melina Marchetta, Melanie Cheng and Tony Birch discussed their recent novels The Place on Dalhousie, Room for a Stranger and The White Girl respectively to explore the lives of people living on the margins of society. These […]
Read More Brisbane Writers Festival 2019 Tony Birch, Melina Marchetta & Melanie ChengInside the CBCA Shortlist Author-poet Lorraine Marwood won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Children’s Fiction in 2010 for Star Jumps. Her new verse novel Leave Taking (University of Queensland Press) is of similar quality and has already shared the winning prize in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards (Patricia Wrightson Price). Both books are set […]
Read More Leave Taking by Lorraine MarwoodThere is some exciting Australian poetry being published at the moment. Vagabond Press is one of the most exciting publishers in the Asia Pacific. It is scooping awards with its strong stable of poets and innovative book design. Vagabond is publishing four collections in July. Enfolded in the wings of a great darkness by Peter […]
Read More New Australian PoetryInterview with Pip Harry Inside the CBCA Shortlist The Little Wave (UQP) is a verse novel for older children that draws the reader in through its realistic characters and spare but warm language. Thank you for speaking to Paperbark blog, Pip. Thanks for having me! Why have you written a book for children after three […]
Read More Pip Harry and The Little WaveI am very interested in the work of Elizabeth Stead, niece of Christina Stead who wrote the Australian classic The Man Who Loved Children. I relished Elizabeth’s 2007 novel, The Gospel of Gods and Crocodiles, set on an island that reminded me of somewhere in Papua New Guinea, although the place was unidentified. Elizabeth Stead […]
Read More The Aunts’ House by Elizabeth Stead
