In a word: Wow. Just…wow. What a beautiful, heartbreaking book. For what is at first glance a small and unassuming tale, it certainly packs a punch. That being said, it’s done in a really gentle way, with the writing used to carve out the story rather than build it. The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida…
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From Here On, Monsters is Elizabeth Bryer’s debut novel. Having been published in Meanjin, Griffith Review, Kill Your Darlings and Overland (to name just a few), as well as having worked as the inaugural translation editor for The Lifted Brow, Bryer is no stranger to the Australian literary scene. This shows in her writing, which…
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Kaylia Payne chats with author Penelope Hanley about feminism, writing, and her latest novel, ‘After She Left‘. * How long did it take to write After She Left? Probably about two years altogether but it was spread over a much longer time because usually I’m working full time and it’s too hard to write much fiction….
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After She Left follows three generations of women across a span of five decades, utilising the characters and time periods within the novel to explore different facets of feminism. The story begins by introducing one of the three main characters, Deirdre, a free-spirited artist who emigrates from Ireland to Sydney in the 1930s after falling…
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‘Poetry can break open locked chambers of possibility, restore numbed zones to feeling, recharge desire’ – Adrienne Rich Writing to the Wire is a collection of poems about Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers and refugees. Featuring poetry from academics, writers, refugee advocates and refugees themselves, it is a powerful look at our national identity, namely,…
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So Sad Today is a book of personal essays by Melissa Broder, detailing her struggles with addiction, anxiety, panic disorder, relationships and an overwhelming fear of death. The book originated from an anonymous Twitter account of the same name in 2012, tweeting about the human condition in catchy one-sentence bites that were in equal parts…
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In future news…It’s Back to the Future Day! Today is the day Marty McFly and Doc travelled to from 1989. While we’re lacking in hover boards and double-ties, check out this piece from the BBC on how close we’ve come to some of the predictions from the film. In Australia…Our woeful human rights record…
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In Australia Former Bulldogs player, Hazem El-Masri, has been charged with appalling domestic violence offences involving his 25-year-old wife. Medical marijuana might finally become legal in Australia, following Greens minster Shane Rattenbury’s introduction of a legislation to establish an ACT scheme for the cultivation and supply of medical cannabis. Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull met…
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In celebrity news… Jennifer Lawrence continues to lead the way, penning an open letter titled Why do I make less than my male co-stars? in which she nails the double standard of bossy women/strong men at the Hollywood negotiating table. The letter was written in light of the Sony Hack that revealed how just…
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In Australia Doctors at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Victoria are refusing to send asylum seeker children back to detention centres post-treatment, as they believe it would be detrimental to the children’s health. A 23-year-old rape victim from the Nauru detention center has been transferred to Australia to receive an abortion, following Malcom Turnbull’s…
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The Trans Pacific Partnership is coming soon to an economy near you. This week, US-lead negotiations for the TPP reached consensus after a marathon seven years of back and forth on the biggest trade deal of our time. This means that while an agreement has been reached, the TPP still needs to be…
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An investment group known as Scale Investors are working to increase the number of female entrepreneurs in Australia. The group, set up in 2013, already has 59 female members, and say they are planning to encourage more women to become investors in order to tackle the male-driven world that is the investment community….
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The creator of Humans of New York, Brandon Stanton, is focusing his lens on the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Middle East and Europe. As the name suggests, Humans of New York usually documents the stories of people out and about in New York. With a following of 15 million people on Facebook alone,…
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Snoop Dogg and business partner, Ted Chung, have announced a new online project called Merry Jane. Launching in October, the website will be a portal for all things cannabis. It is tipped to feature interactive elements such as a dispensary-mapping service and consumer guides. It will also host media content, including the series Deflowered,…
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