Walking into the playground, early on in primary school, two of my friends got into fight. There was hair pulling, slapping and screaming. A crowd gathered, cheering them on. “You fucking bitch,” yelled one, using the colourful language we were just starting to learn. “You’re a monkey,” said the other. Watching on, I had never…
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Wouldn’t it be wonderful if schools taught mapping using paintings and stories instead of drab contour lines? In her latest memoir, aptly named Position Doubtful – mapping landscapes and memories, artist and award-winning author Kim Mahood masterfully paints rich Australian landscapes and people. She paints using pigments. She paints with narratives. The book’s title takes…
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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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Shannon Murphy is an award-winning film and theatre director, with short films like the Cannes-screening Kharisma and Love Me Tender to her name. Film editor Lauren Strickland chatted to her about her filming in Canberra, working with all-female casts, and her latest film, Eaglehawk. * How did you get involved with Eaglehawk? It was…
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Alison Whittaker’s debut collection, Lemons in the Chicken Wire, is a refreshingly authentic and accessible new addition to the Australian poetry landscape. The collection is grounded in simplicity yet explores complex issues such as sexuality, racism and family negligence. Whittaker, who received the State Library of Queensland’s black&write! Indigenous Writing Fellowship, also explores the history…
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Friday the 13th of May was a bad day for arts organisations in Australia. All over Twitter were bursts of emotion like fireworks – pledges of people subscribing for the first time to the likes of literary journals ‘Meanjin’ or ‘Voiceworks’, in a show of support after announcements of cuts to funding. If you aren’t…
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This is a review of a session held at the 2016 Sydney Writers’ Festival. * What is it that we find so fascinating about a reclusive novelist? There are plenty of writers who have attempted anonymity, with varying degrees of success: Harper Lee and Thomas Pynchon both spring to mind. These authors have chosen…
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Elizabeth Harrower’s ‘new’ collection of short stories, A Few Days in the Country: And Other Stories, is enchanting. By which I do not mean that it contains magic, or the promises of happy endings. No; Harrower’s writing is pure, unadulterated realism. Her stories occupy the real world, and make an effort to reveal the lives…
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Chris Brown can be a fairly repellent and contemptible figure. Despite his continued success in the marketplace, it’s his non-musical headlines that have become his calling card stretching back to the last decade. There have been multiple physical altercations with other artists and fans, the destruction of at least one TV studio, several jail stints,…
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A new study into Australian authors has found that it’s slim pickings when it comes to book earnings—especially for female authors. The Macquarie University study, headed by cultural economist Distinguished Professor David Throsby AO, surveyed over 1,000 Australian authors about their earnings and practices. On average, authors make $62,000 in total per year. Although nearly…
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Trigger warning: rape, sexual assault and harassment Last week footage surfaced of a Somali woman being found by police four hours after being raped. The woman was a detainee at Australia’s offshore detention centre on Nauru. (TW: The video in the link is very distressing to watch). A second woman at the centre has since…
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The Girls on Film Festival is back again in 2015 after the incredible success of its debut last year. This year’s program features an eclectic mix of universal classics, home-grown gems, foreign language films and unique documentaries that will surely delight even the most casual of film fanatics. Highlights of this year’s line-up include…
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As the schadenfreude dies down, as we run out of ways to Photoshop onions, and as we hear the dying chuckles of Gillard’s laughter, we turn now to our new Prime Minister. Malcolm Turnbull, sworn in yesterday as the 29th Prime Minister of Australia, is now the confident new head of the nation. He brings…
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It’s a sad fact, but most Australians don’t want to watch Australian films. Many will claim that Aussie films are boring, dull and poorly made, and it’s easy to blame audiences for their lack of devotion to their local film industry. However, it’s more accurate to blame the industry itself for the films it makes….
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