Poet-naturalist Elizabeth Bradfield’s fourth collection, Toward Antarctica, (Red Hen Press), is an insider’s love letter to one of the world’s most iconic wild places, and I found it unique, moving and brilliantly informative. I doubt I will ever go to the Antarctic but this book makes me feel I’ve (almost) encountered it. Bradfield recommends listening to
In a summer of catastrophic bushfires, devastating loss of life, and relentless political slyness Vicki Hastrich’s Night Fishing: Stingrays, Goya and the Singular Life is a book of solace. Its 13 essays offer us the space to look more closely at nature and linger peacefully; the opportunity to celebrate the coast, water and creativity; the
These five books helped me weather a fiery summer … Salt steps Raynor Winn had not thought much about homelessness before it happened to her and her terminally ill husband in their 50s. With little alternative, Winn and her husband Moth decided to walk the South West Coast Path in the UK and wild-camp along the
Here are the highlights of my reading in 2019. These books hummed through the haze of the devastating bushfires Australia has experienced in the last few months of 2019 and into 2020. If you’re suffering from the smoke – grab one and head inside to read! Wolfe Island by Lucy Treloar – ‘Ideas came to
I dived and resurfaced with some of the best poetry I read in the last half of 2019 dripping through my fingers … ‘The Vulture and the Body’ by Ada Limón What if, instead of carrying // a child, I am supposed to carry grief? The great black scavenger flies parallel now, / each of
My recent trip to Canada filled me with joy. Here’s why … Lakes, mountains and Indigenous wisdom I was gobsmacked by the natural beauty of Waterton National Park, the Rockies and Algonquin Provincial Park and, despite it being the height of the tourist season, I felt blessed by their serenity. One of the best interpretive
From hushed puppies to envelope poems … there’s plenty here to keep you fireside and philosophising during the last few weeks of winter. Apparently … There’s always so much to love in joanne burns’ poetry collections and apparently (Giramondo Publishing) is no exception. From her poem tipsy: ‘the pink chemist so / pink nausea pills / overdose
Indigenous wisdom, refugee children, the complexity of kinfolk … it’s all here. Australia’s first farmers Young Dark Emu (Magabala Books) by Bruce Pascoe helps younger readers to see Australia as it was before Europeans arrived – a land of cultivated farming areas, productive fisheries, permanent homes and thriving villages. Also, that our Indigenous people can
Turning lyrics inside out and backward, hope kissing rust, heavy butterflies, and a ditch of a brain … read on to enjoy these and other wonderful turns of phrase I lapped up from the poems I read from January to June 2019. Hiss and spit Rae Armantrout says: ‘you can hold the various elements of
Sydney Writers’ Festival is one of my favourite weeks of the year – a time for musing. This year’s festival in May was no exception. I had a great time! Jamming ABC TV’s Monique Schafter was MC for Spineless Wonders’ Little Fictions – a fabulous live show at Knox Street Bar Chippendale. Actors Eleni Schumacher, Felix Johnson
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