joanne burns, a veritable stalwart of great Australian poetry, has once again proved her enduring capability for the unexpected in her latest collection of poetry, brush. Fittingly, the publication of brush has been assisted by an Australia Council Midlist Authors Grant, designed to showcase established Australian authors, such as burns, who have made an important […]

Whale in the Bath is Kylie Westaway’s debut picture book, illustrated by Tom Jellett (published by Allen & Unwin in 2014). Bruno finds himself in a spot of bother when his bath is taken over by a whale – not that anyone in the family believes him. After all, Bruno has a history of telling […]

I opened this book with great interest and uncertainty about what would greet me. What I found was an intriguing look into the universe and science. Written using 707 of the 1,000 most commonly used words in the English language, The Edge of the Sky: All You Need to Know About the All-There-Is is a […]

Fiona O‘Loughlin’s memoir Me of the Never Never  (published by Hachette) is a great read for fans of this Australian stand-up comedian and a great introduction to her for those who are yet to learn about Fiona’s witty style. The first time I saw Fiona O‘Loughlin’s performance was during a comedy gala concert on television […]

My Mum Makes is a cheerful and colourful early childhood picture book released by Lothian/Hachette in 2012. It is a walkthrough rather than a narrative, and on each opening the focalising child explains the things that her mum can make and do. Mum makes her get up in the morning, makes a mess with her […]

Jennifer Maiden is one of Australia’s most prolific and impressive poets. Leaving a string of accolades in her wake, her three most recent books have all won major prizes, including Liquid Nitrogen, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Griffin International Poetry Prize. Her latest offering, Drones and Phantoms, is again likely to attract deserved praise […]

The Sky So Heavy is a dystopian novel set in Sydney’s Blue Mountains in the current day. When disaster strikes and something goes wrong with a nuclear test, Fin must do what he can to survive in an increasingly inhospitable world. Will he reach the supposed safety of the city and will anything happen with […]

When people start to die on a journey home on the Aquitania, Rowland Sinclair finds himself embroiled in scandals of murder, an illegitimate child, an unwed mother, and the tragedy of the Great Depression back home in Australia. Rowland is caught in between the beliefs of the church and the Theosophist Society, an organisation that […]

Anonymous Folk Songs is James Stuart’s first full-length poetry collection, released by Vagabond Press in early 2014. His previous creative works and collections have used intermedia methods and proved Stuart’s ability to push boundaries across creative mediums as well as Asia-Pacific cultures. Stuart also crosses such boundaries as technique and theme in Anonymous Folk Songs, […]