On reading Anne Frank/On censorship
When I was staying in Amsterdam, I visited Anne Frank House. It was a quiet January morning. I arrived early and wandered through the exhibition, which includes both introductory material about Anne, her family, and the other inhabitants of the
Three Act Structure
I’m not a huge fan of three act structure if it’s talked about as the ONLY structure available to writers or other creators who work with narrative, or – as in this TED talk created by the educator Matthew Winkler
On working with writers
No single approach to writing, no single essay or piece of advice, is enough. There are as many ways to write as there are writers, and as many ways to encourage others to write as there are teachers. I do
Make Me Smile (Big Issue Fiction Edition)
Entries are now officially open for the 2013 Big Issue fiction edition – now an annual highlight of the publishing year. The Big Issue‘s fiction edition has become one of biggest selling short story collections in Australia. All submissions are judged ‘blind’,
2013 Aesthetica Creative Writing Competition
Entries are now open for the Aesthetica Creative Writing Competition Entry Fee: £10 +VAT for two entries Prizes: £500 plus publication and a selection of complementary books Length of entries: 2000 words for short fiction, 40 lines for poetry Deadline for entries:
2013 Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize
The 2013 Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize is now open. Entry fee: $10.00 for ABR subscribers; $20.00 for other entrants Prizes: First $5000, supplementary $2000 and $1000, plus publication in ABR Length: 2000 to 5000 words Deadline for Entries: 31
Rie Cramer
Dutch writer and illustrator Marie (Rie) Cramer was born in what was then the Dutch East Indies (Java) in 1887. Her father was often at sea, and two of her older sisters were sent to school in the Netherlands in
Mr Wigg is coming
Inga Simpson’s beautiful new novel, Mr Wigg, is due for release in June this year. It’s a difficult book to describe – unique in its approach to the Australian landscape, and extraordinarily moving. Put it on your to-read list today,
‘A Monster Calls’ by Patrick Ness
A Monster Calls is a young adult novel, featuring stunning occasional illustrations by Jim Kay. The story was first conceived by Siobhan Dowd, a well-known children’s writer, but when she passed away before she could complete the work her publisher,
The Stella Prize
The Stella Prize came into place partly as a result of the debates that erupted in the Australian literary landscape after a series of literary award shortlists had few, or no, women on them. The ensuing debates about the visibility