Peter Nicholson, Australian writer and poet, who writes the Poetry and Culture column for the 3quarksdaily blog, this week gives us the Poetry of Lists. The posting revels in Australian names: names of Aboriginal languages, Australian wines, Australian place names, bands and singers performing in Sydney, international stocks,names of paint colours, and titles of poetry magazines and ezines.
Jonathan Strahan asks, on his weblog: "Is it possible to write a science fiction story involving a young adult protagonist who has entered military service with the intention of serving in an extraterrestrial setting that reads like it was written after 1955?" Someone suggests Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I'm not sure why, as it's one of the worst sf books I've ever read. And I've read some doosies I can tell you.
Over on the multi-contributor weblog Sarsaparilla, Ampersand Duck (for that is their pen-name) reviews three new Australian books: edited correspondence between David Campbell and Douglas Stewart, a selection of Campbell's poetry, and a collection of essays. All three originate from the Canberra area. Don't ignore this piece because it's a review; good writing and clear thinking are to be found in many different places.
