In the past couple of days we've learned that the Australian Federal Government will not attempt to stop David Hicks from obtaining royalties from his memoir of his time in Gitmo. John Birmingham reckons Hicks is a "disgraceful tool", but thinks the government is even worse for wasting time, money and effort to stop the author from receiving his dues. He's right, as usual.
At any one time there's always someone in the Australian literary blogging community who appears to be in the ascendant - maybe they are just about to have a major work published or appear to have their finger on the pulse of what is going on. A few years back it was Angela Meyer who ran the Literary Minded weblog for Crikey and who has now pretty much become established everywhere. We now only await the first novel. Currently I have my eye on Estelle Tang, proprietor of the 3000 Books weblog and an editor at Oxford University Press. She answers a few questions for the Wheeler Centre which will give you some idea of what she is up to.
Justine Larbalestier describes her recent visit to a Sydney high school to talk about her latest book, Team Human, and, in the process, remembers a visit to her high school back when she was in year 10 by a very, very scarey author.
Chris Womersley has been nominated for a CWA (Crime Writers' Association) Gold Dagger Award in the UK for his novel Bereft.
Ailsa Piper's new book details her "sin-walk" of 1300 kilometres across Spain. Her essay on the Meanjin blog about her bookshop pilgrimage around Australia seems to have been no less enlightening.
I reckon if Kim Wilkins worked as a dominatrix she'd make a fortune. She offers advice to writers: basically, shut up and get on it with. As she says: "And all this is true, I know, because I am a fucking expert and I am always right."
At any one time there's always someone in the Australian literary blogging community who appears to be in the ascendant - maybe they are just about to have a major work published or appear to have their finger on the pulse of what is going on. A few years back it was Angela Meyer who ran the Literary Minded weblog for Crikey and who has now pretty much become established everywhere. We now only await the first novel. Currently I have my eye on Estelle Tang, proprietor of the 3000 Books weblog and an editor at Oxford University Press. She answers a few questions for the Wheeler Centre which will give you some idea of what she is up to.
Justine Larbalestier describes her recent visit to a Sydney high school to talk about her latest book, Team Human, and, in the process, remembers a visit to her high school back when she was in year 10 by a very, very scarey author.
Chris Womersley has been nominated for a CWA (Crime Writers' Association) Gold Dagger Award in the UK for his novel Bereft.
Ailsa Piper's new book details her "sin-walk" of 1300 kilometres across Spain. Her essay on the Meanjin blog about her bookshop pilgrimage around Australia seems to have been no less enlightening.
I reckon if Kim Wilkins worked as a dominatrix she'd make a fortune. She offers advice to writers: basically, shut up and get on it with. As she says: "And all this is true, I know, because I am a fucking expert and I am always right."
