A pleasure to interview Andy Griffiths! www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

This discourse about freedom of speech, Bendigo Writers Festival & principled writers withdrawing is good. But keep speaking up for Palestine, centre Palestinian voices & don't let media turn you into the main story/a distraction. Solidarity: from the river to the sea, always was always will be ✊🏾

They *are* speaking up, just not at the festival. And their “boycott” is an explicit piece of moral & political action: they’re withdrawing their labour. Every withdrawal makes it clearer how a) the festival desperately needs this labour to exist; and b) the La Trobe policy threatens this labour.

This is one of the things that irks me, beyond the censorship and the genocide, writers, specifically progressive left wing writers, as a commodity for programming to get attendance when there is conservative value or pressure behind the programming.

Getting a little sick and tired of this new unofficial Australian arts policy of "have no political opinion, or alternatively just shut up about Palestine"

The day author Ren Wyld was due to receive the Black & Write $15k Indigenous fellowship she was told it had been rescinded. A journo from the Oz seemed to know before she did. Appalling to see QLD govt cave to Murdoch press to punish a First Nations writer for speaking out in support of Palestine.

Westside kids book author, Deb Frenkel, read The Truck Cat for us at Footscray West Writers Fest. Wild to see that it will be read by millions of kids across the world next week for National Simultaneous Storytime.

I wrote about the delightful National Simultaneous Storytime! www.theguardian.com/books/2025/m...

pleased to see an AI declaration as part of this year's mid-year Walkley submissions

have been noticing more Aus middle grade novels, in particular, more overtly addressing class, which I think is very interesting in a society that doesn't like to talk about it!

"... a stunning, magical and confronting verse novel for young readers" review by @claresmillar.bsky.social‬ of #MG #VerseNovel LITTLEBONES by @aussie_kids_books Heads up @bklynlibrary.bsky.social @doucette515.bsky.social @jholmblad.bsky.social @librarianages.bsky.social @rurooie.bsky.social

I reviewed Little Bones by Sandy Bigna in today’s @thesaturdaypaper.com.au www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/culture/book...

The @meanjin.bsky.social online reviews section is back for 2025! This month, I asked avid readers & critics @claresmillar.bsky.social @nedhirst.bsky.social @clairecao.bsky.social & Sonia Nair what their favourite Ozlit books were in 2024. Read on: meanjin.com.au/latest/best-...

Wrote about my picks for best local books of 2024 over at @meanjin.bsky.social. Loved reading the other critics’ picks too. Thanks @mxcreant.bsky.social! meanjin.com.au/latest/best-...

She’s here! Book number 10. A poem for my ancestors in 101 fragments to be read in any order. A dreaming. An offering. ✨ www.uqp.com.au/books/we-spe...

I was not prepared for the readings website to change that much 😂😭

Spice cream

A pleasure to be back online for Meanjin, with a review of Black Convicts by Santilla Chingaipe meanjin.com.au/latest/revis...

Just learned about ‘YoPro’ as an alternative term for yuppie???

Video essay: We broke the economy in Flamecraft, here’s how

people who use goodreads: jeff bezos owns goodreads and if you want a better alternative there is a black woman owned company called storygraph that you can use to replace it. you can transfer all of your data from goodreads to storygraph and have your mind be free of trumpie jeff bezos! win win. 💙

Back on here!

New Paddington + new Wallace & Gromit is 2024’s Barbenheimer.

Thinking of this again meanjin.com.au/essays/the-l...

Reviewed the new Andy Griffiths in the Guardian www.theguardian.com/books/articl...

A pleasure to interview Pamela Allen about her new book, turning 90, and life and death www.theguardian.com/books/articl...

A pleasure to interview Pamela Allen about her new book, turning 90, and life and death www.theguardian.com/books/articl...

My interview with Sally Rippin, 2024-2025 Australian Children’s Laureate is in today’s edition of The Big Issue

Sincerely no thank you www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/202...

I’m gonna be insufferable about new Iron & Wine

Really good at starting books and not finishing them. This applies to both reading and writing.

panicked for a sec that we were in the 24-25 financial year and all my record keeping was wrong

tonight's writing stint involves looking up the history of the Manuka Pool in Canberra, muscles of the forearm and the clicking sounds of furnaces

Actually though how to get into board game writing/design??

Tonight’s recommended reading: www.killyourdarlings.com.au/article/pres...

I've been thinking about curves and symmetry and representing hypermobility in some way, what shapes are possible beyond our thinking of 'normal' anatomy?

It’s my last edition as Books Editor at The Big Issue! Heidi Maier interviews Trent Dalton. And: •Hasib Hourani reviews The Flirtation of Girls / Ghazal el-Banat by Sara M Saleh •Matilda Dixon-Smith reviews Good Material by Dolly Alderton •I review Weatherman Goes Bush by Graham Creed

How cute are these Big Issue stickers by @sophiebeerdraws.bsky.social !!

Do I win gubbins today? 😳😳

In the latest books section of The Big Issue Australia: •Anna Spargo-Ryan interviews Julia Baird •Doug Wallen reviews Into Your Arms edited by Kirsten Krauth •Rach Bettiens reviews Death Valley by Melissa Broder •Danielle Bagnato reviews The Conversion by Amanda Lohrey

In the latest books section of The Big Issue Australia: •Anna Spargo-Ryan interviews Julia Baird •Doug Wallen reviews Into Your Arms edited by Kirsten Krauth •Rach Bettiens reviews Death Valley by Melissa Broder •Danielle Bagnato reviews The Conversion by Amanda Lohrey

In the latest books section of The Big Issue: •Heidi Maier interviews Richard Osman •Julia Faragher reviews Everything Under the Moon ed. Michael Earp •Sarah Bacaller reviews Quaint Deeds by A.J. Mackinnon •Ele Jenkins reviews Bulk Nuts by Mandy Ord

🇵🇸

Ok so I love The Orchid Thief, should I read other Susan Orlean books?

In the latest The Big Issue Australia books section: •Matilda Dixon-Smith interviews Kaz Cooke •Matilda also reviews Green Dot by Madeline Gray •Mitchell Jordan reviews The In-Between by Christos Tsiolkas •Fiona Hardy reviews West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman Buy from your local vendor or subscribe!

I’m dying over here.

can someone cure hypermobility pls

“I wanted to resist the inevitability of loss and grief as the defining things for Palestinians.” Says Sara Saleh in her interview for the books feature in the latest edition of The Big Issue Australia, in brilliant conversation with Hasib Hourani.

Insta seems to have gotten rid of snoozing suggested posts for 30 days 😭 even on the ‘less’ suggestions setting it’s utter garbage