Wait, THIS is young Anton Chekhov? This? Good lord. Let that gun go off, daddy

[writing love letter] My darling, how i long to caress you. When I hold you tenderly in my arms I become [glancing at The Immortal Cinema of Tom Selleck dvd box set I keep on my escritoire at all times] quigley down under

Bizarre headline from The Age. 'Forced'? By whom? SMH headline on same story is non-egregious.

It's clear that the group behind these calls has *already decided* that half the artists in the Biennale are problematic. If they start cancelling exhibits this could easily destroy the Biennale.

In which the reviewer's labour brings rewards for the reader.

Erin Vincent, from the admirable Fourteen Ways of Looking.

Another excellent Upswell title, this memoir by Erin Vincent is mesmeric and moving. Recommended.

Still three months until this beauty hits the shelves, so mark it on the calendar. Confident in saying it's a book no-one else on earth could write because no-one else has Wayne Marshall's wild brain. It's a stunner.

Afterlife punishment of The Bon Mot—the hell of takes? (The City of Lost Intentions: A Guide for the Artistically Waylaid by A. Valliard from Varoque Books.)

Me, randomly trying phone numbers: "I don't know who needs to hear this, but ..."

The Australian literary world has been in the news lately, so why not support the Vagabond Press 'Just one book' campaign? It's aiming to shift 300 books in Jan to help fund the publication of new works. Some great titles on the list. Get amongst it. vagabondpress.net

What we need is a Festival of Hot Takes.

"Can you imagine if [completely made-up, arguably defamatory straw man scenario]?? Well, CAN YOU?!?"

A failure of principle led to a failure of courage that led to a failure of governance and has now brought us to a failure of accountability. Writers - and readers - deserve so much better than this. Malinauskas should answer for the destruction of Writers Week.

Do we have a federal arts minister, while the biggest arts festival in Australia implodes? A bit of cultural leadership would be good at this point.

Where’s Tony Burke? It’s times like these you realise that arts ministers have no interest in defending the arts, and that govts are willing to burn millions of $ for political reasons. Adelaide’s board has just squandered millions of $ and months of work and countless opportunities for writers…

The maths of 'Kung Fu Fighting': Carl Douglas says 'those kids were fast as lightning, it was a little bit frightening'. No kidding. A trained fighter can punch at 25mph generating a force of 500 pounds per square inch in the case of flyweights (these are kids, so not comparable to heavyweights) 1/

When do you think Albanese will realise there’s no placating these people? News Corp pays no tax and adds nothing to Aus society apart from hate, but Labor acts as if it owns them. Instead of fighting back or standing up for themselves, Albanese and co are like “please sir can I have some more?”

The very fact that you enjoy the idea of shooting a living thing with a gun should automatically disqualify you from ever being allowed to have one.

The City of Lost Intentions: A Guide for the Artistically Waylaid is also available in BOOKSHOPS, where you can not only buy and own it immediately, but also support the dwindling, Amazon-ravaged bookstore ecosystem. #booksky #art #bookshops #Brisbane #Sydney #Melbourne #Dublin

Calling all Melbourne & Victoria #bookgroups & #readinggroups! Rally together this Saturday to help save the State #Library of Victoria, on its steps, at 12.30. (Here's a pic of the poet Edith Sitwell & big reader Marilyn Monroe: reading makes friends.) #StateLibraryofVictoria #ReadingMakesFriends

For those playing along at home - delighted to report that, after last night, Robert Skinner has indeed got his razzle dazzle back. Thanks to all the big-hearted folks who came together to send love (and a few bucks) towards the people's champ.

Ah, the famous Christmas tradition of right wing men drinking cum.

I had all this stuff I was going to get done, but the skydivers are on strike, so...

Really nice to read from Lithosphere for Radio National's Line Break series today - always such a privilege to have your work broadcast to unsuspecting ears. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

I really wish there was a way to dial down the book hype. It feels like the industry has forced us all into a corner where we have to be constantly screaming ‘read my book, it is brilliant’ or books don’t sell and now it’s just super noisy out there and hard to tell what’s actually worth reading.

Now the FAIR and GOBLINHOOD tours are over, I wanted to share this essay I wrote for @thelondonmagazine.bsky.social about writing both books. thelondonmagazine.org/article/essa... @prototypepubs.bsky.social @roughtradebooks.bsky.social

“Labor sources have told ABC Investigations the prime minister's office has been putting pressure on advocates for gambling reform within the parliamentary Labor party to prevent them from speaking up.” So pathetic. Backbenchers scared of taking a moral position, Albanese scared of any reform.

hey Bluesky whatever you’re doing to pick the thumbnails for videos……. Keep doing that Shit

I've had rather a lot of people recommending AI to me lately, so I've drawn Shakespeare stabbing a robot in the eye with a quill. #art #ink #scribbleau #verymuchnotAI

Little known fact about Jesus: he was also very close to the gambling lobby, and fought hard to shut down freedom of information requests

Just how I always pictured it

Can’t wait for the next election so we can vote out the Morrison government #Auspol

No memento mori more effective than needing to scroll ever longer to select your birth year.

I somehow missed the alert when this went up yesterday but I’m very proud of this review, of a moving and extremely strange new book by Carol Tyler.

Another historic achievement in transparency by the Albanese govt: cratering the FOI system. thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...

A portion of every dollar spent on Harry Potter merchandise goes to anti-transgender campaigns.

Not now, widening gyre

Happy anniversary to those who celebrate 🥳

Someone needs to take this guy down a peg

Got into the one bit of the faux outrage over Albanese’s Joy Division shirt that I do find interesting -- the ideas behind early Punk's flirtation with the symbols of extreme right politics, and the battles over racism in rock at the time: www.crikey.com.au/2025/10/29/a...

The inventive, antic, justice-fighting spirit of Jen Calleja is something to behold, bent here to an exploration of translation and the role of the literary translator. A ripper.

"doxxing" was named after the first person doxed, Robert Dox, 4520 Jacobs Ave, Belview, MN

'wily lyricism' where ' rhythm and cadence never falter' Enjoyed this perceptive review of a worthwhile, hard-to-pin-down novella.

Hard to think of a father and son who had more divergent careers than Richard and Mojo Nixon

If you stopped bank robbers it would kill the whole robbery industry

Just so we’re clear: Labor is choosing to work with the worst possible party on environmental issues, instead of the Greens and teals who actually want environmental regulation. And Watt is already admitting it won’t have a climate trigger …