Every day this government is more of a disappointment thepoint.com.au/opinions/251...

Listening to @amyremeikis.bsky.social talk to @seankelly.bsky.social about how Albanese pretty much prevents cabinet ministers from doing anything he doesn’t want…. And pondering how long they will allow that to keep happening

Royce Kurmelovs is one of our best indie journalists. He is on the ground in Belem reporting on Australia’s reasonably pathetic efforts at COP reneweconomy.com.au/after-a-delu...

In August a workshop for @byronwritersfestival couldn’t go ahead. We’re trying again this Saturday and spots still available. Great advice for prepping your submission over summer! shorturl.at/CylkH #amwriting

The Australian Government makes more money from HECS repayments than it does from the PRRT. ‘Norway taxes its fossil fuel industry and gives their kids free higher education… we subsidise our fossil fuel industry and we charge our kids a fortune to go to uni.’ @richarddenniss.bsky.social #auspol

Google Books. It's still going on. Still new libraries working on it. 📚 (Tennessee) newsonline.library.vanderbilt.edu/2025/09/2600...

The numbers speak volumes. www.killyourdarlings.com.au/article/the-...

And in other good news, Slick has made the long list at The Nibs:

What’s all that noise? 💥🎧 Ah, I know: it’s the whirring of printers and riffling of pages for a final edit before submitting when our window reopens on 15 August. Got to website, check requirements & use Query portal. Looking forward to some quality reading! 📚📖

WTF? I was quoted in this story but I have never spoken to the reporter nor would I have said those things. Is everything just generated by LLMs these days? cosmosmagazine.com/earth/oceans...

Hi, I worked at USAID. 👋 Airdrops are universally acknowledged as probably the worst and least efficient way to get aid to people. You airdrop when you a) want to want to so something but can’t, or b) you don’t want to do anything but want to look like you are.

Are you working on a manuscript and unsure what comes next?🤔 Live around Byron? Maybe come to my workshop, a fortnight away today, at #ByronBayWritersFestival for guidance on editing and pitching to agents and publishers. #amwriting

EPSTEIN FILES

In all serious, this moment is more profound than the invasion of Iraq. What we appear to be watching is the end of a commitment by these nations, even token, to the "rules based international order" and an embrace of "might makes right" in defence of an illegal act of aggression.

Slick has been given a reprint --now with a fancy sticker on the cover. If you want to understand Why We Are Like This on climate change, or read about things like that one time the oil and gas industry spied on the son of a prime minister, and you haven't picked up a copy, now's your chance!

Aviva Tuffield is my publisher. She commissioned both Just Money and Slick. She is a mensch. I stand by her without reservation or qualification.

Good news, @drilledmedia.bsky.social now has a BlueSky account. Act accordingly.

Just a reminder that you still have two days to help Slick do better than Peter Dutton at this recent federal election and win the People's Choice category at the NSW Literary awards. Go vote - and then get all your friends to vote.

Just a reminder to vote early, vote often - including the People's Choice category at the NSW Literary Awards.

Oh baby you haven’t even touched yr deformed dinner

Happy publication day to the most charming family saga of the year! @sarahmclutton @allenandunwin 👏👏🫶🏼

Introducing The 113th Assistant Librarian: Lost in a Book! It's being released on 30 September 2025, and pre-orders are available now! (link in bio). The stunning artwork is by Federica Frenna and the design is by unparalleled Kristy Lund-White and I can't wait to have it in my hands!

Thirty-eight of 43 experts cut last month from the boards that review the science and research that happens in laboratories at the National Institutes of Health are female, Black or Hispanic, according to an analysis by the chairs of a dozen of the boards.

Pretty cool how generative AI can be bad for the environment, put people out of work, utilize plagiarism, and be totally worthless creatively and uninteresting all at the same time.

A quick reminder that our submissions window is closing on 30 April for some months. Fortify yourself with hot cross buns over Easter to get your mss to us in time, but do please follow the guidelines: melanieostell.com.au/contact 🤞

He literally tweeted: This is a great time to BUY! Just hours ago. And then he paused tariffs. He’s literally committing crimes in front of the entire world. 😳

Happy publication day to #BARRENCAPE Brilliant review just in: rb.gy/xtaaj8

I spoke with Daniel Browning at RN about Meta’s theft of authors’ work to train its AI and the implications/ next steps for Australian authors. We need AI legislation to protect creators! @asauthors.bsky.social www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Ossoff: He’s so consumed by his efforts to secure revenge, crush his enemies, and conquer Greenland that he’s doing nothing for the people who elected him. His entire domestic agenda is tax breaks for the wealthy, rounding up immigrants, revenge, and centralizing as much power as he can..

If you find your work has been included in this dataset please complete our form below! We need this information to demonstrate the scale of the impact upon creators and to advocate to Government on creators' behalves. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

❗️Authors and illustrators: have your books been used to train AI? Today the Atlantic published a search tool allowing authors to search for their books in the LibGen dataset, which has been used to train Meta's AI system. Search here: www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

If you have 10 mins and want to watch real Edwardian women talk about their experiences of being teenagers at the turn of the century, then this is for you. youtu.be/pv6V1yHvJyo?...

really good sign when the photographs of powerless people take on an undifferentiated quality, of bodies become repetitions of organic forms and not individuals.

Writing about university governance bits and bobs this week - fun! - and have plenty to get on with but am reminded of how deeply cooked this sector is and have an ongoing interest in covering it properly. Especially re: institutional governance. Tips etc: [email protected]

Well that’s a headline I did not except to see. Ever.

We need to remember what we’re capable of. Every day let your mind be blown by something you do, read, listen to, or create. That is one way we get through this—to remain open to everything that is wondrous in the world. www.marytrump.org/p/what-it-co...

Should you have any thoughts about the Creative Australia board's recent decision: [email protected]

Remembering Grant McLennan on his birthday. Here's a glorious Go-Betweens performance filmed for Australian TV in 1987. It boasts their best line-up and a short-but-sweet set including Cattle and Cane, Bye Bye Pride, Right Here, Cut It Out, Spring Rain... youtu.be/4ALbPfCFfkQ

Authors and illustrators - don't forget to complete our annual survey! In order to better understand and meet the needs of our members, we need to hear from you. Have your say before 23 February: www.asauthors.org.au/news/have-yo...

I spent the Christmas period working on this #longread about how Australia's conservatives fell in love with the Canadian nuclear industry as part of their decades-long pursuit of an Atomic Australia. It's a bizarre story and I chased it down so many rabbit holes. It's now live over at Drilled.

In 10 days’ time (that’s Valentine’s Day) we’ll reopen to submissions. To do so, go to Contacts page on website and follow the guidelines. And PLEASE make sure you’re ready to share. #publishing #writinglife Good luck! 🤞 rb.gy/zqqpli

www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/202... Saddened to see this. Michael was my first publishing boss in the early 90s and was ALWAYS full of enthusiasm and optimism. Vale, Michael and thank you.

If this isn't enough to freak everybody the fuck out, I do not know what else will.

Visiting an old friend in the country and this is his back garden.

Absolutely floored to see The 113th Assistant Librarian shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards. Thanks to @wheelercentre.bsky.social, the State Government, Penguin Kids Australia and @mjostell.bsky.social for making such an honour possible, and congratulations to the other nominees!

Mildly amused by my library reservations. Maybe a haiku in there, a paean to trans fats?

I've also been working on a longread looking at how Ontario's nuclear industry has captured the hearts and minds of the Coalition - it's shaping up to be a pretty interesting story. Stay tuned.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg – who died of a drug overdose in his Californian home today – says it is not Facebook’s role to be the arbiter of truth for everything people post online.

Ghost in the machine on that link, somehow got Up The Duff-rolled. Anyway, here’s a link to one of the MANY brilliant HPV vaccine result stories; this from BBC Scotland. buff.ly/3vKpLNo