"I couldn't stop them from doing that. That's their business. They're happy, I think, because this is all going on now and they feel they've really seriously generated something, but…It's completely hollow and it's probably, if anything, exposing the stupidity."

A cool composite pic of this year’s first baby peregrine falcon to fledge from the Collins Street nest site (9:27am)

Great piece by Zadie Smith. When the right talks about classics or "Western" culture, these works are only important to the extent that it demonstrates their superiority, they have no interest in art in and of itself beyond that www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Ah a Neha Kale non-fiction book!! What ✨brilliant✨ news!! www.instagram.com/p/DQ51ZFNjF3...

Ed Ruscha, OOF, 1962-63 www.moma.org/collection/w...

Alex Seton, A kind of human paste, 2025. Rosa Portugal marble, 100kg. currently on show in Seeing Though Matter, Sullivan+Strumpf Singapore via www.sullivanstrumpf.com/exhibitions/... and www.instagram.com/p/DQxNKXhk9S...

The faint rustling of cultural institutions everywhere rapidly changing their passwords

New short fiction from me now up online at Island ➰ it's about the bad place #flashfiction

"The challenge of flash fiction is, of course, to pick the right words to tell a complete story, since the writer is allowed so few." Craft: Word Count by Lisa Thornton jmwwblog.wordpress.com/2025/11/05/w...

New short fiction from me now up online at Island ➰ it's about the bad place #flashfiction

"No serious writer working in Australia today should be unaware of, or ungrateful for, the singular position Garner has carved out…she’s made possible new forms of honesty, of writing and speaking in the first person and letting the reader understand the writer’s process in doing so."

"Sometimes I write things down on the walks [but] it's important to be not to carry a notebook. If you carry a notebook, the walk becomes too purposeful. I take this magical thinking very seriously." —Louise Glück in conversation with Adam Moss in The Work of Art (which is so good, btw)

feeling middle aged

"It’s not, like, comedy keeps me sane. No. Making things, making anything—I probably could do it if I was going to build a boat. It puts my feet on the ground. I love process."

Great news for Australian bird watchers. Merlin now works in Australia. If you don’t know what Merlin is, it’s basically Shazam for birdsong.

Finally, after the collapse in new Oz drama … Fed Govt to introduce a Bill to “mandate streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers … to invest at least 10 per cent of their total expenditure for Australia – or 7.5 per cent of their revenue – on new local … programs”.

Ok this really helped

Maud Madsen, Lights out, 2025 via www.maudmadsen.com

Ebony Truscott, Decorative lid with blister pack, 2025 on show at Niagara Galleries, Melbourne niagaragalleries.com.au/exhibitions/...

Baby avocado creche

What do you call it when Zohran Mamdani, relational aesthetics, and Bob Ross walk into a bar? We call it Hyperallergic Halloween.

Put me down for Friday x Michael Lindemann, Artists Anonymous, 2025 now on show at Sullivan+Strumpf Melbourne, closes 22 November www.sullivanstrumpf.com/exhibitions/...

A historic moment as Treaty passes Vic Parliament, the first time in our history that a Treaty has been enshrined in law. To those who have fought for this - thankyou. This must act as a guiding light towards federal truth, Treaty & justice for all First Nations people.

Calling all freelance photographers, cartoonists, journalists, podcasters and media workers! Tell us about your experiences as a freelancer, to shape the next phase of our campaign to set a floor for rates and conditions in our industry: freelancers.org.au/2025-industr...

More halloween costume ideas

"The Australian Design Centre Board has resolved to cease operations by 30 June 2026 unless alternative funding is found before that time." Full announcement: australiandesigncentre.com/latestnews/A...

How interesting. Ultimo Books specifically open to subs of manuscripts between 30-40k words (both fiction and nonfiction). Don't think I've seen anything like this from a biggish publisher in Australia before. hardiegrant.submittable.com/submit/33977...

I was recently laid off by ARTnews, a few days before the theft at the Louvre. The terms of my TN work visa means I can't freelance unless I donate the funds to charity. I'm open to new FT roles in business reporting and communications, and am willing to relocate to other cities, including Toronto.

Great news for creators. No TDM exception means AI companies will have to pay for our work for use in training - bring on fair licensing! www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

If you would like to know a hilarious microtrend, all the cricket boys are wearing black socks with their whites 🏏

morrrre whalessss 💙

The benefits for young people are well documented, but leaders in youth arts say greater commitment is needed. Read the full article here: vist.ly/4biwq

Gallerina aesthetics... Elmgreen and Dragset's hyperreal sculpture of an exhausted artsworker is tricking more than a few passersby in Paris

This is truly bizarre. It’s one thing to apply for funding and complain when you don’t get it - quite another to complain about not getting funding that you didn’t apply for. The details here about contracts with artists are truly eye-popping.

Today's AusArt Day, which promotes fundraising for cultural causes across the country. You can find out more here: www.creative.gov.au/ausartdayfaqs

Yep, it's standard for many publishers now to include more politely-worded 'fuck off AI' notes on the imprint page along with copyright warnings. I altered my most recent one in a reprinted book to add illustrations to words. (We automatically own copyright but amoral criminal AI just steals it.)

Yes!! This is what I've always wondered!! It seems such an obvious move, like when you buy a sewing pattern and it clearly says for personal use only, not to be used for commercial products I'd love to hear from someone with a legal background about whether it's a viable strategy for publishing

is it hot right now (yes) isithotrightnow.com/places/sydne...

no but really, there are even little references to Michael Jackson and Enya, such a romp

Bird Poll > 100 Books of the Century

What a day! Today's work had me checking the Macquarie dictionary spellings of riot grrrl, bottle-o and mise en scène (inflections are my kryptonite)

oh this new Tame Impala is funnnn

Well I don't know. This feels like a hard misreading of both Sasha Gordon and Gen Z (who are not millennials!) Agree with the broader point about shifting aesthetics because of AI though. But mostly, I still wish I could see this in the flesh

Nice bit of good news about making the longlist for the Newcastle short story prize, and even nicer to see so many familiar names there too! hunterwriterscentre.org/2025-newcast...

you don't understand. as someone who isn't inherently good at art, stealing paintings from the museum is the *only* way i'm able to express myself creatively. i wouldn't be able to paint beautiful portraits. but by breaking into a museum and stealing the paintings, now i am

So many whales this afternoon 💙

I've cast on another sweater

3 x kids cricket matches this weekend, which only means one thing, it's time to cast on a knitting project

I know, I know. Many a slip twixt cup and lip, especially when it comes to arts funding, but gee it's nice to see ideas in the air