By: Penny Hanley, Blogger in Residence Tapping into hidden creativity In dreams we find ourselves on a bridge between realities. We can tap into hidden wells of creativity, with access to wisdom not available in our waking lives. In dreams we regain or maintain our mental health as our brain files information, consolidates memories and … Continue reading
Blogger in Residence, Sophie Constable, shines the spotlight on two wonderful websites that are enriching our understanding of the world through international literature. Have you ever gone into a bookshop in another country only to find school textbooks? Or writing pads? Maybe pens. But no novels? It has dawned on me, slowly, how hard it … Continue reading
Rosalind Moran, Blogger in Residence Both as readers of fiction and in the real world, we have been conditioned to judge by appearance. Clean and collared in a boring suit? Public servant. Wearing a puffer jacket? Taswegian. Greying prematurely and drinking caffeine with abandon? Author. Sometimes we construe people’s identities based on what seem like … Continue reading
Our Blogger in Residence, Nalini Haynes, sat down with Zana Fraillon to discuss her hauntingly beautiful, timely, heart-wrenching novel, The Bone Sparrow, about a refugee in an Australian detention centre. What can you tell us about The Bone Sparrow? A young boy, Subhi, was born in an Australian detention centre. He imagines the sea comes up to … Continue reading
(photo credit: Rachel Saunders) A few years ago I spent a lot of time looking for writing tips to use in one of my short stories called, “Seventeen Rules for Writing a Short Story.” One thing I discovered is that just about every writer who has ever lived has some advice to give on writing, … Continue reading
As writers, we spend copious amounts of time glued to our screens, lost in the world of our words. Blogger in Residence, Penny Hanley, reminds us of why we should all take a time-out, familiarise ourselves with proper posture and give ourselves a little bit of TLC. Don’t do what I do; do what I … Continue reading
[Feature image: Christine Napanangka Michaels’ painting “Lappi Lappi Jukurrpa” © Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation] What makes a good story? Blogger in Residence, Sophie Constable, explores storytelling, intercultural perspectives and tradition. In 4th grade I was taught a story has a beginning, a middle and an end. And a good story has a mountain shape: an … Continue reading
Words by Rosalind Moran, Blogger in Residence The world is full of impenetrable questions. Who is responsible for the word ‘flibbertigibbet’? Why is one sock always missing? And could the Pavlova really be as Australian as Crowded House? Yet one issue repeatedly proves itself to be even more complex: that of Australian culture and literary … Continue reading
Blogger in Residence, Rosalind Moran, explores this enigmatic archetype and its enduring presence in writing today. The concept of the ‘Byronic hero’, named after Romantic poet Lord Byron, has existed for over 200 years. With his square jaw, tortured soul, and propensity to loiter on desolate hillsides, the Byronic hero’s enduring presence in storytelling across many mediums … Continue reading
Today, 20 June is World Refugee Day. Blogger in Residence, Penny Hanley, looks into how art and literature depicts the lives of refugees. “Refugees live in a divided world, between countries in which they cannot live and countries which they may not enter.” Elie Wiesel, American, Romanian-born Holocaust survivor, writer and Nobel Peace Prize winner, … Continue reading
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