The comfort of story
I have always found it hard to tell ‘a single story.’ When Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche warned of the dangers of a single story, I understood her caution a deeper level. [...]
Sydney Writers Festival Podcast with Mirandi Riwoe
I was so happy to talk to Mirandi Stanton about her brilliant novel Stone Sky Gold Mountain, for this Sydney Writers Festival podcast. You can listen to Mirandi talk [...]
Recovery
The events of the last few months have been too much. The world has been too much. The Virus. George Floyd. Black Lives Matter. Rio Tinto. 434 Aboriginal deaths [...]
The Parable of Bansi Lal Babu
‘You remember Bansi Lal Babu?’ asks my father, frowning down at me as I sit on the floor of our lounge, back against the wall, ginger cat purring on my [...]
Moving in from the margins
Talented Perth writer Emily Sun invited me over to her blog and asked me a series of excellent questions, which I enjoyed answering. In this chat we talk about being [...]
My year in books
I read a lot of books this year, no different to any other year. But I did try to read differently, adding writers of colour and translated works to my [...]
UWAP Writers – Michelle Michau-Crawford
In 2013, Michelle Michau-Crawford won the ABR Elizabeth Jolley Prize for her short story, Leaving Elvis, and in 2016, she was published by UWA Publishing, with her debut collection - [...]
UWAP Writers – Roanna Gonsalves
In my second post about the UWAP writers I am proud to share this publishing house with, I'm writing about The Permanent Resident and its author, the award winning Roanna Gonsalves. [...]
UWAP Writers – Amanda Curtin
Recently, the West Australian writing community was stunned by the shock announcement that the 85 year old publishing house was told to systematically shut down its operations and move to [...]
Loving Hardy
English novelist Thomas Hardy was an unlikely role model for a book-obsessed young girl growing up in India, but I credit Hardy, and the Romantic poets, with my initiation [...]
The semantics of slaughter
We know that language matters. As people of colour, especially, we know language matters. Pauline Hanson’s debut speech in Parliament in 1996 sent a shiver up my spine. Words [...]
Gardens of Earthly Delights
On an exceptionally kind February afternoon in Perth yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking to Annamaria Weldon and Moreno Giovannoni about goddesses and fireflies. The late great Mary [...]