AustLit
Latest Issues
Contents
-
Found, or Self-found Poetry, in an Age of Instant Trash,
single work
essay
'Poetry, like air, exists everywhere, particularly when it comes to findable material in a plethora of things ranging from books of fiction or nonfiction, memoirs, biographies or autobiographies, history books, books of philosophy, diaries, books of letters, newspaper articles, remarks made by people online, including social media platforms such as FB, Twitter, IG, and WeChat, particular WeChat, and even emails, all, in my opinion, instant trash that contains gold only an appreciative eye could pick.' (Publication summary)
- A Quiet Man, single work short story
-
The Long and the Short of It : Jen Craig’s Wall,
single work
review
— Review of Wall 2023 single work novel ;'I first heard of Jen Craig when she was interviewed by Michael Silverblatt on his KCRW radio program Bookworm. Her novel Panthers and the Museum of Fire had found publication with the American publisher Zerogram Press. There was some talk of the influence of Thomas Bernhard and WG Sebald, the difficulty of making a sentence and spinning a clay vessel on a wheel—a shared problem of concentration and balance. When I tried to find her book here, I could not—but now Panthers, alongside the slim 2010 volume Since the Accident, have been reissued with Puncher & Wattmann, who have also published her third book Wall.' (Introduction)
-
The Poet’s Work,
single work
review
— Review of Non-Essential Work 2023 selected work poetry ;'Omar Sakr’s Non-Essential Work is a book of love, often in the face of despair. It expresses a love for queerness, for moments of physical love, for flesh and desire, love for the poet’s wife, for his people and family, for friends and even strangers, and for God and the Prophet Muhammad.' (Introduction)
- DI/ODE CL, single work poetry
- DI/ODE CXLIVi"multicellularity is an inherent property of bacteria,", single work poetry
- DI/ODE CLXXVi"again the sympathetic mountain urges seaward,", single work poetry
-
Collapsing Drama to Grapple with Difficult Realities : Vidya Rajan’s Crocodiles,
single work
review
— Review of Crocodiles 2023 single work drama ;'I saw a reading of Vidya Rajan’s Crocodiles in 2022 and was struck by how surprising the script was: from how the title connects to the themes of the work (which is about aged care in Australia and immigrant labour who staff the sector), to the captivating dialogue, to the form of the piece. I was excited to see the full production recently, produced by Naarm independent theatre company Elbow Room as part of the Darebin Arts Speakeasy program.' (Introduction)
