AustLit

'‘Mask’ derives variously from the mid 16th century French masque, from Italian maschera, mascara, probably from medieval Latin masca, ‘witch, spectre’ but influenced by Arabic maskara, ‘buffoon’ (Wordflex app 1998–2008, using Oxford Dictionary data ).

'It is a word with widespread interpretation and meaning. It encapsulates all seven previous Not Very Quiet issues and still leaves scope for new ideas and explorations in Issue 8.

'‘Mask’ has special resonance in gender discourses, and of course, has a special meaning in 2020 images of bushfire smoke and the pandemic.' (Sandra Renew and Moya Pacey, Introduction)