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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
In approaching this issue's publication, we found ourselves reflecting on a line by the poet Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes, from his poem ከዋክብት መንገድ / The Journey of Black Stars. In translation, Yirga writes, 'little things cast big shadows' (36). Small actions, In a poem, a story, or in any moment of contact, cast their ripples and edge out into the world, producing the unexpected. Contemplating the themes prominent in the works collected here, among them closeness, joy, sympathy and connection, we began to recognise one of those ripples as a possible catalyst for the works we have gathered, even if its effect wasn't noticeable at the time of curation. (Editorial introduction)
Notes
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Only literary material by Australian authors individually indexed. Other material in this issue includes:
The Source by Gary Allen
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Includes : Trust in Goodness : Four Mixed Media Collages by Michael Farrell
I Don't Sleep the Whole Summer by Sam Moe
A Tough Man to Love by Joe Baumann
Contents
- Fishing at Caer A’Muireheni"I forgot to say noon was closing around us. Further", single work poetry (p. 10)
- Golden Fleece, single work short story (p. 11-16)
- Somewhere Agoi"Where I lived doesn't exist, all the houses", single work poetry (p. 17)
- A Song for Saint Rochi"I found two pristine cigarettes", single work poetry (p. 18-19)
- Augusti"Some mornings the rain", single work poetry (p. 20)
- He Can Hear All the Animalsi"All these people, keeping me alive", single work poetry (p. 21)
- The Beginningi"I'm going to find mum at Finley.", single work poetry (p. 22-23)
- Autumn 1994 : A Haibuni"I lie with mu sister in a grey van, two abreast on nylon seats. Nearby", single work poetry (p. 24)
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The Tiger, the Grunewald, Judith Kerr,
single work
essay
(p. 25-32)'When Australia closed its borders I spent many hours half-lost in Berlin's Grunewald. Sodden with Weltschmerz-wondering when I'd get back to Perth, if winter would ever end, if I'd be traipsing through this forest for the rest of my life—it was the books of Judith Kerr that took me out of that queasy eternal present and gave me perspective.' (Introduction)
- Jeti"You have climbed into the dank cavern where I went a few months", single work poetry (p. 33)
- የከዋክብት መንገድ / The Journey of Black Starsi"when men sleep in the cold night", single work poetry (p. 34-36)
- Quiet Love, single work short story (p. 37-41)
- Scrubbing the Pooli"In the gathering closeness of autumn storms", single work poetry (p. 42)
- From Tateyama Cable Car/4–6, single work short story (p. 44-51)
- Taxoni"On the plane over, I divide my genome equally between here and", single work poetry (p. 52-53)
- Exhumationi"I remember the day I dug", single work poetry (p. 54-55)
- El Dorado (after) Lifei"Life has all the appeal", single work poetry (p. 56-57)
- Hey, Hey, the Clouds Are Whey…i"there is no sense", single work poetry (p. 58-59)
- The Antichthonesi"They ride on tracked dromedaries", single work poetry (p. 60)
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The Poem in the Parrot, the Boy in the Bird,
single work
essay
(p. 62-72)'My son's first words are nearly all bird names. We give him a plastic duck when he lies on the change table, to try and distract him so he stays on his back, doesn't roll. One day we don't and he says, 'Duck, duck, duck'. The next week we are at the zoo, it is thirty-six degrees at 4Pm in the afternoon, we are regretting our choices until, walking through the wetland aviary, he points at the water: 'Duck, duck, duck' From there, we get `coco' for cockatoo, 'gaga' for galah, `bamingo' for flamingo, then goose, budgie, emu and peacock. Owl is said as in howl, like a bird struggling free from the throat of a wolf. ' (Introduction)
