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Patti Miller Patti Miller i(A532 works by) (a.k.a. Pattie Miller)
Born: Established: 1954 Wellington, Wellington area, Wellington - Dubbo - Narromine area, Central West NSW, New South Wales, ;
Gender: Female
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1 y separately published work icon True Friends Patti Miller , St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 2022 23603568 2022 single work autobiography

'A revealing and relatable memoir about the making and unmaking of friendships.

''It's hard to know exactly when the friendship with Gina ended. It could have been when the sudden text message from her arrived, or it could have been a slow slide out of favour that I willed myself not to see. What matters is that it did end, and I don't know why.'

'Friendships are among the most important relationships in our lives, often outlasting love affairs, marriages, even, at times, family connections. The loss of a friend can be one of life's most disturbing events, yet these 'friend break-ups' are little acknowledged in our culture.

'In True Friends, acclaimed author Patti Miller recounts the joyful making and then painful ending of a long, close friendship. It is a deep and influential relationship in her life, but when it inexplicably unravels, Patti is left searching for answers. As she tries to make sense of this ending, Patti considers other important friendships throughout her life, questioning who we are drawn to, what we really know of each other and why some friendships endure while others end.

'Evocative and intimate, this engaging book brings together the personal and the universal and reminds us of the centrality of friendships in our lives.' (Publication summary)

1 Pink Cakes Patti Miller , 2021 single work prose
— Appears in: 40 : Forty Years of the UTS Writers' Anthology 2021; (p. 3-7)
1 2 y separately published work icon The Joy of High Places Patti Miller , Sydney : NewSouth Publishing , 2019 16454783 2019 single work autobiography

'They didn’t know it, but Patti Miller and her brother, Barney, shared something in common — a passion for the illuminating joy of wild nature — with all its challenges and dangers.

'In this extraordinary and unexpected book, Patti tells the story of her own long-distance walking over hundreds of kilometres in Europe and of her brother’s obsession with paragliding.

'During their shared childhood on a farm these siblings were virtual strangers under the same roof. As adults, a tragic accident changes their relationship. One day, Barney’s wing collapses and he plummets to earth, breaking his spine. The story of his struggle to walk again intersects Patti’s long-distance journeys, creating an intense narrative of determination and triumph. 

'For Patti, walking is a radical act — a return to what has made us all human — that bestows a connection to wild nature and to creativity itself. But as she listens to her pragmatic and methodical brother tell his story, she learns that flying is his door to untrammelled joy too. She realises that she is ‘meeting’ him for the very first time.

'This beautiful and inspiring book tells that story and reveals that the siblings share a willingness to take risks and an indefatigable determination. And much besides. ' (Publication summary)

1 Icarus Patti Miller , 2018 single work prose
— Appears in: Reading the Landscape : A Celebration of Australian Writing 2018; (p. 128-139)
1 1 y separately published work icon Writing True Stories : The Complete Guide to Writing Autobiography, Memoir, Personal Essay, Biography, Travel and Creative Nonfiction Patti Miller , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2017 12949203 2017 multi chapter work criticism

'The complete guide to writing autobiography, memoir, personal essay, biography, travel and creative nonfiction.

'Writing True Stories is the essential book for anyone who has ever wanted to write a memoir or explore the wider territory of creative nonfiction. It provides practical guidance and inspiration on a vast array of writing topics, including how to access memories, find a narrative voice, build a vivid world on the page, create structure, use research-and face the difficulties of truth-telling.

'This book introduces and develops key writing skills, and then challenges more experienced writers to extend their knowledge and practice of the genre into literary nonfiction, true crime, biography, the personal essay, and travel and sojourn writing. Whether you want to write your own autobiography, investigate a wide-ranging political issue or bring to life an intriguing history, this book will be your guide.

'Writing True Stories is practical and easy to use as well as an encouraging and insightful companion on the writing journey. Written in a warm, clear and engaging style, it will get you started on the story you want to write-and keep you going until you reach the end.' (Publication summary)

1 Proustian Memory Patti Miller , 2016 single work essay
— Appears in: Good Reading , May 2016; (p. 54-55)
1 7 y separately published work icon Ransacking Paris : A Year with Montaigne and Friends Patti Miller , St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 2015 8305885 2015 single work novel

'What does it mean to fulfil a dream long after it seems possible? When Patti Miller arrives to write in Paris for a year, the world glows ‘as if the light that comes after the sun has gone down has spilled gold on everything’.'

'But wasn’t that just romantic illusion? Miller grew up on Wiradjuri land in country Australia where her heart and soul belonged. Mother of grown-up boys with lives of their own, what did she think she would find in Paris that she couldn’t find at home?'

'She turns to French writers, Montaigne, Rousseau, de Beauvoir and other memoirists, each one intent on knowing the self through gazing into the ‘looking glass’ of the great world. They accompany her as she wanders the streets of Paris – they even have coffee together – and they talk about love, suffering, desire, motherhood, truth-telling, memory, the writing journey, how to know who we are in the family and in the cultures that shape us. '

'This story, of a year spent writing and reading in Paris, explores truth and illusion, self-knowledge and identity – and evokes the beauty, the contradictions and the daily life of contemporary Paris.' (Source: Publisher's website)

1 Sex, Drugs and Patrick White Patti Miller , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: Eureka Street , 15 June vol. 22 no. 11 2012; (p. 12-14)
1 Erasure of an Aboriginal Temple Patti Miller , 2012 single work essay
— Appears in: Eureka Street , 4 May vol. 22 no. 8 2012; (p. 7-8)
1 14 y separately published work icon The Mind of a Thief Patti Miller , St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 2012 Z1852512 2012 single work autobiography (taught in 2 units)

'For 40,000 years the Central NSW area of Wellington was Aboriginal - Wiradjuri - land. Following the arrival of white men, it became a penal settlement, mission station, gold-mining town and farming centre with a history of white comfort and black marginalisation. In the late 20th century, it was also the subject of the first post-Mabo Native Title claim, bringing new hope - and new controversy - to the area and its people.

Wiradjuri land is also where author Patti Miller was born and, mid-life, it begins to exert a compelling emotional pull, demanding her return. Post-children, having lived a dream life in Paris, it is hard for her to understand, or ignore, and so she is drawn into the story at the heart of Australian identity - who are we in relation to our beloved but stolen country?

Wellington and the Wiradjuri people are the main characters - and in revealing their complex narratives, Patti uncovers her own. Are her connections to this place through her convict forefathers, or through another, secret history? She sets out on a journey of exploration and takes us with her. Black and white politics, the processes of colonisation, family mythologies, generational conflict and the power of place are evoked as Patti weaves a story that is very personal and, at the same time, a universal story of country and belonging.

The Mind of a Thief is about identity, history, place and belonging and, perhaps most of all, about how we create ourselves through our stories.' Source: http://uqp.com.au/ (Sighted 03/04/2012).

1 Curiosity Patti Miller , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: Newswrite : The NSW Writers' Centre Magazine , October/November no. 187 2009; (p. 8)
1 Writing in Paris Patti Miller , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: Newswrite : The NSW Writers' Centre Magazine , February/March no. 183 2009; (p. 24)
1 Random Provocations Patti Miller , 2008 single work essay
— Appears in: Island , Summer no. 115 2008; (p. 16-21)
1 1 The Woman Who Loved Children Patti Miller , 2008 single work biography
— Appears in: Good Weekend , 9 August 2008; (p. 51, 53-54)
1 2 of Us : Daniel Krige and Matt Reeder Patti Miller , 2007 single work column
— Appears in: Good Weekend , 30 June 2007; (p. 16)
1 y separately published work icon The Memoir Book : A Guide To Life Writing Patti Miller , Pymble : HarperCollins Australia , 2007 Z1382169 2007 single work criticism (taught in 4 units)
1 Tender is la Nuit in a Writer's Paris Patti Miller , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 6-7 January 2007; (p. 33)

— Review of F. Scott, Ernest and Me Tony Davis , 2007 single work autobiography
1 How Khouri Toyed with Our Emotions Patti Miller , 2004 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 20 August 2004; (p. 11)
1 Literature Patti Miller , 2003 single work criticism
— Appears in: Good Weekend , 20 September 2003; (p. 47-48)
Along with a brief commentary, Miller provides her personal list of major works of literature. The writing on the list originates predominantly from the UK, the USA and Australia, but includes some mention of South American, Indian, Russian and European works.
1 The Joy of Text Patti Miller , 2003 single work essay
— Appears in: Good Weekend , 26 July 2003; (p. 39, 41)
Miller discusses the pleasure she derives from reading. She cites a number of books that she has particularly enjoyed, including The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James as well as some works by Australian authors.
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