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The best Australian books that 7 Australian writers loved in 2016
I wanted to write about some of the best books by other Australian writers that I had read and been blown away by during 2016. And then I thought – why not ask them who they read in 2016 that was amazing AND an Australian author? So that then I could have a list of books to then go read myself in 2017? So I did. I yelled out into the Twittersphere: Australian #writers: what was the best book by an Australian that you read this year? I want to write a blog post & will link back to you. — Marisa Wikramanayake (@mwikramanayake) December 24, 2016 And true enough, over…
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July 2016 Writing Calendar
I decided to put this calendar for the month of June together on a whim. And then people loved it. So this is the monster list of everything even remotely writerly and literary that is going on in Perth and WA in the month of July 2016 from today onwards. So a few quick answers to questions: Will this list always be on this site? MEAA WA is keen to cross-post/host/something along those lines. This will also be cross-posted at Emily Paull‘s site. And possibly on DWOA once we tweak a few things. Can you compile a list for Victoria and Melbourne? Not at this point – no time to spare.…
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The writing plan for June
It’s June today. A June day, today, let’s say since June began the day before yesterday. On this June day my TBR is neither pile nor stack, it is a scatter instead, in bags, on shelves, across the floor, under laptops and beds. It’s also not To Be Read but rather like quantum, a mix between the two, some To Be Read but some also read already so To Be Reviewed. I need a plan.
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The Gap by Ira Glass
For those moments when you despair that what you are creating isn’t as good as you hoped it would be: Video by David Shiyang Liu, found via a group on FB, thank you my darlings.
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The Australian Women Writers’ Challenge 2016
So in case you didn’t know, I often volunteer, and often fail (sorry Elizabeth) at rounding up and discussing what people have read for the Australian Women Writers’ Challenge in the genres of non fiction and short fiction and poetry. Occasionally, I interview authors for podcasts as well. The Challenge aims to get people reading more books written in all genres by Australian female and female identifying writers and to promote their work since we seem unable to rely on mainstream media to do a good enough job of doing so with no gender or racial bias involved. This year we hope to introduce a bingo card element to the…
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So who won the Australia Day Book Giveaway?
Who won the haul? That’s what you want to know right? What haul? This haul! Which I have to say is a pretty amazing haul. But what I found amazing were your comments. Thank you guys. It was really interesting to see what your favourite poems were and the reasons why as well. So while my cat ponders which one of you is lucky enough to win (or is distasteful enough that she doesn’t swallow the piece of paper your name is written on), let’s see some of your poetry favourites. KathArine (who does spell her name like that) kicks us off with Robert Frost: “Nature’s first green is gold,…
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2013's very odd resolution list
This being the start of 2013, of course everyone is talking about New Year Resolutions. In fact, come December 1st everyone starts ruminating on this topic. And then of course there is a lot of angst over what one hasn’t done yet and that horrible nagging feeling that somehow you are running out of time to do X, Y and Z and therefore be happy. So in the interests of preserving some sanity here, because let’s be honest, me being me, I have very little sanity or so people tell me, let’s do this differently. What was 2012 like? Well, lets see. It was unexpectedly social at points – in…
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On pens, paper and meaning
I have a sudden irresistible urge to buy pens. That gush with ink with colours seeping into white woven fibres on the page. Paper was meant to be written, scribbled, scrawled, drawn on, meaning overflowing arbitrarily declared boundaries. Everything ever present or absent on a page means something, and contributes to a larger idea and even more amazingly, can be wrought so that the exact intended idea is conveyed or so the reader is free to dream beyond convention. Someone go buy me pens. Because there is paper here. – Marisa Wikramanayake
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Weekly news roundup AND Britain's National Poetry Day… combined!
Note: News events listed below are as they happened on the morning of Thursday, 03 Oct 2012 prior to debates, apologies and anything else really exciting. It takes awhile to think up rhymes. I give students a news quiz each week and today I couldn’t decide whether to post the quiz and some of the odd answers or a poem for National Poetry Day in Britain (despite the fact that I am neither located there or a citizen) so you guys got both. Enjoy. If anyone can come up with a title that would be awesome. —- This week the Health Department got their anatomy wrong, They mislabeled the ovaries…
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Eureka Street has published my poetry
Eureka Street, an online magazine, based in Australia has just published Marisa Wikramanayake's poem "Manners".