literature

Love is in the air as BLUSSH Romance Festival ignites in Brisbane with the Australian premiere of One Perfect Match

BLUSSH Romance Festival is the loving brainchild of uber film producer extraordinaire Kylie Pascoe and heavy culture consumer Sue-Anne Chapman. With a strong desire to bring together their loves of films and books under one festival umbrella, they hope, through the romance lens, to deliver a carefully curated program of stories and events for the…

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Translating a 100 year-old Japanese Master – an interview with Ryan Choi

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa inspired Murakami and Kurosawa, but what’s it like reading his work today? The Akutagawa Prize is one of Japan’s most prestigious literary prizes. Kurosawa’s beloved 1950 film Rashomon, was inspired by Akutagawa stories, and Haruki Murakami counts him as a favourite. But what would today’s readers think? And what about translating it? Ryan…

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Richell Prize Shortlist announced

Hachette Australia and The Emerging Writers’ Festival have announced the shortlist for the Richell Prize, named in memory of former Hachette CEO Matt Richell. Prior to his sudden death in 2014, Richell was a passionate supporter of new and emerging writers. This is a legacy which the award aims to continue, by celebrating unpublished authors in the…

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W.J.P. Newnham wins The Lifted Brow’s 2016 prize for Experimental Non-Fiction

A joint venture between quarterly magazine The Lifted Brow, RMIT University’s non/fictionLAB, and the Copyright Agency, the Prize for Experimental Non-Fiction was this year won by Brisbane based writer W.J.P. Newnham, for his autobiographical piece Trashman Loves Maree. The award celebrates work unlike any other, seeking out new and audacious voices from across the world….

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A.S. Patrić wins 2016 Miles Franklin Literary Award

Established in 1954, the Miles Franklin Literary Award is Australia’s most prestigious literary prize, named for author Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin. At an announcement made on the opening night of the Melbourne Writers Festival, A.S. Patrić took home the $60,000 prize money, for his début novel Black Rock White City. All shortlisted applicants, which this…

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West Writers Forum returning to Footscray Community Arts Centre for 2016 program this weekend

Victoria’s Footscray Community Arts Centre will once again be presenting the West Writers Forum, now in its third year, with New York based award winning poet, writer and activist Mahogany L Browne headlining the weekend. West Writers Forum: Our Stories will focus on narrative and story, exploring what these terms mean to different communities, through an offering of…

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Literary magazine The Lifted Brow celebrates thirty issues

Quarterly magazine The Lifted Brow is nearing its tenth birthday, after thirty issues dedicated to showcasing young Australian literary and artistic talent. The 30th issue is both a milestone publication for the team, and also a swan song for editors Ellena Savage and Gillian Terzis, who have been with the magazine since its relaunch in 2015….

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2016 Miles Literary Award shortlist revealed

At the Australian Booksellers Association Conference in Canberra, the 2016 shortlist for the prestigious Miles Literary Award was announced. With a focus on uniquely Australian identities and struggles, this year’s nominees, including three authors shortlisted for the first time,  are in the running for a $60,000 prize. Making the 2016 shortlist are: Hope Farm by Peggy Frew…

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Festival Review: Rock And Roll Writers Festival

The first weekend of April saw the inaugural Rock And Roll Writers Festival take over Brisbane music venue The Brightside for two days of discussion and debate, devoted to the strong relationship between music and literature. A coup for the Brisbane arts scene, festival organisers Leanne de Souza and Joe Woolley brought together a killer line-up of…

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5 things to see at A Rock & Roll Writers Festival

The inaugural Rock & Roll Writers Festival takes over Brisbane’s Brightside on the first weekend of April. With events staggered across the two days, you won’t have to miss a single moment of the action, but just in case you need a beer break in between all the sex, drugs, and rock and roll, here’s our…

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