Two novelists who write lighter fiction but with deeper messages this week
DI MORRISSEY -‘ ARCADIA’
What starts out as a seemingly simple story of two women friends, Stella and Jessica, returning to Stella’s family home in Tasmania, becomes a more complex ecological lesson in the importance of forests and fungi!
HARRY SADDLER – ‘The Eastern Curlew – the Extraordinary Life of a Migratory Bird’
Many of us as we walk along the beach may see birds fossicking in the sand or mud and not realise that they may have come an enormous distance to land on these shores and feed. Just how far and how long it takes them is the subject of this beautifully written account, in which the author reflects on the ever diminishing populations of waterbirds and migrating birds and how we are impacting upon them.
This week I bring you two authors who have written both fiction and non fiction about the role of women in modern society.
TISHANI DOSHI – SMALL DAYS AND NIGHTS
Tishani Doshi’s novel, ‘Small Days and Nights‘ has a female protagonist returning home to find a major secret in her family life- a responsibility which she is now expected to shoulder.
Tishani Doshi reads from ‘Small Days and Nights’
Tishani Doshi interview
MEGAN STACK – ‘WOMEN’S WORK’
Megan K. Stack is the author of Every Man in This Village Is a Liar, which was a finalist for America’s 2010 National Book Award and an Australian bestseller. She reported on war for the Los Angeles Times from 22 countries, and was most recently Moscow bureau chief. When she took time out to have children she discovered a whole new area of conflict – what we term : Women’s Work
Megan Stack reads from ‘Women’s Work’
Megan Stack Interview
So many more authors over the coming months for you to catch up on so keep subscribing and share these posts as well! Later in the year, more of our popular half hour Podcasts series coming up!
Note: Click on images to buy the book at Booktopia!
Two great memoir reads to do with sex and identity this week- FionaPatten and Benjamin Law. Fiona’s book is her own story while Benjamin Law tells his story of growing up queer in Queensland in a collection of other gay memoirs.
Fiona Patten – SEX, DRUGS AND THE ELECTORAL ROLL
Your maiden speech in Parliament is a big deal. It is your one chance to ‘nail your colours to the wall’, and indicate where you stand on important issues. Fiona Patten decided to get in first on the matter of her colourful past history and delivered one to remember.
Fiona Patten reads from ‘Sex, Drugs and he Electoral Roll’
Fiona Patten interview
Recorded at Bellingen Writers Festival 2019
Well that’s the hetero side of it- now over to Benjamin Law….
Benjamin Law- Growing up Queer in Australia
Benjamin Law recounts his rocky adolescence- if you are gay and Asian in Queensland, where are your role models? How can he get the right hair? Get rid of acne? Tell your parents?
Benjamin Law reads from ‘Growing up Queer in Australia’
Benjamin Law Interview
Recorded at Byron Writers Festival 2019
Lots more authors and interviews to come.
There are over 230 authors on the Narratives site and we are continuing to add more!The world’s largest collection of authors reading from their own works!
Confused about diet, ethical consumption , sustainable agriculture?
Wonder why everyone is going vegan? What if you like eating meat but also want to repair the planet?
Listen to Matthew Evans delve into the complexities of consumption, the ethics of agriculture and the need for a rethink about our relationship to food animals and vegetable production.
Matthew Evans reads from -‘On Eating Meat’
Matthew Evans interview
Recorded at the Byron writers Festival 2019
coming next week:
David Leser ‘ Women, Men and the Whole Damn Thing’
Melissa Lucashenko for winning the Miles Franklin Award for 2019 with ‘Too Much Lip’.
BY an amazing coincidence we just happen to have Melissa reading from her novel and an interview in which she modestly declares she didn’t expect ‘Too Much Lip’ to be noticed in literary awards as it was too full on!
Melissa Lucashenko
Too Much Lip – extract read by Melissa Lucashenko
Interview with Melissa Lucashenko by Narratives Library
Recorded at the Byron writers Festival 2018
Coming soon:
In the next few weeks I will be uploading reads and posting interviews from the following authors:
Matthew Evans -On Eating Meat
David Leser – Women, Men and the Whole damn Thing
Marele Day – Lambs of God
Ash Grunwald -Surf by Day, Jam by Night
Lisa-Ann Gershwin – Stung
Matt Condon – The Night Dragon
Hung Le – The Crappiest Refugee
Barabra Toner – Four Respectable Ladies
Bruce Pascoe – Young Dark Emu
Tishani doshi – Small Days and Nights
Tracy Stanley – Over Byron Bay
Joanna Nell – The Single Ladies of the Jacaranda Retirement Village
Matt Condon – Knight Dragon
Isobelle Carmody – Alyzon Whitestarr
Antony Funnell – So Far, so Good
Damon Gameau – 2040
Marcus Zusak – Bridge of Clay
Tony Flowers – How to Stop an Alien Invasion
Megan Stack – Women’s Work
Stephen Pyne- Burning Bush
Benjamin Law- Growing up Queer in Australia
Harry Saddler- The Eastern Curlew the -Extraordinary Life of the Migrating Bird
Di Morrissey – Arcadia
Recorded at Byron writers Festival 2019
and please note: Currently our book cover images will not take you to Booktopia when clicked on- this is due to administrative changes at Booktopia. We will be working to fix this in the next few weeks.
ELIAS GREIG -I Can’t Remember the Title but the cover is Blue
Click on cover to buy book
The problem with this book is reading it in public- you just can’t help laughing and stifling incredulous gasps as Elias details in dead pan prose his experiences everyday in a suburban bookshop.
Counterpointed with succinct little illustrations by Phillip Marsden , Elias firmly nails all the idiosyncratic, poignant and just plain loopy denizens who cross the doorway in search of that one special book.
If you are a subscriber to Bay FM you can go in a draw to win an autographed copy of this book this Thursday July 25th around 10.15am. Listen online www.bayfm.org or tune in on 99.9.
Taken from Professor Marcia Langton’s 2012 Boyer lecture, this extract begins to detail the creation of millions of hectares of indigenous managed reserves and the flow on effect into the life of aboriginal culture.
Restoring the land also restores health and self respect and provides community cohesion and purpose.
This is an extraordinary in-depth look at one of Australia’s most important policy shapers. Keating was not served well by some sections of the media which tended to portray him as elitist with arcane interest in antiques- this portrait shows the depth of his understanding of the workings of the national economy and how that leads to social cohesiveness, and the lasting legacy of his economic reforms. Written by Kerry O’Brien, who had unlimited and intimate access over a period of some time.
And what a memoir it is! When you have lived the sort of life that Kerry O’Brien has, close up to the action politically and culturally for over three decades, you have a lot of memories to impart.
Kerry O’Brien is a media giant, and these days, tied to no one station or restriction he has been letting us know where he thinks Australia is headed – and why we should be doing a u-turn.
He also believes that the Labour government headed by Bob Hawke and Paul Keating had a true vision for this country and the foundation they laid down in the 80’s has protected us from the worst of global downturns and led to a more egalitarian society – this is about to change however unless we start to demand proper government.
In this read and interview, Kerry talks about the privilege of getting up close and personal with leading lights of the creative industries. I got the distinct feeling he considered them a welcome relief from the endless parade of politicians dodging the issue!
Kerry O’Brien reads from ‘Kerry O’Brien – A Memoir’
Kerry O’Brien – Interview
Next week I will post Kerry O’Brien’s biography on Paul Keating. An in depth examination of an extraordinary politician who has had a profound influence on our lives.
Recorded at Bellingen Writers Festival 2019
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Di Morrissey
