Positive representations of disabled people in Australian fiction
7 January 2022
Social Queue by Kay Kerr, and Stars In Their Eyes, a graphic novel by Jessica Walton and Aśka, are among works of fiction by Australian authors featuring central characters with disabilities. In Social Queue, Kerr’s autistic protagonist Zoe navigates the world of dating, while in Stars In Their Eyes, queer disabled teen, Maisie, finds love at a fan convention. These works are welcome: in the past people with disabilities who have been part of a story have often assumed the antagonist’s role.
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Australian literature, writing
Gold, a film by Anthony Hayes
6 January 2022
Gold, trailer, by Australian actor and filmmaker Anthony Hayes, sees two men discover a giant nugget of gold in the middle of a blistering desert. So enormous is the find, they are unable to move it without heavy lifting equipment.
One of the men (Zac Efron) decides to remain behind in the searing heat, while his companion goes in search of the gear they need. But the billion dollar question, would you wait possibly days for that to happen?
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Don’t let New Year’s resolutions interfere with your novel
6 January 2022
British cartoonist Tom Gauld’s take on writers and New Year’s resolutions. I might caption the first frame “write a good book”, and then have an editor tell me in the second frame to write a “better” book. Whatever you do, don’t bring the neighbours, or any friends, into the process.
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The coin toss in cricket, should it change?
6 January 2022
Haris Aziz, Scientia Associate Professor at UNSW’s School of Computer Science and Engineering, has proposed a new way of managing the customary coin toss that precedes a cricket match. Presently the winner of the toss decides whether their team will bat or bowl first.
Depending on factors such as the state of the playing field, and anticipated weather conditions during the course of play — which can have an impact on the outcome of the game — the winner of the toss can have a substantial advantage.
Under this method, the toss takes place as normal, but instead of the winning captain choosing whether to bat or bowl first – and thus immediately gaining a potentially strong position – the losing captain would instead make a proposal. The losing captain would make his own determination on how many runs advantage he feels would be gained by batting first. For example, in a Test match, he may feel that a pitch that looks easy to bat on for the opening couple of days but might later produce turn, is effectively ‘worth’ an extra 100 runs to the team that bats first. To counter that advantage he then proposes an offer to the captain who won the toss, by way of a choice. Either bat first and give up 100 runs, or choose to bowl and take the 100 bonus runs for his own team.
I’d be interested to see this in action. In the meantime, in regards to the men’s cricket series currently in progress, well, anything that might for a slightly more even contest, I say.
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Vale Craig Ruddy, artist and past Archibald Prize winner
6 January 2022
Sydney born Australian artist Craig Ruddy, who’s painting of late Australian actor and dancer David Gulpilil, won the 2004 Archibald Prize for portraiture, died on Tuesday this week, from COVID-19 complications. A sad loss for the Australian art community.
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art, Australian art, Craig Ruddy
Find a RAT, a Rapid Antigen Test kit in Australia
4 January 2022
Find a RAT in Australia, is a great and timely initiative by Melbourne based Australian application developer Matt Hayward, to help people locate Rapid Antigen Test kits to self-test for COVID-19.
With people in some locations reporting waiting several hours, sometimes longer, to take a PCR test, and waiting days instead of hours for the result because of the strain some test providers are under, a Rapid Antigen Test may be the only option some people have.
In recent days though RAT kits have become difficult to find, not to mention at a reasonable price, but hopefully Find a RAT will assist in locating them.
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Dymocks Top 101 books 2022 poll
4 January 2022
Voting is open in the Dymocks Top 101 books poll for 2022, across categories including fiction, young adult, fantasy, crime, and non-fiction. I can’t see a closing date for voting, so if you wish to participate, do so now.
Update: results of the poll have been posted.
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Flicker Fest 2022, showing at Bondi Beach
4 January 2022
Flicker Fest, the world’s favourite short film festival (if I may say so…) takes place this year at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, from Friday 21 January, to Sunday 30 January 2021. This year’s event seems to have a Great Gatsby feel… dig out your glad rags, and get ready to party hard.
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Australian film, film, film festivals
Jenny Hewson, literary agent, talks contracts, rejection, and writer’s voice
4 January 2022
London based literary agent Jenny Hewson spoke to Jemma Birrell in late 2020 as part of the Tablo Publishing Secret Life of Writers podcast series. Topics discussed included contracts, rejection, and writer’s voice, a pivotal aspect of the writing process, but one that can be overlooked.
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A short story about the Trailhead ant colony
31 December 2021
The life and times of the Trailhead ant colony, which thrived for some twenty years, in this work of fiction written in 2010 by American biologist and writer E. O. Wilson, who died on 26 December 2021.
But now a second crisis arose. The candidate royals began to quarrel among themselves for control. They converged on the brood chambers and jostled for position there. They struggled to climb on top of their rivals. The winners in these encounters seized their opponents’ legs and antennae and dragged them away.
I don’t know if it’s a childhood fascination I had with ants, but this depiction of the fictitious Trailhead Colony reads like a family drama set in a royal household.
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