Book launch: Singapore, Indonesia, East Timor and Australia

Here's an amazingly original anthology just launched! It's called TERRA - a unique publication for the Austronesian region. Where? I haven't heard of that before!

The work is in English and Bahasa Indonesia - representing the best of prose and poetry from 40-plus-strong list of writers includes some of the leading literary lights from Australia, Indonesia, East Timor and Singapore. Edited by Sandra Thibodeaux and Sitok Srengenge, with Chief Translator Kadek Krishna Adidharma. Check out more and make your order by contacting the NT Writers Centre.

Here's what some of Austronesia's leaders are saying about Terra:
...the powerful works in this collection speak to me with force and passion of matters of huge individual and political relevance to our region: freedom, belonging, fear, insecurity, identity.
Kirsty Sword Gusmao, Timor-Leste

Edgy and vibrant, TERRA...gives us insigts into the multiple aspects of "Territory": possession, dispossession, racial, religious and environmental conflict, personal spaces, love, fear and hope.
Mike Ladd, Australia

Proof that post-20th century world literature is a movement from margin to margin...not something that spreads out from the centre.
Nirwan Dewanto, Indonesia

Extreme Adventures become Classics

Looking for an adventure book to take you right out of your comfort zone? National Geographic compiled a list of the very best adventure books of all time and its worth a look. The list is from 2004 but most of these titles are timeless classics- like the Journals of Captain Cook, and perhaps the most influencial mountaineering book of all time, Maurice Herzog's tale of altitude and frost bite - Annapurna.

Phil O'Brien - Out of the scrub and onto the page

Northern Australia is producing some unique writers - and Phil certainly is unique.
He's the first featured "Writers Interview" on my website.

Here's a taste:

Phil O’Brien spent his early years on Tempe Downs Station 250 km’s southwest of Alice Springs, in the red heart of Australia. Decades on, and several hundred adventures later Phil still roams the outback living a uniquely nomadic life, it’s a life full of challenges, panorama’s and camaraderie…and it’s a journey that has taken him to places and put him in situations that most other Australians living amongst the security of the suburbs ever get to experience...

The Interview:

How did you get started?

It was all pretty fluky how I got into writing, or maybe it was fate I’m not sure. I was at a party half cut sharing yarns as you do, jamming as much Victoria Bitter down my throat as I could, when this bloke came up and reckoned if I could somehow document all those stories in print people might really enjoy the read.

His name was David Harris, a professional writer and he really encouraged me. It was such a ‘way out’ proposition to start with, but once I chewed on it for a while I thought… why not?

For Phil's story and full interview click here.

Lost for Words

Australia has producd some fine writers in the last 150 years. The works of these great masters such as Henry Lawson and Patrick White have reflected the uniqueness of the Aussie character, lifestyle and landscape. The quality of writing has been applauded worldwide, but why isn't this distinct branch of literature celebrated Down Under?

Early in December 2006, the Weekend Australian's Review section featured an article on the teaching of Australian Literature in universities entitled 'Lost for Words' (The Weekend Australian Review, December 2-3). It noted that undergraduates seemed less interested in studying Australian writing than in the past and put forward various theories as to why this had occurred. The article attracted much comment, including claims that there needed to be more teaching of Australian literature in secondary schools as well.

As a follow-up, Sydney PEN has organised a panel to discuss how much Australian literature is currently read, as well as how much was, is and should be studied at school and university. Elizabeth Webby, Professor of Australian Literature at the University of Sydney, will be the participating chair and other panellists include well-known writers Delia Falconer, John Hughes and Emily Maguire, who are also teachers of literature and creative writing. More...

5.30 for 6.00pm, Wednesday 21 March 2007
Mitchell Theatre, Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts
Level 1, 280 Pitt Street SYDNEY NSW 2000
RSVP: (02) 9262 7300 or programs@sydneymsa.com.au
FREE ADMISSION

Inquiries: Kathryn 1300 364 997 sydney@pen.org.au