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Hey, something’s different here.
Yes, you are right. There have been some changes here at Spineless Wonders. After celebrating our tenth year in publishing, it was time to think about what the future will look like for us. We always have lots of great ideas swirling around. As a team, we love that. Innovation is in our DNA. But it isn’t possible to keep taking on new projects without letting others go. Or at least, putting some of our activities on pause or doing them slightly differently.
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What is new? Over the past year or so we have created a new imprint, ES-Press and a formed a new production company, SW Audio. We’re excited to let you know more about what has been produced so far and what is planned.
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Sadly, on of our favourite projects – The Carmel Bird Award – has been put on pause until further notice.
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Over coming years, we will be exploring the amazing world of location-inspired storytelling and look forward to forging new partnerships and to collaborating with many authors and creatives to deliver programs nationally. Examples include Sonic City: stories and sounds of Sydney will soon be unveiled and the recent collaboration with 107 and Rizzeria to activate The Rocks area in Sydney.
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We are thrilled to announce that with the assistance of a grant from CreateNSW, we will be expanding our production of audio-dramas, due for release in 2023. And very soon, we will have news to share about an exciting new direction for Microfix.
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On behalf of the Spineless Wonders Team
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Who are ES-Press?
Welcome to Spineless Wonder’s new imprint, ES-Press, an Australian-based imprint with a focus on curated poetry, literary fiction, memoir and creative non-fiction as well as non-fiction that deals with the issues and truths of contemporary life in Australia. The ES-Press production team includes publisher Bronwyn Mehan (of Spineless Wonders fame), editor and typesetter Camilla Cripps, and artist Bettina Kaiser, of BKA+D.
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ES-Press celebrates three recent titles as 2021 releases: Siarad by Caroline Reid, Little Matsue and other tales by Larry Boyd, and the shortlisted for 2020 International Beverly Price for Literature The Asparagus Wars by Carol Major. Carol Major is holding the last of her 2022 author events – In Conversation with Carol Major – at the Goulburn Library on 2 June from 2pm. Tickets for the event can be found here.
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It’s been a busy couple of months for ES Press with many exciting projects on the horizon, including the May release of The Age of Fibs, by award-winning NSW Central Coast author, Beth Spencer. There are more exciting titles on the horizon for ES-Press: a collection of short stories by a prominent Australian creative arts lecturer, and a collection of children’s stories with a focus on Australian ecology and our local environments are both just around the corner – watch this space for announcements about launch parties and author events!
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The Age of Fibs Launch + Giveaway!
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We are excited to announce that Beth Spencer's The Age of Fibs was officially released this month! Winner of the 2018 Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award, The Age of Fibs is a boundary crossing collection from the author of critically acclaimed How to Conceive of a Girl. The Age of Fibs includes a selection of memoirs, short stories, and micro fiction, and explores memories of football and school, museums, tv families, Barbie dolls, and growing up in the age of Fibs™ bras.
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To celebrate the launch of The Age of Fibs, we are giving away a signed copy to one lucky reader! We’ll also send two runner ups an ebook copy of The Age of Fibs. To win, tell us in 25 words or less 'something you were told as a child or teenager that you found out later was a big fib?'
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*Entries close 31st May 2022. You must be based in Australia to enter.
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About the author
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Beth Spencer’s previous books include How to Conceive of a Girl (Random House, 1996), which was runner-up for the Steele Rudd Award, and Vagabondage (UWAP, 2014), a verse memoir about a year living in campervan. Awards include The Dinny O’Hearn Fellowship, Varuna Writers fellowship, a CreateNSW grant, and several Fellowships from the Literature Board of the Australia Council. Her work has been performed widely on ABC-Radio National, and she is an occasional interviewer for Climactic podcast. She lives on Guringai land on the Central Coast of NSW, and can be found on social media at @bethspen.
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News + Giveaways from Spineless Wonders Audio
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And so, the slug came out of its shell – Spineless Wonders Audio was born.
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Spineless Wonders Audio offers a range of services for authors, publishers, and organisations to create audio content that will reach new audiences with ease through various distributing options. As an independent, open-minded production company, we welcome unconventional storytellers, providing them with a dedicated and talented production team that is willing to push creative boundaries.
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Along with some very exciting audio projects in the works, we want to give a shout out to the following items on our agenda:
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Audiobook Appreciation Month
June is Audiobook Appreciation Month, and whether you are already a fan or thinking of giving audiobooks a listen, we can help you find some titles that might be of interest to you. Subscribe and keep an eye out for our Instagram page, as we will be focusing on a different book genre for every week of June, along with recommended titles that fall under the following categories:
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- Little Ears Listening
- A Quick Word
- Leap Across Oceans
- Bated Breath
- The Human Condition
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GIVEAWAY!
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To show our appreciation to our readers, Spineless Wonders Audio is giving you the opportunity to download one of our audiobooks for free, which you'll be able to listen to via the Authors Direct app. Be sure you are one of the first 50 people to email us at info@shortaustralianstories.com.au for a free giveaway code! Use the subject line “Authors Direct” for your chance to win!
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The brilliance of the Authors Direct app is that it allows authors to sell directly to customers, while also giving customers the opportunity to spend directly with authors instead of the distribution company.
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Entries now open!
The Newcastle Writers Festival and Spineless Wonders are excited to announce the launch of the 2023 joanne burns Microlit Award. Celebrated poet joanne burns and Melbourne writer and academic Cassandra Atherton will judge the competition entries, which are invited from Hunter writers as well as writers from across Australia and from Australians living overseas. The theme is 'play' and we are looking for microfiction or prose poems of up to 200 words that reflect on some form or aspect of play.
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For more details and competition guidelines:
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Book news from Marsh Hawk Press!
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Are you snuggling up with us?
We warmly invite you to join us for Snuggle up with Spineless, our suite of online events spanning from April to June. We're showcasing some of our latest releases and giving our readers a chance to virtually meet the talented people behind the books.
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Tickets are free, and with each event you register for, you'll also receive an exclusive taster! PLUS we'll be doing giveaways on the night, so make sure you tune in.
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Don't miss out on the next instalment of Snuggle up with Spineless (Thursday 12th May at 6pm AEST) where we'll be exploring Smacked by Dominique Hecq! She will be In Conversation with author Eugen M. Bacon and audiobook narrator Ella Watson-Russell. We hope to see you there!
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Dates for your diary
- 12 May – Online event 6pm AEST | Snuggle up with Spineless: Smacked. Featuring author Dominique Hecq, in conversation with Eugen M. Bacon and Ella Watson-Russell. Register here.
- 26 May – Online event 6pm AEST | Snuggle up with Spineless: Travel. Featuring editor Cassandra Atherton. Register here.
- 2 June – Goulburn Library 2pm AEST | Carol Major ('The Asparagus Wars') Author Talk. Register here.
- 16 June – Online event 6pm AEST | Snuggle up with Spineless: Ecliptical. Featuring poet Hazel Smith, in conversation with Anne Brewster, Joy Wallace, and Roger Dean. Register here.
- 28 August – joanne burns Microlit Award competition deadline,. Info here.
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