1. What inspired you to write the prose poem/microfiction which will appear in Flashing the Square? It was a sunny, cold day and I was pregnant, which was unusual for me. The sounds and smells of the longest five minute walk from the station to my work place were heightened by the sensation of this … Read More
Michelle Wright: Flashing the Square
1. What inspired you to write the prose poem/microfiction which will appear in Flashing the Square? My story, Taken, is about a mother whose son is taken by a shark while out surfing. My son surfs and I always feel a vague sense of unease when he’s out on the ocean. However, I accept the … Read More
Caroline Reid: Flashing the Square
1. What inspired you to write the prose poem/microfiction which will appear in Flashing the Square? When I lived in Darwin I went on a road trip west to Broome through some of the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen, it flows through your heart that country. We arrived in Fitzroy Crossing, filling up at … Read More
Shady Cosgrove: Flashing the Square
1. What inspired you to write the prose poem/microfiction which will appear in Flashing the Square? ‘Lightning Ridge’ was written many years ago during a road trip to northern NSW. I was struck by the setting – the dry heat – and how gambling informed so many lives there. ‘Call an ambulance’ was written as I was … Read More
Kirsten Tranter: Flashing the Square
In the first of our interview series with contributors to Flashing the Square, an anthology of microfiction and prose poems, we interview Berkeley-based Australian author, Kirsten Tranter. 1. What inspired you to write the prose poem/microfiction which will appear in Flashing the Square? Turing Test Study Guide was inspired by thinking about the Turing Test, … Read More
Writing to the Edge with Alexia Derbas
1. What inspired you to write the prose poem/microfiction which will appear in Writing To The Edge? Exchanges is based loosely on my own experiences. I wanted to convey that awkward time when you must get to know your parent’s new partner, which becomes much more difficult when you don’t share a common language. The story … Read More
Writing to the Edge with Romana Dalgleish
1. What inspired you to write the prose poem/microfiction which will appear in Writing To The Edge? My research at the time was focusing on interruptions to the mundane. I ended up writing a lot about public transport and concepts of privacy in public spaces. I was thinking about the way people negotiate the balance of … Read More
Vivienne Plumb: on short fiction
Vivienne Plumb, an Australian currently living in New Zealand, is a playwright, poet, and fiction writer. She has held several residencies, including one in 2004 at the University of Iowa and the 2006 Massey University writers’ residency. She holds a Doctorate in Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong. This week, on the eve of … Read More
Writing to the Edge with Lauren Aimee Curtis
1. What inspired you to write the prose poem/microfiction which will appear in Writing To The Edge? Dream Baby was based on a dream I had. I don’t normally use my dreams when I write because I often have vivid, nonsensical nightmares, and who wants to read about that? Even when there’s something there, it’s usually … Read More
Writing to the Edge with Nick Couldwell
1. What inspired you to write the prose poem/microfiction which will appear in Writing To The Edge? A memory inspired this story; a small image, a tiny chunk of nostalgia at the edge of my mind. The bones of this story are autobiographical. My father and I would fish and camp around the back beaches of … Read More