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
Writing to the Edge with Julie Chevalier
1. What inspired you to write the prose poem/microfiction which will appear in Writing To The Edge? I was in a chemist shop when I overheard an angry conversation. Toothbrushes were strewn around the floor. A wiry woman shrieked into her mobile phone, ‘Someone stole my ‘done and don’t I know who it was!’ I … Read More
Writing to the Edge with Jude Bridge
1. What inspired you to write the prose poem/microfiction which will appear in Writing To The Edge? My story reflects the ubiquity, ridiculousness and dehumanising nature of e-communication. I work with a multi-function device (a machine that used to be called a photocopier before it got a PhD) several days a week and find little … Read More