1. Who are the short fiction authors you admire (Australian or otherwise, alive or dead)? I’ll confess straight up and say that I actually don’t read a huge amount of short stories. Most of the short fiction I’ve read is from high school. I like Cilla McQueen, Apirana Taylor, Katherine Mansfield… Hm, my English teachers … Read More
Win a Kobo ereader for 140 characters
We are currently running a competition, in search of quality writing with a Twitter-style character limit. The winner will receive a Kobo Touch ereader and there are ebooks and other Spineless Wonders giveaways for runners up. Competition closes at midnight on Tuesday, January 31. Entry is free via our Submissions Manager. Entries will be judged … Read More
Spineless Wonders asks Amanda Curtin
1. Who are the short fiction authors you admire (Australian or otherwise, alive or dead)? I admire Cate Kennedy immensely — Dark Roots feels like perfection to me. I (like so many people) was also hugely impressed with Nam Le’s The Boat, and other Australian collections I’ve loved include Josephine Rowe’s stories-in-miniature, When a Moth … Read More
Escape an anthology of short Australian stories
“Quality short fiction. Packed with surprises. Prepare to be transported.” Marion Halligan Escapist reading is usually light and inconsequential – ideal for those times when your body is relaxing on the beach, lounging in bed with a breakfast tray or slumping its way to work on public transport. The twenty-eight stories collected here, in Escape, … Read More
Spineless Wonders asks Mark Vender
1. Who are the short fiction authors you admire (Australian or otherwise, alive or dead)? Most of the short fiction I’ve read has been in getting to know the writers’ marketplace, so more than authors, I take note of journals and ezines. Places where I’ve enjoyed the stories include Overland and Meanjin (in Australia), as … Read More
Spineless Wonders Asks Susan McCreery
1. Who are the short fiction authors you admire (Australian or otherwise, alive or dead)? Amy Hempel, Miranda July, Raymond Carver, Alice Munro, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Peters, Wells Tower, Etgar Keret, Karen Hitchcock. 2. What is the most memorable short story you have read? And why does it stand out for you? Tricky, since I … Read More
Spineless Wonders Asks Andy Kissane
1. Who are the short fiction authors you admire (Australian or otherwise, alive or dead)? My favourites include Jhumpa Lahiri, Raymond Carver, Lorrie Moore and A.L. Kennedy. This year I read the best short story cycle I’ve ever read, Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize winning book, Olive Kitteridge. It’s a portrait of the inhabitants of a … Read More
Short Crime: Liz Filleul
1. How would you describe the state of short crime in Australia? Right now, there are a number of National competitions eg SD Harvey, Queen of Crime, Scarlet Stiletto. Yet comparatively few crime anthologies or single-author collections of crime stories are being published. Is this your perception? What, if anything, changes would like to see? … Read More
Spineless Wonders Asks Lucia Nardo
1. Who are the short fiction authors you admire (Australian or otherwise, alive or dead)? My favourite short fiction authors include Raymond Carver, Doris Lessing and anything, short or long, by Cate Kennedy. 2. What is the most memorable short story you have read? And why does it stand out for you? One? If forced … Read More
Spineless Wonders Asks Sylvia Petter
1. Who are the short fiction authors you admire (Australian or otherwise, alive or dead)? Roald Dahl, Alex Keegan, Edna O’Brien, William Trevor, Janette Turner Hospital. 2. What is the most memorable short story you have read? And why does it stand out for you? Several short stories resonate for me because they touch something … Read More