Amanda O’Callaghan author of The Memory Bones What inspired you to write this story? Small parts of it are autobiographical. I was an over-imaginative child, or a tragedy-centric child, so I was always conjuring up fears and disasters. The little girl who is afraid of snakes is me. I am still quite a cowardy custard, in … Read More
reviews
The Short Review on Damaged in Transit
We are very proud to see this review of Damaged in Transit by Mary Manning in the prestigious, international short story review site, The Short Review. Read it here. Paperback copies of Damaged In Transit are available from bookshops, our website. Check out the Damaged in Transit book trailer made by Evelyn … Read More
White Light Reviewed by Alison Jones
White Light, short stories by Mark O’Flynn: review by Alison Jones, Katoomba Library. O’Flynn has a vernacular gift. The words and images he uses in these stories are precise and sculptured to fit their subjects. The standout story for me is Red Shoes, an affectionate portrait of Dorothy Hewett and husband Merv Lilley. I felt … Read More
Small Wonder review
We are reproducing, in full, this terrific review by Ali Jane Smith of our first prose poetry/microfiction anthology, Small Wonder. You can find other reviews, great fiction and poetry in the final issue of Famous Reporter here. Copies of Small Wonder can be purchased from our Products Page or ask for it at your local … Read More
Indigo Book of Australian Prose Poems
Our small wonder prose poem/micro fiction competition kicked off on October 16 and so we thought it timely to reflect on the fine tradition of prose poetry in Australia. This week on The Column, Ali Jane Smith reviews The Indigo Book of Australian Prose Poems, Edited by Michael Byrne (Ginninderra Press, 2011). Opening an anthology … Read More
First sentences
Listening to Stanley Fish talk about the sentence on The Book Show got us thinking here at The Column about exemplary first sentences from Australian short stories. Here’s what Fish had to say about the opening sentence. ‘It is a promissory note. It telegraphs everything that’s going to follow … It has an angle of … Read More