Spineless Wonders Asks Jon Steiner

1. Who are the short fiction authors you admire (Australian or otherwise, alive or dead)? Well, David Foster Wallace, for one, obviously. Here are some others: ZZ Packer, Robert Drewe, Jhumpa Lahiri, Grace Paley, Sam Shepard, Richard Yates. But also, I often read a story somewhere that totally blows me away—in the New Yorker, or … Read More

Spineless Wonders Asks Kate Geyer

1. Who are the short fiction authors you admire (Australian or otherwise, alive or dead)? Miranda July, ZZ Packer, Alice Munro and Josephine Rowe. 2. What is the most memorable short story you have read? And why does it stand out for you? I read Helen Garner’s collection of short stories ‘My Hard Heart’ about … 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 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

Announcing! Prize-winners of 2011 Carmel Bird Short Fiction Award

Spineless Wonders is very proud to announce the following writers and their winning stories in The Carmel Bird Short Fiction Award, judged by Sophie Cunningham for 2011. Winner $500 Susan McCreery     ‘The Gardener’ Runners Up $100 Claire Aman            ‘Those Gauls Must Be Crazy’ SJ Finn                      ‘Paper Anniversary’ These three stories along with twelve others which … Read More

Little Bleeders 2 Talking short crime with A.S. Patric

This week, The Column asks Alec Patric, winner of the 2011 SD Harvey Short Story Award about writing short Australian crime. I spent years reading prose that was lit up with insights and revelations. Dense with psychological verisimilitude. That exposed all the nuances of our most precious relationships. Years with tortured prose that demanded a … Read More