Perth Words… exploring possibilities.

Here’s issue 3 of the special volume of Review of Australian Fiction, edited by Laurie Steed, that features writers from Western Australia. This issue presents a story by one of Western Australia’s most celebrated novelists, Brenda Walker, paired with emerging writer Maria Papas—and two fascinating, and unsettling, stories they are.

Brenda Walker’s story, ‘Mouse’, begins with a singular voice that leads us into a small hell:

Inside the building next to the car park there is a flight of stairs that leads to the floor where the mice live. If you want to work with mice you must put on special clothing, heavy white plastic boots, gloves and a mask. You must walk through a sequence of doors, you must not carry bacteria from the outside world with you. This is to protect the mice from contamination. The mice live in translucent boxes. Their eyes are pink bubbles…

It’s likely you have not seen giraffes like this because you won’t often catch giraffes sleeping. (Aside from me! 🙂 ) giraffes have the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal, needing around 30 minutes a day. Until about the 1950’s researchers thought that they never slept at all.

Because of it’s slowness in lying down and getting up the giraffe as a prey animal has evolved to protect itself by reducing it’s need for catching zzzz’s. Beautiful, exotic and amazing huh?

Do we have any other ‘giraffes’ amongst us, or are you the full-bodied 8 hours type?

of course,

the things we know are fleeting.

I’ve always understood that much.

and while inside I’ve held my breath,

I’ve never lacked the oxygen to connect.

“I’ve skirted worse”

I constantly assure myself-

I’ve lifted more from deeper lurches.

I know with every peach there is a pit

and in it,

lie our dormant curses.

– sc

Almost one year ago, I was pondering about whether there was a publishing project I could get involved in to make a small contribution to Singapore’s Jubilee Year. I wanted to do something different so I wasn’t looking to publish my own book.

At that time, St. James’ Church Kindergarten approached me. The SJCK Principal had a very clever idea for a book project. She wanted a compilation of children’s short stories created around four Little Red Dot characters, later named Didi Dot, Dishon Dot, Dana Dot and Danny Dot. Would I be able to help them publish it? Its target audience of preschoolers was right down my alley and it would be part of SJCK’s contribution to the SG50 celebrations. So I said yes.

One year has past since I started working on this project and I’m happy to now hold the newly published books in my hands, in …

As many of you will already know, UWA Publishing recently announced the establishment of the Dorothy Hewett Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. The award, supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and 720 ABC Perth, offers a cash prize of $10,000 and a publishing contract with UWA Publishing. It’s open to established and emerging writers whose manuscript has a connection to Western Australia (landscape, people, history, residence/birth of the author). Submissions are open now and close on 4 September 2015.

To celebrate the inauguration of the award, UWA Publishing and 720 ABC Perth are hosting a Writers Forum on 13 August, 5.45 for a 6pm start, at the ABC Studios at 30 Fielder Street, East Perth. The forum will give writers the opportunity to gain greater insight into literary awards, the publishing process, and the Western Australian writing scene in general. Bookings are essential.

The panel will consist of