January 26th is Australia Day, a special day celebrating the first landing of European settlers in Sydney Cove, 1788. The day is celebrated in many ways: family gatherings, picnics, barbecues, going to the beach, attending sporting events or just having a lazy day in the middle of the Australian summer. Every year for the last [...]

Salisbury Writers’ Festival 2009 #2 Tom Keneally (Schindler’s Ark) was the keynote speaker on the morning I attended this year’s Salisbury Writers’ Festival. He was to speak on the topic ‘Telling a good story’ but like a many storytellers he meandered all over the place, colouring his address with some wonderful anecdotes about the writer’s [...]

I am always on the lookout for good blogs – especially those that deal with writing. I was delighted a few days ago to find out that someone has compiled a list of Australian blogs about writing. Jonathan Crossfield on CopyWrite has compiled a list of the Top 50 Aussie Writing Blogs. I am delighted [...]

One of the most influential and respected authors in Australia is Ivan Southall. He was a prolific writer whose main works, mostly for children and teenagers, were published in the 1960s and 70s. He had a profound influence upon me as a teacher and writer. I think I’ve read most of his books; it’s about [...]