• No worries

    Kate Burridge     |      September 18, 2022

    Described in Jonathan King’s Waltzing Materialism as the “national motto” of Australia, this complex little phrase “no worries” even has its own Wiki entry.

  • Adieu Jean-Luc Godard

    Ben McCann     |      September 15, 2022

    The passing of Jean-Luc Godard at the venerable age of 91 leaves the world without one of its most important and influential film makers.

  • The COVID chronicles

    Deborah Lupton     |      September 13, 2022

    Pandemics force us to face our mortality, prompting profound questions about life’s meaning. It is not surprising, therefore, that since the days of medieval plague outbreaks, infectious diseases have attracted the imagination of novelists.

  • Digitising endangered languages

    Nick Thieberger     |      August 11, 2022

    The PARADISEC digital archive model revitalising endangered languages around the Pacific has now been taken up in North America by the Cherokee Nation.

  • Do as I say – The appeal of cults

    Shane Satterley     |      August 4, 2022

    There are no shortage of people seeking purpose in their lives, and charismatic charlatans happy to take advantage of them.

  • Biblical monsters

    Madadh Richey     |      July 23, 2022

    The Bible is full of monsters, even if they’re not Frankenstein or Bigfoot, and these characters can teach important lessons about ancient authors, texts and cultures.

  • Something rich and strange – Shelley at 200

    Amy Wilcockson     |      July 16, 2022

    It’s two hundred years since Shelley, one of Britain’s greatest poets, died at sea at the age of 29. His rock star fame and rollicking lifestyle are perhaps more famous than his works today, but remain some of the most beautiful work in the English language.

  • Dogs in myth and legend

    Alan Stevenson     |      July 14, 2022

    Genetic evidence suggests dogs were first domesticated from their wolf ancestors at least 27,000 years ago, and dogs have played a prominent role in our lives and myths throughout recorded history.

  • Remembering James Caan

    Daryl Sparkes     |      July 14, 2022

    James Caan didn’t care for the trappings of stardom or the celebrity status so many other actors crave. He was into acting for one thing: the craft at which he excelled.

  • Welcome to the Italian Riviera

    Hetta Howes     |      July 11, 2022

    In the depths of a cold, wet, grey Australian winter, what better way to escape than literature about one of the most beautiful areas in the world – the Italian Riviera.

  • Remembering Frank Moorehouse

    Julieanne Lamond     |      June 28, 2022

    Frank Moorhouse, who died in Sydney on Sunday, June 26, 2022, made a significant and multi-faceted contribution to Australia’s literary life.

  • Spirit and song in the Kimberley

    Catriona May     |      June 27, 2022

    The decade-long Junba Project in the Kimberley has helped revitalise the public song-and-dance tradition, strengthening community spirit and the confidence of young people.