A plea from an editor to the world's surfeit of aspirant writers: please stop writing — if only for one year. A heartfelt request unlikely to be observed, as millions of writers fight over what seems to be an ever shrinking pool of readers. According to a 'surprising fact' recently encountered on an American website, 80% of American families buy precisely zero books per year, a proportion which no doubt is echoed elsewhere in the western world.
Mabo and Land Rights
Bryan Keon-Cohen AM QC played a key role in the legal maneuverings that led to the High Court of Australia recognising the existence of native title in 1992. His intimate knowledge of that series of events has been brought to bear in Mabo in the Courts: Islander Tradition to Native Title: a Memoir. We assisted with the design and typesetting of this fascinating volume, and got a sense of the attention to detail and sheer persistence required to push through such a controversial reform. Dr Keon Cohen has created a website to cross-promote his book, and it has been favourably reviewed by various publications.
Local Author Launches "Scent of Belonging"
Rosie Abbott will be launching her excellent book "The Scent of Belonging" at Readings Hawthorn on 20 February 6.30pm. Her book is set in country Victoria on the eve of World War Two. Free event, bookings not required.
"The dominating physical presence of the countryside makes her feel small – a hill country landscape scarred with dark-green fissures of hidden valleys, suffused with cloying smells lurking in the heat. She shrinks back into the bedclothes, away from the penetrating curiosity of people whose everyday conversation is loaded with unfamiliar directness and unsettling silences."