Special Event: Wild Asparagus, Wild Strawberries

Wild Asparagus, Wild Strawberries France bewitched Barbara Santich as a student in the early 1970s. She vowed to return, and soon enough she did - with husband and infant twins in tow. Wild Asparagus, Wild Strawberries tells the story of the magical two years that followed. Buoyed by naive enthusiasm, Barbara and her husband launched themselves into French village life, a world of winemaking, rabbit raising, cherry picking and exuberant 14 Juillet celebrations. Here we see…

Peat Island: Dreaming and desecration

Book Extract For just over 100 years an institution for the mentally ill has stood on little Peat Island, in the lower Hawkesbury. It was decommissioned in 2010; quite empty now, it remains a locked facility just as it had always been. And eerie. The last residents were dispersed into the wider community. In this, they echoed the fate of the Darkinjung people, original custodians of this country - their community was scattered just as intentionally,…

Book Extract: Big Rough Stones

Big Rough Stones They surged across King William Street, around and up onto the bronze Boer War horseman at the corner of North Terrace. Ro linked arms with the woman next to her. 'Take the toys from the boys', they sang. The hero almost disappeared under a festoon of women, but clung valiantly to his rifle, bronze upper lip stiff. It was his horse who looked most horrified. Meet Ro at thirty-something. She is committed…

Book Extract: Kieran Modra

Kieran Modra: The way I see it What becomes of a country lad who loves daredevil adventure, only to discover that he is slowly losing his sight? What courage does it take for him to pursue his dream of becoming an elite athlete representing his country? Kieran Modra's inspiring story tells us about a shy country boy in a city boarding school, an adolescent struggling with his identity as he comes to terms with a…