‘This is an outstanding volume of poetry. It is wonderfully original and deliciously complex. Its intellectual pirouettes and cutbacks are a pleasure to follow, always offering an incredibly agile and aesthetically stimulating journey.’ – Lachlan Brown
In 2020, Poppy Nwosu is the published author of two young adult contemporary novels, Making Friends with Alice Dyson and Taking Down Evelyn Tait. Yet back in 2018, she had just signed her first publication contract for her debut book, and she really had no idea what the future might bring.
This collection of blog posts (originally written by Poppy between March 2018 and March 2019) chronicles her experience during that strange year of limbo between signing a contract and seeing her first book released into the world by Wakefield Press.
In today’s post, Poppy speaks about her attempts to write a follow up novel before her debut had even been published.
Wendy Scarfe is the author of A Mouthful of Petals, a nonfiction account of three years working in an Indian village in the early 1960s. Previously published, it became a classic among good samaritans, particularly in Britain, and was reviewed by The Times, New Statesman and such like.
In this guest post, Wendy reflects on a past brush with book censorship and her experiences writing and publishing a biography amidst political turmoil.
This week’s feature poem is by Shaun Berg from his collection Wystan’s Relic, a book that will challenge your thinking and provide new perspectives on important questions.
We’re delighted to officially announce the acquisition of world rights to Libby Trainor Parker’s debut book, with the working title of Endo Days: Life, Love and Laughs with Endometriosis, which Wakefield Press will publish in 2021.
One in ten people in Australia are living with endometriosis and countless others are supporting them, caring for them, championing various treatments and being impacted by this incurable condition. Endo Days is a look at the stories of those within the endo community, as told to journalist and educator Libby Trainor Parker, who was diagnosed with endometriosis aged thirty-six, and has dedicated the past seven years to finding the lighter side of chronic illness. Endo Days is a frank, often funny and honest memoir told in a narrative journalism style, with Libby’s own story as the central narrative, drawing on interviews with others with endometriosis (both women, men and non-binary), their partners – male and female, doctors and specialists, researchers and the wider endo community.
Earlier in the series, Poppy featured Kate’s poem ‘Frost’ from the same collection. It’s a calming and quiet celebration of the ordinary beauty of nature (read Poppy’s thoughtful post about it here). In a similar vein, this week’s feature poem is an intimate and gentle study of creativity and friendship.
Four YA horror stories will be selected from an open call-out across Australia.
Read on to find out how you can enter.
‘In a wild tale arcing from 1845 to the present, in poetry underpinned by meticulous research, we inhabit settler society with all its attendant joys, hardship and grief as we careen with Caroline through her journey of love, loss and horror into madness.’
– Biff Ward, author of In My Mother’s Hands