WWWC Runner-up Edition: ‘Rolling back the years’

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Wakefield Weekly Writing Competition: Runner-up Edition in yellow text on blue background

The WWWC might be taking a short breather over the holiday period, but we certainly haven’t lost our appetite for interesting writing! We’ve decided to share some runner-ups to previous editions of the WWWC challenge, beginning first with Pam Makin, whose response to November’s prompt ‘rolling back the years’ was such a close second that it would be unfair to deprive our readers.

Read Pam’s deceptively simple ‘Ghost of a Chance’ below.

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GUEST POST: Dr David Faber on Harry Hodgetts: The flawed broker behind Don Bradman’s move to Adelaide by John Davis

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From ‘Big Shot’ to ‘Swindler’, racier newspapers gloated when Harry Hodgetts was convicted of fraud and false pretences in September 1945. But how did things go so wrong for Hodgetts?

In Harry Hodgetts: The flawed broker behind Don Bradman’s move to Adelaide, John Davis writes the complex story of this hard-working, gifted social climber, his fall into bankruptcy and a prison cell, and the scandal that haunted Bradman’s reputation.

In this special guest post, Dr David Faber of Flinders University provides his reflections on this riveting biography.

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Wakefield Press acquires Troy Hunter’s latest Gus mystery

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Wakefield Press is delighted to announce the acquisition of world rights to Troy Hunter’s Gus and the Burning Stones, the sequel to his smash-hit debut Gus and the Missing Boy, via Jane Novak Literary Agency. Gus and the Burning Stones is slated for publication in July 2025.

Find out more about this exciting new acquisition below.

Author image credit: Tony Zara Photography

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GUEST POST: Matthew P. Fitzpatrick on An Indigenous South

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An Indigenous South: German writers on colonial South Australia, edited by Peter Monteath and Matthew P. Fitzpatrick, shines a light on a forgotten aspect of South Australia’s history.

The book collects the writing of German settlers and visitors to Australia, charting the course of German–Australian encounters from first contacts, through the ruptures and violence of a relentlessly expanding European presence and into the twentieth century.

Co-editor Matthew P. Fitzpatrick presented a fascinating talk on the book at the September meeting of the Friends of the Lutheran Archives. We’re pleased now to be able to share this in-depth explanation of the book with a wider audience.

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GUEST POST: Stephen Orr on A Cheery Soul

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Wakefield Press is looking forward to heading to Holden Street Theatres this week to watch ‘surreal satirical masterpiece’ A Cheery Soul by Patrick White, directed by Peter Goers. We’re pleased now to be sharing Stephen Orr‘s programme notes, shared with permission from Holden Street Theatre and Peter Goers.

Read Stephen’s lively notes below.

Banner image sourced from Wiki Commons.

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Launching 2024 SALA Feature Artist Monograph JULIA ROBINSON

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In August, we attended a celebration of Julia Robinson the artist, as well as Julia Robinson, the 2024 SALA Feature Artist monograph, by Leigh Robb, Hannah Kent and Jess Taylor.

We’re pleased now to be able to share Julia’s speech from the evening, sharing her memories of SALA’s humble beginnings, and how the festival helped her realise that pursuing art was a viable career choice.

Read her speech below.

Banner image: Bitter Roseroot (detail), 2018, gourd, silk, thread, pins, braid, brass, gold plating, steel, padding, mixed media, 120 x 80 x 60 cm, collection Museum of Contemporary Art. Photo: Sam Roberts.

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