Launching BECOMING A BIRD by Stephanie Radok

Our brand-new event series, the Saturday Soirees, continued in March with the launching by Kay Lawrence of Stephanie Radok's Becoming a Bird: Untold stories about art. Our laneway was once again filled with eager punters and supporters of Stephanie's collection of meditative stories. And, as a special treat, our bookshop was also graced with a small collection of Stephanie's Spend More Time Listening to Birds Suite. One of the etchings from the collection features as the cover for this…

Launching THE SOUTHERN OSCILLATION INDEX by Cath Kenneally

At the first of our new afternoon event series, Saturday Soirees, the Wakefield Press laneway was filled with merry makers for the launch of The Southern Oscillation Index by Cath Kenneally. Launched by Linda Barwick, Emeritus Professor of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and Emceed by Wakefield Press' fearless leader Michael Bollen, the launch was a wonderful way to start the series. Find out about future editions of the Saturday Soirees series by subscribing to our newsletter here. We…

Launching THE FEELING OF BIGNESS by Helen Parsons

When Adelaide's quasi-lockdown hit in mid-November, the launching of Helen Parsons' The Feeling of Bigness: Encountering Georgia O'Keeffe was momentarily put on hold. We were so thrilled to be able to have a rescheduled launch in early December. Launched by Jan Owen, and Emceed by Louise Nicholas, the launch was held on the beautiful grounds of St John's church on Halifax Street, on a balmy evening befitting Helen's gorgeous poems. We are delighted to be publishing Jan Owen's…

Book Launch: The First Wave

Gillian Dooley is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Flinders University, South Australia. Gillian is also a journal editor and the author of books and articles on literary subjects from Jane Austen to J.M. Coetzee. In this guest post she writes about the launch of The First Wave: Exploring early coastal contact history in Australia, and the book's importance in our understanding of Australian history. On 20 June, The First Wave: Exploring Early Coastal Contact History in Australia,…

Wakefield Press and Love Your Bookshop Day

Love Your Bookshop Day is all about celebrating what makes local bookshops so great (and so important)! Here at Wakefield Press, we're celebrating by opening our shop on Saturday 10 August, but the celebration is about more than just one day. As our fearless leader, Michael Bollen, considers the daunting 'For Official Use Only' headers that have plagued his inbox as late, he also ponders his own official use as a publisher. In Diary of a Publisher, a brilliant…

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…

Liz Williams: Body Language

In late September Wakefield Press had the honour of launching Liz Williams: Body Language, a beautifully photographed book dedicated to the works of the late South Australian ceramicist. Below is an excerpt from author Margot Osborne's speech at the launch. I was driven to do this book on Liz Williams to honour her lifetime of artistic achievement and to ensure that there is a record of her unique contribution to Australian ceramics. It struck me…

Venetian Voices: Richard Wagner

Christine V. Courtney's Venetian Voices takes you on a stroll over bridges and under cloisters, following Venetian locals and visitors as they pass through centuries. On Saturday 24 June, Wakefield Press is joining with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra to launch Venetian Voices with a unique afternoon of music and poetry. Graham Abbott (ABC Classic FM) will be conducting members of the orchestra in a Venetian-inspired program, interspersed with readings from Christine. Tickets are $50 and include Coriole wine, Venetian antipasti…

Robe Chinese Festival

This weekend is the Robe Chinese Festival, and launching at the festival is a new book by Liz Harful, author of Almost an Island. Guichen Bay and the Chinese Landings incorporates material from Almost an Island with new research. Both books will be available from the foreshore pavilion on Saturday 6 May, and Liz will be signing books from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. After Victoria introduced a tax on Chinese passengers during the gold rush, some 15,000 migrants landed at the…

Ministers and the Media

Launching this week is Never a True Word, the debut political thriller from Michael McGuire. The book follows Jack, a journalist who thinks he's met every shade of nutter, narcissist and bully, until he enters the bizarre world of politics as a spin doctor. Perhaps Jack might have benefitted from reading John Hill's how-to, On Being a Minister – here John discusses his experiences with Adelaide's 'best informed, most intelligent and, at times, most offensive interviewers', Matt and Dave. My first Matt and Dave interview,…