This week, the poetry spotlight shines once again on award-winning poet Geoff Goodfellow. This week's poem comes from Waltzing with Jack Dancer: A slow dance with cancer. The collection was written by Geoff in the aftermath of his diagnosis with throat cancer, and chronicles his experiences with treatment, hospitals, and the Big C.
Continue readingIn The Australian War Memorial: A century on from the vision, Steve Gower, the highly successful director of the Australian War Memorial from 1996 to 2012, gives a comprehensive account of the development of the Memorial from its inception just over a century ago. The book recounts the many challenges in establishing the Memorial and then in developing further its galleries and displays, the extensive collection, associated events and the overall supporting facilities. It also goes behind…
Continue readingOver two weeks we're sharing summaries of and extracts from some Wakefield Press gems, in blog posts put together by work experience student Maddy. (And yes, we briefly had two Maddys in the office! Never enough Maddys, we say.) In this extract from The Hounded, Monty finds himself alone with beautiful Eliza from next door, and in her bedroom no less … "You enjoyed it, didn't you? Watching her suffer like that?" "What if I did?"…
Continue readingBig 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…
Continue readingA macabre murder during the Women’s Australian Open golf tournament at one of Australia’s most prestigious golf courses sees food and wine journalist and amateur golfer Rebecca Keith on the murder trail once more. Fortunately, Rebecca’s sleuthing takes her on a journey of eating and drinking through many of Adelaide’s bars and restaurants. Little does Rebecca know that her visits to nearby Barossa Valley and Kangaroo Island will reveal clues that will become crucial in the hunt for a killer. A Royal…
Continue readingValour and Violets, the latest release from Wakefield Press, is a meticulously researched catalogue of the stories of hundreds of South Australians who gave their country everything. Close to 35,000 South Australians enlisted for service overseas during the Great War. Around 5500 never came back. Countless more returned with physical and psychological injuries that would affect them for the rest of their lives. Valour and Violets brings together for the first time the stories of the campaigns…
Continue readingLife as a fifteen-year-old boy is difficult for Sandy Douglas, who's not only facing the challenges of girls and friendship, but battling the gut-wrenching grief that came from losing his mother. With his brother Red, who is constantly filled to the brim with rage and his dad, who, despite his best efforts, struggles with their situation, Sandy endeavours to define himself in the Mallee. Below is the first chapter of Mallee Boys. To read more,…
Continue readingShavers down, time to hit the store for the best beard balm you can find: it's Movember. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian men, with 3000 dying of it each year – more than the number of women who die of breast cancer. Turn the focus on men's health with this excerpt from Peter Endersbee's memoir, Taking a Punt. Anna accompanied me to the urologist for the biopsy results. I was still clinging…
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