When you look at it as a whole program, and considering how quickly it was brought together with a lack of any real budget, the line-up of writers and events is phenomenal. I hope if AWW restarts next year, it can harness some of the local community energy & vibe of Constellations.
I am so grateful that organisations including Writers SA have banded together to create Constellations - Not Writers Week. It was awful to see Writers Week cancelled; now we've got a flurry of so many writing events on the horizon!
Black and white text and images on a white background. Image is two people, large pencils and a wave of water on the right side. The man is raising his fist in a style typical of revolutionaries, and in his other hand he’s carrying a book with the Aboriginal flag on the cover. A woman is next to him, raising her hand and holding a pencil. Text above them: rivers of reason. Blak and Arab writers in conversation. Text underneath: Tarntanya 2nd March 2026. Adelaide town hall, 128 king William street. 2.30 to 7.30 pm. At the bottom are designs that represent the Aboriginal flag and a keffiyeh.
Proud to announce bookings (free) are open for Rivers of Reason: Blak & Arab Writers in Conversation. Monday 2 March 2026, 2.30 - 7.30 in town hall, Tarntanya (Adelaide). As part of Constellations writers festival. Info about program & speakers on booking page >
events.humanitix.com/rivers-of-re...
Fresh! I'm guessing it might have been commissioned just before the closure announcement.
Many thanks to Emma Rayward and Meanjin(!) for this thoughtful review of Here Are My Demands. All my world-building was not for nothing! (And now I'm inspired to go harder in my next spec-fic effort...) meanjin.com.au/latest/put-i...
"A literary culture disaggregated from the contemporary world consigns itself to utter irrelevance – and yet in Albanese's Australia, the fantasy of an apolitical cultural sector seems to have been installed as de facto cultural policy." @catrionamp.bsky.social infra-dig.ghost.io/hard-surface...
Geez -- $50k-$200k grant size, and $2m total pool is tiny to cover the whole country. But in a way, the grant size means only small indie-publishers need apply -- so maybe it's targetted in a way that will actually promote niche stuff?
I can't help with a list, but one of them was Alex Cothren with his excellent 'Playing Nice was Getting Me Nowhere'. Published by Pink Shorts Press, a new SA publisher and one of the first to withdraw:
www.pinkshortspress.com.au/books/p/play...
A guerrilla festival is indeed being discussed 📚❤️ ✊🏼
www.indailysa.com.au/news/just-in...
For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of hearing Ben Walter read his own work -- this is a very excellent way to spend a minute and thirteen seconds:
I'll try and get that nickname to catch on next time I'm in the pub watching cricket with the lads.
Me last weekend, taking in some sport during a break at the Short Story Festival
#ManOfThePeople
This weekend, the Australian Short Story Festival is on in Adelaide. It's always a great vibe, so get along if you can. I'll be moderating a couple of sessions. On Saturday night, there's a 'Complaint Letters' event that should be good fun. More here: australianshortstoryfestival.com/2025-program/
Christopher Pyne riding an Adelaide tram, looking absolutely chuffed to be there.
All the promo assets you'd need for this concept already exist.
I would definitely listen to a podcast about the Adelaide-Glenelg tram line hosted by a former Federal MP, entitled -- and imagine this being spoken in the host's distinctive voice -- 'The Fine Line with Christopher Pyne'.
*This* is the stuff I wish I'd known when I was starting out!!
Yeah, I guess so! Thanks, Ben. The guidance is slightly discriminatory against writers like me who struggle with a clear beginning, middle and end...
How interesting. Ultimo Books specifically open to subs of manuscripts between 30-40k words (both fiction and nonfiction). Don't think I've seen anything like this from a biggish publisher in Australia before.
hardiegrant.submittable.com/submit/33977...
It's weird - apart from that submittable page, there doesn't seem to be any info about this opportunity. There's nothing on their web site that I can see. Hard to know what they're really looking for, other than in terms of length! Still, good to see!
You sound quite confident about your lack of confidence. To be on the safe side, you should take the rest of the day to reflect on that at a Zen rock garden.
Super proud of my homeboy and 'confident literary talent' @jake-dean.bsky.social, who has been shortlisted for the Richell!
*ages*
I'm... actually cool with all of that. (Watch how this take afes over the next month...)
👀 Jump on this, friends!
This is perennial if you happen to live in South Australia. I deal with a lot of Americans who book meetings by reference something called 'Australia time'...
Thanks, Ben! :)
I do! I do love to see it!!
This, exactly. GenAI, as I'm experiencing it in my working life, is a machine for shifting cognitive burden from one colleague (the AI user) to another (the person who receives, must interpret, and must almost always re-do the work).
It felt like Australian publishing was shrinking with mergers and the shock closure of Meanjin - waiting to see the full story behind that!
But there's a few new players bring fresh energy and new books in recent months.
With thanks to @jocaseau.bsky.social for excellent editing.
