Illustrated by Claudia Pilbeam Strictly speaking, Sir Fourpaws wasn’t a stray. Sure, he was clambering up a downpipe and putting his claws in all the same places as last time, going hup hup hup up to a distant third floor,…
Review by Danielle Aylward Once a thriving centre of stockyards and sheep stations, years of punishing drought have petrified the land and Nannine has been whittled down to no more than a stoplight, a couple of bars, and a police…
Illustrated by Claudia Pilbeam CW: drug use, smoking. Susie’s dark eyelids began to droop, heavy like wet clothes after a downpour. But the burning glow of the television seared the back of her retina and kept her conscious. It might…
Review by Hannah Vesey Sometimes I keep books on my shelf so that I’ll remember who the enemy is. No, I’m not talking about Katherine Pollock’s fun and breezy debut novel Her Fidelity (we’ll get to that one later). I’m…
Illustrated by Claudia Pilbeam Elevator doors open to a 2030s revival-deco foyer, complete with black marble floors, vaulted mirror ceilings and chandeliers. The bellhop beckons. This is Floor 273, Sandhurst & Stanthorpe Holdings, for which this particular sir has been…
By Jack Bell I’ve always had an opinion that it’s no more fun watching someone be drunk in a movie than to watch someone be drunk in real life. Some people find cheerful drunkenness endearing – I find it obnoxious.…
Illustration by Claudia Pilbeam Lemon is pregnant, a soft litter of puppies, due in a few weeks. She nuzzles into my hand, forcing my love onto herself, so I give in and scratch her ears. She pants, her belly round…
Illustration by Claudia Pilbeam Brisbane is a stone and glass monolith, spiralling out into a collection of old Queenslanders and low, seventies-built, brick bunkers with warped metal balconies. The city is a yawning maw, an unfamiliar predator waiting to swallow…
By Rory Hawkins Alongside my recent review for Glass of The Cutting – a social-commentary-meets-love-triangle set (mostly) in 2016, and the second novel from Sydney barrister and author Richard McHugh – I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity by…
By Jessica Hataj Ancient Aboriginal culture, traditional dancers, a diverse range of music, modern politics, and bush medicine are all part of the incredible Stompenground Festival in beautiful Broome, Western Australia. Twenty-two years since its inception, the festival made a…
