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In this memoir, the author describes his beginnings as a young poet and how he struggled with discrimination and mental institutions before being diagnosed with schizophrenia. He is excluded from the Melbourne poetry scene, but still considers himself as having grown up in the literary world.
In three-word sentences, the author chronicles the birth of her first child, Max, and his subsequent upbringing. Max is diagnosed with autism; after several years, the author is diagnosed with situational depression.
Frank Harris is an old man with a grown son, Christopher, who has an intellectual disability. They live on the same piece of land, Christopher in a separate asbestos shed so he can be independent. He recalls the difficulties he had raising Chris. Frank is ill with what is likely lung cancer, and he has discovered he doesn't actually own his land. He tries to make arrangements for Chris' care after he dies.
The narrator, who works as a carer, has been stealing pills from their clients regularly. He is drained by the job and no longer sees the point in it as his clients seem to never improve and continue to verbally abuse him. Having stolen enough pills, he commits suicide at a lookout.
'A recent article in The Guardian profiled contemporary British artist Tracey Emin reassembling her most famous and award-winning work “My Bed” (1998) for an upcoming exhibition at the Tate Liverpool. The journalist observes her installation of the twenty-year old component parts and comments that Emin appears to be slightly squeamish about some of the ziplock-bagged items; the condoms, used tissues, the ’90s cigarette butts.' (Introduction)
'How do the ways we interact with the world impact both our navigation through it, and its impact on the self? In what manner do we internalize and externalize our movements through a modern world that is simultaneously both terrifying and crudely sterile? “does your share portfolio ache” (3) opens joanne burns’ most recent collection, brush. It’s a succinct précis of the wonderfully incongruous juxtaposition that permeates much of the collection. brush is burns’ sixteenth book of poetry, her first collection Snatch published in London in 1972. Burns’ work has long satirised the bizarre edifices of contemporary culture, creating work that subverts the ostensible solemnity of these structures, a practice brush continues. Intentionally distorting clarity in order to explore and emphasise both the spectacular unknown and the absurd “normalities” of modern life, burns’ poems comprise of clever, incisive musings that centre largely on the mundane everyday. Split into six sequences, brush showcases burns’ penchant for asymmetrically collaging techniques and styles in a way that blurs lines, defying poetic convention. The assemblage of poetry, prose and microfiction contained throughout gleefully contravenes protocol and fucks with format while retaining coherency and impact, a way of storytelling that could easily feel clumsy were it not so uncompromising in its sharpness.' (Introduction)
'Visual perception does not cease in the dark. The fractals of light, geometric patterns, stars and spirals that may occur when our eyes are closed are known as phosphenes.' (Introduction)
'This intriguing issue presents essays, memoir and creative work by disabled and non-disabled writers on the subjects of disability and of the interrelation of writing and disability.
'Blind writer and critic Amanda Tink discusses the impact of Henry Lawson’s deafness on his style and created world. Ben Stubbs walks the streets of Adelaide blindfolded to learn more of the sightless city. Deaf author Jessica White discusses the deafness of Maud Praed. Josephine Taylor writes an incisive essay on Vulvodynia. There are discussions of visible and invisible disabilities, of the poetics of disability, of disability and silence, of little known or largely unrecognised disabilities, and of the difficulties confronting discussion of disability in the first place. There is also Southerly’s usual feast of reviews and recent Australian and New Zealand writing, including striking new works by Anthony Mannix, Elizabeth Holdsworth, Peter Boyle, Koraly Dimitriadis and many others.' (Publication summary)
