Cirrus@Austlit

'In a time when Russia looms large in the news and the President of the United States is compared to Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon, picking up Mick McCoy’s What the Light Reveals felt unexpectedly appropriate.' (Introduction)

'What is the common heritage of mankind? And who are the gatekeepers of that knowledge? These are the questions Deep Time Dreaming forces us to consider. There are no easy answers, particularly as the early decades of archaeology in Australia are rife with questionable practices and methodologies that leave their mark on the discipline – and the physical sites – to this day.' (Introduction)

'Skin in the Game sets a high bar for itself. The blurb promises to explore the nature and ethics of journalism, reveal what the notoriously private Helen Garner thinks about the art of the interview, and mediate on the ‘pleasure and pain’ of stories by looking at those in Voumard’s own life.' (Introduction)

'This is a brutal and bloody novel. If Tim Winton’s Breath left you drowning and gasping for air, The Shepherd’s Hut will leave you tasting dust, dirt and blood.'(Introduction)

'Jenny Ackland’s Little Gods explores questions of right and wrong, innocence and guilt, as well as justice, vengeance and atonement. It is a story of family, loyalty and loss.'(Introduction)

'Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia, an anthology edited by Anita Heiss, is an extraordinary and moving work. It is also, in parts, a difficult and heart-breaking read.'  (Introduction)

'The Death of Noah Glass addresses grief, loneliness, and the secrets that are so common within families and between generations. Noah Glass, the eponymous protagonist, did not really know his parents or his deceased wife. This is his story. It is also the story of his children, Martin and Evie, who attempt to find meaning (and perhaps themselves) after his death.'(Introduction)

'Meanjin A-Z: Fine fiction 1980 to now is the first short fiction anthology from Meanjin, one of Australia’s oldest literary journals. The anthology is edited by Jonathan Green, the current editor of the journal.' (Introduction)

'Bri Lee’s Eggshell Skull is an answer to anyone who ever asks why a woman (or less often, a man) doesn’t report sexual abuse or rape, or doesn’t pursue the matter through the legal system even if they do.'  (Introduction)

'Today, 10 June 2018, is the 180th anniversary of the Myall Creek massacre, where at least 28 Wirrayaraay women, children and elders were killed by settlers and stockmen without provocation in northern New South Wales.' (Introduction)

'Cicada is a work that packs a punch regardless of your age. Shaun Tan had my family – my 62 year old mother and 46 year old partner, as well as my 7 and 4 year old nieces – quiet, contemplative and on the edge of their seats.'  (Introduction)

'Pink Mountain on Locust Island is both a coming of age story and modern noir, and in it Jamie Marina Lau (劉劍冰) demonstrates a new approach to experimental fiction.' (Introduction)

'It’s not rare for an author to feel misgivings about the ways their early works make their way into print.' (Introduction)

'Under moonlight

An unknown route

A sky the colour of intense anxiety.

'No Friend But the Mountains opens with these lines of poetry, and immediately the reader knows this book, written from Manus Island, is no ordinary account of life in prison, no dry journalistic tome documenting Manus and offshore detention. The style is in keeping with a literary novel, melding fact and fiction and merging prose and poetry. What makes the book even more remarkable is that it was written by text message in Farsi on a mobile phone.' (Introduction)

'Lucy Treloar’s debut novel, Salt Creek, was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and awarded a number of other prizes, including the Dobbie Award.' (Introduction)

'It’s hard to find the words to capture what it’s like to live with mental ill-health, but Georgie Dent achieves this difficult task.' (Introduction)

'Alison Evans, an Australian non-binary author, weaves a story of adventure, love and zombies in Highway Bodies.' (Introduction)

'Never Forget is a thoughtful and moving portrayal of World War I. War and conflict are difficult concepts to explain and for children to comprehend - how they start, why they continue, how they end, what is learnt, who we become.' (Introduction)

'Stan Grant – journalist, author of Talking to my Country and lauded orator – is back with his follow up work Australia Day.' (Introduction)

'Following their bestselling trilogy The Illuminae Files, Australian powerhouses Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff turn the world upside down in their newest series, The Aurora Cycle. Here, they bring us ‘not the heroes we wanted, just the ones we could find’.' (Introduction)

'I read Grandmothers: Essays by 21^st century grandmothers before Mother’s Day, but my daughter’s card prompted me to re-visit this collection of twenty-two essays by 21^st century grandmothers. As they cheered ‘Happy first grand-Mother’s Day’, I wondered what the essays would offer a grandmother of a grandson born between Australia’s megafires in January 2020 and COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.' (Introduction)