'As the world teeters between old and new ways of doing, can we remake the balance between what we need and what we nurture? Can we forge a new equilibrium to sustain us into the twenty-first century?
'Having challenged so much – social practices and social structures, habits of mind and habits of leisure – will the pandemic leave a lasting legacy on how we shape the world? Griffith Review 71: Remaking the Balance examines how our natural, economic and cultural systems might be refashioned post-pandemic: will it be a return to business as usual, or can we reinvent our relationship with all that is animal, vegetable and mineral to create a more sustainable future?
'Edited by Ashley Hay, Remaking the Balance looks at how we can do more with what we have, and features leading writers and thinkers, including Gabrielle Chan, Clare Wright, Matthew Evans, Sophie Cunningham, Inga Simpson, John Kinsella, Declan Fry, plus and exclusive Q&A with Barbara Kingsolver.' (Publication summary)
Only literary material within AustLit's scope individually indexed. Other material in this issue includes:
Breaking new ground — Gabrielle Chan
Masters of the future or heirs of the past? — Clare Wright
It’s more than just the fruit — Robin E Roberts
Accords and antagonisms — Tony Wood
A long half-life : Nuclear energy in Australia by Ian Lowe
Trash fish, sand, sea snails — Elspeth Probyn
Touching the future — Genevieve Bell
State actions and libertarian lawsuits — Anne Orford
Postnatural, post-wild, posthuman — Lesley Hughes
Eating for the climate — Matthew Evans
Hail hydrogen — Nicole Hasham
‘A poem is a unicycle’ — Barbara Kingsolver & Ashley Hay
Three poems — Barbara Kingsolver
Fire on the Mountain : Slugs, Snails and Survival - Nicole Hasham
'APRIL IS MY favourite time of year in Melbourne. The weather is comparatively stable and the days warm, richly complementing the autumn colours. In 2020 there was even more time to enjoy them than usual, and the late summer rains seemed to have deepened the autumn hues. Or perhaps the unfolding pandemic sharpened my vision. The skies were clear, absent of planes and the usual April smog, and the sounds of nature were no longer buried by the constant cacophony of industrialised cities. As I took the opportunity to breathe and look up, the rapid unravelling of the world as I knew it created its own kind of vertigo.' (Introduction)
'YAAMA MALIYAA! RESPECTS, friend, to the lands we are both on. I can hear birds talking to each other, and the newly arrived sunshine is beginning to bless the mornings. It is healthy and in full bloom. May your place continue to sing also, and we sustain its song. My regards to your grandmother, I hope she is well. My baagii is in Warrambool, my nanna and her sister both in heaven, but I know they are watching and are keen that I should make a good account of myself and, in turn, of them. Now, to business.' (Introduction)
'AS THE CONSCIENTIOUS middle child of Holocaust survivors, my objectives as a young man were narrow and conventional: to become a better person, build a strong and loving family, achieve financial security and find happiness. I worked hard, was lucky in love and health, and built several successful businesses. Twenty-five years ago I was able to lift my eyes and expand my horizons. It was time to give back. I began to volunteer a large proportion of my time and financial resources to community and philanthropy. These beginnings are hardly the makings of an economic radical. But my story has an unexpected twist.' (Introduction)