Cirrus@Austlit

'From one of Australia's most wryly funny writers comes an original and utterly hilarious memoir of reaching for the stars while lying in a ditch.

'I was sleeping in what might reasonably be described as a ditch, though I tried not to think of it in those terms for morale reasons . . .

'Robert Skinner arrives in the city, searching for a richer life. Things begin badly and then, surprisingly, get slightly worse. Pretty soon he's sleeping rough and trying to run a literary magazine out of a dog park. His quest for meaning keeps being thwarted, by endless jobs, beagles, house parties, ill-advised love affairs, camel trips and bureaucratic entanglements.

'Sometimes a book catches the spirit of the times. I'd Rather Not is about work, escape and that something more we all need.' (Publication summary)

'Conditions were perfect for a fishing trip: I had just lost both my jobs. But it wasn’t all good news. I had also been fined $1200 for speeding at the wheel of a tour bus.' (Introduction)

'For reasons that are still unclear to me, I agreed to go on a ten-day camel trek with my parents. When they invited me my initial reaction was I ’ve got a whole LIFE going on here, I can’t just take off. I had a pile of junk mail to read and some pretty firm dinner plans. A few weeks later I was at a party where I didn’t think much of the people. Or, more accurately, I didn’t think the people thought much of me. So I wandered outside, thought, Phooey to you, city living, and texted my parents. “I’m in.”' (Introduction)

'The article presents a story of passenger's stopover at Singapore airport. It mentions that the passenger was on travel for last few days and has to wait for 12 hours to board his flight. The passenger mentions how he passed those 12 hours at the airport by visiting duty-free shops, bars to have few drinks and luggage store to buy Samsonite.' (Publication abstract)

Short-story magazine.

Publishes both Australian and international authors.