Cirrus@Austlit

'This is the final issue of Australian Short Stories quarterly magazine to be produced by Bruce Pascoe and Lyn Harwood. We hope an institution or individual will keep it going so that new Australian talent can be showcased and encouraged. The magazine as always has a mixture of men and women, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal and migrant Australians. We wish you well and if you to be locked down at least you will have something to read. But be careful, the short story is far more contagious than covid. Bruce Pascoe was born in 1947 in Melbourne, Australia. He is an Indigenous writer. His latest books include Fog a Dox (winner of the Prime Minister's Literary Awards in 2013), Convincing Ground, Dark Emu, and Mrs Whitlam. He received the 2016 NSW Premier's Literary Awards Indigenous Writers Prize, Joint Winner. In 2018, he won the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature. It acknowledges prominent literary writers over 60 who have made outstanding and lifelong contribution to Australian literature.'  (Publication summary)

'Dark Deeds Down Under features a star-filled southern constellation of antipodean crime writers.

'This crime and thriller anthology, from Clan Destine Press, showcases the breadth and depth of modern Australian and New Zealand crime writing in a collection of brand-new short stories from some of our brightest storytelling talents: international bestsellers, award winners, and fresh voices.

'Dark Deeds Down Under features some of crime fiction's most beloved 'characters', including Garry Disher's Hirsch, Kerry Greenwood's Corinna Chapman, Vanda Symon's Sam Shephard,

'Sulari Gentill's Rowly Sinclair, and Shane Maloney's first Murray Whelan tale in 15 years.

'Joining the Dark Deeds crew with series or new characters are Alan Carter, Nikki Crutchley, Aoife Clifford, Helen Vivienne Fletcher, Lisa Fuller, Narrelle M Harris, Katherine Kovacic, RWR McDonald, Dinuka McKenzie, Lee Murray & Dan Rabarts, Renee, Fiona Sussman, Stephen Ross, and David Whish-Wilson.

'The anthology concept was to cross-pollinate stories, and characters, from authors with long-running series, with thrilling tales from newer writers known for series or standalone mysteries.

'Many of the contributors have been shortlisted for or have won a variety of awards including the Ned Kelly, the Davitt, the Ngaio Marsh and the Aurealis.

'The Commissioning Editor of the series is Craig Sisterson, founder of New Zealand's Ngaio Marsh Awards, international crime reviewer, and author of the non-fiction Southern Cross Crime.' (Publication summary)