Cirrus@Austlit

“I believe in touch. I believe in song. I believe she remembers him. I believe the perfect girl can always meet the perfect boy. I believe we are not alone in the universe.” 

'A father prepares himself for the day he lets go of his daughter’s hand. A young man breaks up with his girlfriend so they can both follow their dreams. A couple play nice in public to hide the fractures at home. A woman rebuilds herself along with a flood-devastated city. A working mum contemplates taking the photographs of her late husband down from the fridge. A grandmother dreams of seeing her grandson’s face. A renowned 100-year-old scientist ponders the one great earthly puzzle he was never able to solve: 'What is love?' 

'Inspired by a personal moment of profound love and generosity, bestselling author – and one of Australia's finest journalists – Trent Dalton spent two months in 2021 gathering stories on his sky-blue 1960s Olivetti typewriter, on a prominent street corner in Brisbane’s CBD.

'Speaking to Australians from all walks of life, he asked them one simple thing: 'Can you please tell me a love story?'

'What followed was Dalton’s unashamedly joyous collection of Love Stories, and the creative team behind the smash-hit page-to-stage adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe (Sam Strong and Tim McGarry) reuniting to bring to life Dalton’s latest warm, wise, poignant, funny and moving story about love, in all its guises.'

Source: Brisbane Festival.

'Eli Bell’s childhood in the outer Brisbane suburbs is far from the idyllic 1980s haze some kids would remember. His alcoholic dad has shot through, his ex-druggie mum is in jail, his stepfather’s dealing heroin, his brother Gus is a mute who swirls cryptic messages in the air with his finger, and his babysitter Slim is a convicted killer and infamous escapee from Boggo Road Gaol.

'Beset by chaos on all sides, a run-in with the local crime king and his henchman sets the 13 year old with the old soul on a journey to find out what kind of a man he is going to be.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Josephine is a kangaroo – who loves to dance. Her little brother, Joey, tells her that kangaroos don’t dance, they hop – but Josephine continues to point her toes and leap through the air.

'When a ballet troupe comes to the sleepy town of Shaggy Gully Josephine learns that there is another way to dance – ballet. As the Ballet company prepared to perform, Josephine snuck into town and peered through the window as the dancers rehearsed. She watched the dancers for hours and hours, then she went home and practiced at night… all alone. She spun, she swirled and pirouetted dreams… and at the end she always curtsied. She desperately wanted to dance like the ballerinas in pink tutus and silk ballet shoes.

'On the day of the first performance the Ballet Company was in trouble. The prima ballerina twisted her ankle. The understudy had a splinter in her toe.

'Who could dance the lead role? Who else could leap that high?

'Josephine’s talents are called upon to help save the day. Can she do it, and more importantly, does it matter that she’s a kangaroo?'

Source: Monkey Baa.