Cirrus@Austlit

'A young woman in an eating disorder ward is captivated by an avatar. A reclusive witch confronts an intruder on her land. Two writers use graphics to explore the cost of living crisis and intergenerational trauma. We meet Joan of Arc over cake in a coffee shop.

'Welcome to this diverse collection of contemporary stories from exciting new writers under 30 years of age. Through a mixture of textual and visual storytelling, this anthology explores worldly relationships with other-worldly beings and the dead.

'Contributors include Fiona Wilkes, Georgia Loadsman, Miles Mazzocato, Jewel Swe, Helena and Aggy Pantsis. Illustrations by Lauryn Evans.'  (Publication summary)

''Soon the night will come, and to save my life, I must tell another story.'

'So begins the famous tale of Scheherazade, kidnapped from her parent's home in the desert by the Sultan's soldiers, and brought to his palace in the city. Every night she must invent a new story - 'for his amusement: for my salvation' - so that she can live to see another dawn. Tormented by a feverish sexuality, Scheherazade tells stories with both words and skin. But after nearly a thousand nights in his palace, Scheherazade realises that the greatest threat to her life may not come from the Sultan himself.

'The Nights is a passionate fairy tale about art, love, sex and power. It speaks to the creative struggle that all artists endure: the endless search for authenticity, inspiration and time.' (Publication summary)

'In this anthology of microliterature over forty writers reflect on the theme of remnant in contexts ranging from the natural world and the urban environment through to the personal and the political. Each contribution, at less than a page in length, celebrates with concision and creativity the persistence of what's valuable.

'Remnant includes pieces by commissioned well-known writers from Australia and abroad as well as new voices unearthed through the national Microlit Award named in honour of experimental poet, joanne burns. Introduction by innovative writer and poet, Hazel Smith.' (Publication summary)

'Do Millennials deal with relationship break-ups any differently to the deities from Greek mythology? What would the natural world actually say if it were given a voice? Can grief really drive us crazy?

'Welcome to this diverse collection of contemporary stories from exciting new writers under 30 years of age. These stories play with genre, form and reader expectations, riffing on classic texts and popular culture to bring fresh insights into universal experiences.

'Contributors include Leo Alder, Alex Chan, Stephanie Downing, Alexandra Stephens, Jack Webster' (Publication summary)

''You clamber up, heading for the exit, the circle of faint light, as the radiance of the pre-dawn leads you on toward freedom. I follow. You spread your darling wings. You enter the net that awaits you.'

'Bold, tender, and often fantastical, Love Letter to Lola enters the very pain of loss and grief while preserving a wise, sly, humorous, and ironic point of view. The thylacine, the dodo, the passenger pigeon, the blue macaw are all candidates to return from extinction, and here each is given its own moving narrative. The meaning of the British monarchy is challenged by a green spider; a unicorn and the rainbow serpent contemplate the end of the world; an angel gives his perspective on human life and love with a thoughtful and exquisite mischief. The author's own 'Reflection' on the inspiration and the construction of the stories is a swift and penetrating conversation on how writing happens.

'Carmel Bird won the Patrick White Award for Literature in 2016. She has published novels, short stories, and non-fiction, her 2022 memoir Telltale foregrounding her Tasmanian origins, as well as her lifelong interest in the natural world, and in reading and writing. The Stolen Children - Their Stories, which she published in 1998, is an early landmark work in the promotion of indigenous issues. Love Letter to Lola is the latest offering of an author who is known for the sharpness and originality of her narratives.' (Publication summary) 

'All the Unloved is a novella-length journey to nineties Bondi. We meet residents from a block of flats — initially linked only through their shared address — but quickly entangled through their secrets and desires.

'Jade, skateboard slung under arm, teeters on the edge of womanhood in nineties Bondi. Through her eyes we view the intertwined lives of her unit block neighbours — a queer couple attempts a fresh start near the beach, a lonely violinist battles isolation, and a pair of elderly sisters watch all from their window, regretting missed opportunities. When brilliant Rebecca, a young author, arrives on the scene, wounds and desires are exposed, and secrets unravel.' (Publication summary)

'A child discovers the terrible secret of the garden shed. New housing estates become battlefields. A werewolf returns to the loving arms of their family. Australia’s colonial history is recast with zombie penguins and contemporary life is haunted by prehistoric skulls and doppelgangers.

'The anthology includes bizarre, speculative and dystopic fiction by Brianna Bullen, Freyja Catron, Maz Howard, Patrick Taylor, Svetlana Sterlin and Nick van Buuren'  (Publication summary)

'Frank depictions of family, mental health, youth, ageing, love and lust speak to the fragility of life, and to the dangerous games we play when we cross boundaries. Hidden beneath the mundanity is violence and decay, mirroring the natural environment so lyrically recreated in Prendergast’s raw prose … pollen that stains the local estuary water an unsettling red—Bloodrust.'(Publication summary)

'Ecliptical addresses contemporary psychological, ethical and philosophical issues including family secrets and tensions, private and public creativity, the enigma of time, surveillance, fake news, environmental damage and homelessness.

'Ecliptical includes prose poetry and short prose; texts that are synaesthetic, sonic or linguistic explorations, surreal excursions and 'bullet point' adventures in which each line unveils a new observation. Other pieces employ non-literary forms or include documentary or remixed elements. Ecliptical also flirts with the posthuman in some collaborative computer-assisted poems.' (Publication summary)

'It was meant to be the experience of a lifetime, for Australian twin sisters Helen and Alex Dorian, to walk the famous Camino from Saint Jean Pied de Port in the French Basque country, to Santiago del Compostella in Spain. But Helen injures her leg on the very day they arrive in Saint Jean and has to stay behind in the town while Alex goes on alone.

'A disappointed Helen tries to make the best of things and keep up with Alex via phone calls and blog posts, but it's not easy. But an unexpected meeting with Tony Garcia, an old schoolmate who is in Saint Jean to explore his Basque ancestral roots, begins to change things for Helen, as she and Tony investigate the mysteries surrounding his family's past.

'And then Alex goes missing...

'A lively, thoughtful short novel by award-winning writer Sophie Masson, A Hundred Words for Butterfly explores family relationships and the past's effect on the present, with a light touch and a vivid sense of place.' (Publication summary)

'The Bonesetter’s Fee and Other Stories brings light to the growing pains of the migrant experience. Murphy explores themes of identity, breathing life into superstition and myth. The collection encapsulates how one’s heritage and history can influence their personhood, and how human connection and understanding links us together. With each story unique, Murphy links her cultural legends and customs to modern Australian society. The Bonesetter’s Fee and Other Stories is a captivating and inspiring collection of work, weaving a little bit of mystery into the reader’s life.' (Publication summary)

'Smacked and other stories of addiction is an evocative collection of moments showcasing human nature at its weakest and most vulnerable. Hecq’s poetic prose situates the reader firmly into the lives of her characters, taking them along for the ride as she presents each story with an inimitable flair that retains the realities of addiction and dependency. She handles each moment of fixation with a respect and delicacy that are fitting for such weighty themes, while still doing justice to the physical and mental ramifications and side effects of what some might call mere obsession.

'Immerse yourself as each story invites you to slide down the slippery slope of these characters’ most raw and hidden selves.

'Smacked is a moving collection of stories about addiction told with heart-stopping narrative control and emotional resonance.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'In stories that range across history, cultures and continents, this collection tells delivers tales of that reveal common threads of humanity suffering and conflict as well as heroism and community.

'A child experiences dysfunctional family life as a mythic Aztec battle. A sonata is inspired by a sexual experience. A Hip Hop dance competition forces a young man to see his life more clearly and a blocked writer is blind to the untold stories right next door.

'Little Matsue and Other Tales is a unique and beautifully-written collection reflecting the author’s diverse life experience and his acute observation of society and culture.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'In this anthology of microliterature over forty writers explore the theme of travel, from the confusing variety of toilets found around the world to adrenaline-inducing bus trips, the surprise child of a holiday romance, and a businessman's life-threatening cycle to the office. There are adventures in Australia and abroad, journeys to other planets, expeditions into deep seas, travellers who haven't left their houses and those who are forced to leave their homelands.

'Each story, at less than a page in length, is perfect for reading on the go.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'the power of your existence lays in your mind, 

what you believe determines what you receive

the tears you shed watering the soil of your new identity,

you are evermore rebirthing

and the beauty in that will never change 

who are you today?' (Publication summary)

'A deeply moving memoir about the battles waged against terminal illness and a mother’s struggle to comprehend the battlefield in its wake. While some family members wage war against her daughter’s disease with natural therapies, and doctors fight on using the latest developments in medical science, she longs to take her daughter to Paris instead, the city that inspired the young woman’s writing and art.

'The Asparagus Wars asks questions about notions of victory at all costs. Shot through with fearless wit and resonant description, this story will break your heart but leave you richer for the experience.' (Publication summary)

'Two Bums is a story about two homeless men in a fictitious city called Willington (not to be confused with the city in New Zealand which is pronounced the same by its inhabitants). One day they stumble upon a large sum of money which intended as a ransom. What follows is a laugh a minute game of cat and mouse which is sure to keep you thinking, long after you have finished the last chapter.' (Publication summary)

'Lake Malibuand other stories is a collection of short stories about various people from a small Malaysian town connected by a theme of escapism. Through the interlinked stories, we get to know the residents of Ipoh who struggle with various entanglements such as filial obligations, societal pressure, and increasing exposure to Western influences.

'In Lake Malibu, two young boys dream of greener pastures in a Western country. In Mrs Fernandez, a teenage boy falls in love with his best friend's mother. In Margaret, an elderly lady re-evaluates her relationship with her son who has settled down in Australia. The anthology is tied up by a final story - Camellias - which is about a Malaysian woman who has moved to Melbourne with her family.' (Publication summary)

'This is a collection of contemporary stories from the Queer community. It is about love, sex and identity told through diverse stories from buying a double bed, meeting neighbourhood witches and early morning swims. They talk about freedom and misery, victories and injustices. The result is a slew of fascinating tales expressing what being LGBTQIA+ means today.

'Introduction by researcher, writer and poet Quinn Eades whose work lies at the nexus of feminist and queer theories of the body, autobiography, and philosophy. Eades is published nationally and internationally, and is the author of all the beginnings: a queer autobiography of the body, and Rallying.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.