Cirrus@Austlit

'A boy faces the randomness of life, a soldier makes a difficult choice, a migrant seeks new chances, an academic loses something precious, an ageing monk can’t escape his past. These are some of the stories of the boys and men of Blokeland. From their first decade to their eighties, these males chart passages through this land of curiosity and hope and loss and sometimes death. Blokeland needs no passport. Vaccination is unnecessary. You map your journey in your mind.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Forty-four short stories are showcased in Stringybark Stories largest ever anthology of award-winning short stories. Selected from 360 entries from Australia and around the world, these stories are quirky, clever, poignant, sometimes sad, occasionally scary, sporadically funny, but always entertaining. They are a ripper read. Feral is contemporary short story writing at its best.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'This is the sixth delightful anthology of short erotic tales that Stringybark has published since 2010. In these pages you will visit a French chateau, go camping with the lads, picnic on the banks of an English stream, attend an interview for an ‘interesting’ job and get a new tattoo — among many other lusty adventures. We are sure you will have a fun and sexy read.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Thirty-two twisted and entertaining tales are featured in this, the forty-first, short story anthology from Stringybark Stories. Selected from over 150 entries these winning and highly commended tales are an intriguing read. From late night burials to art heists, dotty mothers to mischievous magpies, Stringybark Stories’ fourth collection of tales with a twist is certain to be a treat.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Thirty-three engaging and imaginative short stories are showcased in this, the fortieth, short story anthology from Stringybark Stories. Selected from over 280 entries these winning and highly commended tales are marvellously clever, intriguing and a ripping read. From love stories and the joy of flat packs to escaped plants and smashed avocado, this collection is sure to amuse and entertain.'(Publication summary)

'Korumburra writer Agi Dobson’s first collection of poems Feelings… has been published last month by Stringybark Press. The poems in this 45 page, A5 sized book are varied in subject and setting, unified by the theme of deep emotion. The language, visual and sensory, captures feelings of love, loss, joy and sorrow.' (Publication summary)

'Thirty-two clever and engaging short stories feature in this latest anthology from Stringybark Stories. Selected from over 240 entries these winning and highly commended tales are wickedly clever, thought-provoking and a rollicking read. From priestly abuse to mysterious creatures in the Yarra River, this collection is sure to challenge and entertain.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Thirty-two award-winning stories in this intriguing and thought-provoking short story anthology explore the many facets of sex and gender. From sexual violence to questions of gender identity these stories from Australian and international authors challenge our perception of who we are.

'We are going to see a movie in Bankstown – movies are great. All that darkness and silence. I like to sit at the back with my date and focus on each centimetre of space that closes between us in delicate little increments. I like to place my arm just near enough his to feel the warmth of him. I could close my eyes and draw the space between our knees, our shoulders, our pinkie fingers. The anticipation is wonderful. In that moment before we are something, we could be anything.' (Publication summary)

'Australian history is replete with drama, yet for many, Australia’s national history consists only of indigenous [sic] dispossession, convicts, gold-rushes, bushrangers and ANZACs. This book proves this view wrong — sure, we do showcase the old favourites – but there are many other tales to intrigue you. There’s the custom official with the ingenious way of detecting illegal immigrants, the escapee who enjoys the taste of homo-sapiens, a colonial governor with a penchant for practical jokes, an evil military secret and an insider’s view of a female mental asylum. Showcased here are thirty-three award-winning stories from Australian history, all based on real events, that shine a light on some of the lesser known corners of our past.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Matthew Tate finds a letter. It speaks of belonging and a mother he has never known. A semi-trailer and a freightless haul to the heart see him arrested and imprisoned in Alice Springs. Caged, haunted and alone, the 19-year-old is determined to find the truth.

'Ben Fulton is a young, white lawyer from the city, working tenaciously for Aboriginal Legal Aid at the grinding coalface of the criminal (in)justice system in Central Australia. At the collision of Black and White, he too is searching.

'Jordi Watts, a Warumungu woman, has no need to search. Walking lithely in two worlds, she runs the Aboriginal Legal Aid office in the alcohol-ravaged township of Tennant Creek. Jordi knows the beauty and pain of her people, holding both with the certainty of place.

'Matthew, Ben and Jordi come together in the violence of court and the vastness of Country, alive with the vibrating energy of its people, of culture, art, tragedy and love, as the truth of Matthew’s past is revealed. From this unravelling comes possibility…'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Liz and Tony abandon city roots to start a new life on five steep acres in Callignee, Victoria. Nestled in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, Liz is ready to settle, while Piscean Tony needs time to adjust to a permanent tree-change. Their initiation is fraught with city/country misunderstandings, nosy neighbours including nude hilltop opera singers, road-kill eating vegetarians, reptiles in the guest bed, and Liz's love affair with Ian Emu. They feel like foreigners in a country culture that carries generations of anecdotes as gospel. There is no rulebook, so the 'bloody blockies', as the locals call them, learn from the highs and lows of experiences as unpredictable as the seasons.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'120 years into the future: the weather is lethal, sea levels have risen, & AuZtralia is a lot more complicated. Andaman Marko lives in the 'Ville, capital of the Joint Territory of Capricornia. He's not so much a savant on the virtual, as a fraudster: making millions of $NEW by discretely decoding corporate and gov komms and using the secret intel to make insider trades. But he is not quite as good as he thinks. Marko's activity is detected by someone, who goes after his strokes. Then, in a world where a prolonged peace is enforced through surveillance, eugenics and social engineering, a bomb goes off. Marko realizes he is the target and flees north to Cape York & is pursued by Dr Madrigal Phipps, an agent of the Government who is tasked to retrieve the savant and his secrets. Dr Phipps must manage the diplomatic intricacies of the new politics while hunting her target - who is hiding at an unauthorized township of criminals. But Marko's other pursuers haven't given up, and he is attacked and captured during a severe thermocell event as the weather moves south. At the same time, one of his assassins - Baabi, who is from an earlier, angrier Australia - has a personal agenda: a bitter vengeance against the man who destroyed her comrades as they waged a civil war 50 years earlier against AuZgov & its policy of The Blend, which authorized a massive influx of climate refugees into the country. This man is the father of Marko's lover, Flick. Marko's actions create a storm of his own making - and endanger everyone's lives. The Capricorn Sky is a thriller - about a world where the weather is the singular enemy, governance is fraught, a prolonged peace is cracking apart, and people are repudiating The Age of Purity and Virtue.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Australian short stories dealing with Aboriginal issues.'

'Twenty-four highly-commended erotic tales are presented in this anthology for your entertainment. Selected from over eighty entries in the fourth Stringybark Erotic Fiction Awards these clever and arousing stories are certain to warm up your love life. Share them with a friend or settle down in some fluffy pillows and enjoy them yourself.' (Publication summary)