Cirrus@Austlit

(Publication summary)

'Handwriting, as a means of personal expression, communication and creativity, is a fast diminishing skill and mode of expression. This dialogue between Paul Weston, a forensic expert in handwriting, and Gary Crew, a Professor of Creative Writing and established author, attempts to establish the necessity for the continued use of handwriting in all forms of human communication. ‘MS found: a meditation’ is a fictocritical short story alluding to R.L. Stevenson’s Essays in the Art of Handwriting (1905) and E.A. Poe’s ‘MS Found in a Bottle’ (1833). The story celebrates the longevity of handwriting and the handwritten document. It predicts the loss of elements of written creative expression if recording by hand, rather than computer or other IT mechanisms, becomes obsolete.' (Introduction)

'The future isn’t what it used to be, that’s for sure. Eminent futurist Ziauddin Sardar summed up the situation under the banner of postnormal times. Here, in true Dickensian manner, he lays out the crisis for us:

'Welcome to postnormal times. It’s a time when little out there can be trusted or gives us confidence. The espiritu del tiempo, the spirit of our age, is characterised by uncertainty, rapid change, realignment of power, upheaval and chaotic behaviour. We live in an in-between period where old orthodoxies are dying, new ones have yet to be born, and very few things seem to make sense. Ours is a transitional age, a time without the confidence that we can return to any past we have known and with no confidence in any path to a desirable, attainable or sustainable future. It is a time when all choices seem perilous, likely to lead to ruin, if not entirely over the edge of the abyss. In our time it is possible to dream all dreams of visionary futures but almost impossible to believe we have the capability or commitment to make any of them a reality. We live in a state of flux beset by indecision: what is for the best, which is worse? We are disempowered by the risks, cowed into timidity by fear of the choices we might be inclined or persuaded to contemplate (2010 p. 435).'  (Introduction)

"'Are you lonely here?' her mother asked.

"'Never,' Alice said. ‘Not while I am friends with the lyrebird.'

"Alice has spent her life living on the outskirts of a small town. Every other morning, she is visited by a lyrebird. Her bond with this magnificent bird draws her to her nearest neighbour, Mr Brown, a widower who loves the bush and its treasures as much as she does.

"But change is coming: Alice is growing up, and having to think about her future. Mr Brown is getting older, and less able to look after himself. And as the nearby town grows, their beloved lyrebird and bushland are threatened too."

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When eighteen-year-old Eva Carmichael boarded the Loch Ard, she did so amidst rumours that the ships of the Loch Line were cursed. And so it came to pass. In 1878, the magnificent clipper was wrecked off the treacherous coast of Victoria, Australia. Though the sole female survivor, and despite having lost her entire family, Eva refused to conform to the romantic image of the ‘maiden in distress.’ In the face of a media storm, Eva remained true to herself and resolute in demanding respect for her independence. Her courage and strength are qualities that still mark Eva Carmichael out today as a truly heroic woman.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Enoch is studying H. G. Wells' classic novel, The Time Machine. His teacher has brought him to the museum to gain a greater appreciation of time but, as the museum closes, the lights dim and Enoch finds himself alone Or is he? Has some greater power lured him here? What is causing the entire building to vibrate? Some mighty machine throbbing into life? Take the Time journey. You may never return' (publication blurb).

'You ask, 'Can the dead speak?'

'I answer, 'Is this blood that runs in my veins, or ink? I ask that you read me. I ask that you hear me. See me. Touch me. Others have, and tasted my blood ...'

'So writes Jack Ireland, 14 year old English born survivor of the horrors of capture by head hunters. In Voicing the Dead, internationally-awarded author Gary Crew revisits the astonishing story of nineteenth century teenager Jack Ireland who survived - and lived to fight back through his 'never say die' determination and creativity.' (Publication summary)

'Gary Crew (author of the award winning The Watertower) and artistic genius Paul O'Sullivan invite readers to explore - and possibly discover - the meaning behind the haunting, futuristic visions of Ichabod X.' (Publication summary)

'What drew the boys into the cornfield that day? Bravado? Stupidity? Or was it more?

'Was it really to discover the truth behind the disappearance of that Pinchly kid the one who went in, and never came out?' (Publication summary)

'Martin is the runt of his family. Without a mother to protect him, his overbearing father and brothers reject him. Aided by the self-sacrifice of loving friends, Martin finds the courage to fight for personal fulfilment.' (Publication blurb)

Written and illustrated by Shaun Tan, The Lost Thing (2000) prompts readers to ask: ‘Who is this book for and what does it mean?’ Tan, in a personal email to the author, himself confesses that the work is a fable ‘about all sorts of social concerns with a rather ambiguous ending’, while the unnamed narrator of the story nonchalantly confesses: ‘don’t ask me what the moral is’. For these reasons, the reader may be forgiven for believing that the first-person narrator of The Lost Thing, represented in the illustrations as an ‘eraser headed’ young man, is possibly the author himself. But who knows, given that Shaun has declared of his work, ‘Just don’t ask the creator.’ (Introduction)