Cirrus@Austlit

'Artful Women is a collection of poems celebrating the achievements of women in Art. Helen Cerne casts an inquisitorial eye over the roles women have played (or to which they have been relegated) and presents a work that is simultaneously joyful, wonderous, admiring, outraged, angry, playful, and deeply personal. This is a remarkable collection of poems, and one which is certain to have you discovering new artists, re-examining the art you thought you knew, and possibly even insisting that a few old boys share their pedestals with the women who worked alongside them.' (Publication summary)

'Clem Christesen, my husband, founder of Meanjin, was the great love of my life, but there were other loves, secret and unrequited. My first love was Eugene when I was twelve. I loved his intensity, his aching heart, his mellifluous words that made my mind spin. He was a man of dreams and I was a yearning girl. My second love was Andrei, when I was sixteen, a handsome intellectual, a sardonic war hero of royal descent, who was already married. A man with bold gestures, he swept me off my feet. I spent many hours with him but he preferred someone else. I pined but remained steadfast and true.' (Introduction)

'If we do not remember our childhoods do they still exist?

'Shifting is the true story of two children growing up in the aftermath of the Second World War. Attracted like a law of nature, Serge, a boy born in northern Italy and Helen, a girl born in Australia are inextricably drawn to each other in a changing world. A social history of the west of Melbourne in the 1950s-1960s, it is also a unique love story.

'This collaborative autobiography, told from a male and female perspective, explores the dynamics of family life, the importance of place and cultural dislocation in shaping identity. Understated and simply told, this is an evocative narrative about the emotional, social and psychological changes of two individuals maturing into adulthood. A fine and impressive work. It is accomplished at a high literary standard, with an acute understanding of the way fictive-literary stratagems can be incorporated in an autobiographical work to achieve an engaging and richly rewarding text for the reader.' - Kevin Brophy The vivid and detailed recreation of the texture of the decades through which the characters live is one of the strengths of the novel. - Jeri Kroll Shifting skilfully weaves and patterns two distinct voices and cultures ... to create a tapestry full of evocative detail and memorable characters struggling with loss, new beginnings and love. - Tom Petsinis' (Publication summary)

'Western Union Writers group anthology of stories and poems to celebrate their both anniversary.'