Cirrus@Austlit

'Sometimes you need to repeat something a hundred times before a bell rings in the colony.'

'From the bestselling author Bruce Pascoe comes a deeply personal story about the consequences and responsibility of disrupting Australia's history.

'When Dark Emu was adopted by Australia like a new anthem, Bruce found himself at the centre of a national debate that often focussed on the wrong part of the story. But through all the noise came Black Duck Foods, a blueprint for traditional food growing and land management processes based on very old practices.

'Bruce Pascoe and Lyn Harwood invite us to imagine a different future for Australia, one where we can honour our relationship with nature and improve agriculture and forestry. Where we can develop a uniquely Australian cuisine that will reduce carbon emissions, preserve scarce water resources and rebuild our soil. Bruce and Lyn show us that you don't just work Country, you look, listen and care. It's not Black Duck magic, it's the result of simply treating Australia like herself.

'From the aftermath of devastating bushfires and the impact of an elder's death to rebuilding a marriage and counting the personal cost of starting a movement, Black Duck is a remarkable glimpse into a year of finding strength in Country at Yumburra.' (Publication summary)

'After 65 issues of Australian Short Stories from 1982-2000 we are back with a sparkling new collection of stories. In this collection we feature Gillian Mears' last story. We published Gillian's first story when she was 23 and followed up with examples of her work for 16 years. There are also new stories by old favourites, Kim Scott, Carmel Bird and Barry Dickins plus a series of stories from writers in the early stages of their careers. Open at the first page and savour Australia.'  (Publication summary)

The Catarqui goes down with the loss of 400 lives. The Guiding Star is embayed in ice. Who will mourn the women of the lost Neva? How do you build a lighthouse on a cape that has no harbour and no road access the ravines? The amazing life of the lighthouse keeper´s wife - mother, cook, rescuer, nurse, school teacher, farmer and relief keeper. Why were the Katabanut people killed? Did extra terrestrials capture two pilots whose plane disappeared over Bass Strait without trace? Cape Otway has many Secrets. Solve the mysteries of fate and the idiosyncratic nature of men and women - and never so strange as in a lighthouse. (Publishers Blurb)

In 1982, dissatisfied with the rates of pay and the small audience offered by literary magazines, Bruce Pascoe attempted to find support for a new magazine that would feature short fiction. Unable to secure support, Pascoe used the money from his share of the sale of a house to finance a print run of 20,000 copies of Australian Short Stories for Christmas 1982. Launched by Bob Hawke, the first issue sold 12,000 copies, a significant amount for a literary magazine. From that time, Australian Short Stories sold, on average, 6,000 copies per issue. The magazine was described as presenting 'the best of the established Australian writers and illustrators together with the new literary and art talent in the country' (Editorial no. 1, 1982)

The first issue included contributions from Frank Hardy, Barry Dickins, Manning Clark and Morris Lurie. Contributors in the 1980s included Kylie Tennant, Michael Wilding, Helen Garner, Tim Winton, Alan Marshall, Marion Halligan, Beverley Farmer and Kate Jennings. Other contributors included Elizabeth Jolley, John Morrison, Ruby Langford Ginibi, Gillian Mears, Mudrooroo and Carmel Bird.

Pascoe aimed to make Australian Short Stories as accessible as possible by distributing the magazine widely. With the assistance of a distributor and Pascoe's perseverance in his own region, Australian Short Stories was a success in newsagencies. It was also sold in many bookstores.

With financial assistance from the Literature Board, Pascoe was able to maintain an important place for fiction writers to publish their work. But by 1998, he and his co-editor, Lyn Harwood, stepped back from the editorial responsibility of handling up to 150 manuscripts per week to concentrate on their own work. Howard Firkin took over as editor for the sixty-second issue in 1998, but only three more issues were produced. Australian Short Stories ceased production in 2000.

In 2017, Pascoe Publishing released issue 66 - a new collection of short stories.