Cirrus@Austlit

'The Australian Colonial Narrative Journalism (ACNJ) database (1788-1901) is a digital archive of colonial literary journalism. It is an expression of cultural memory in Australia using examples of colonial writers and their featured works--from the journalists who captured the bushranger Ned Kelly and his gang, to those who sailed undercover to expose the "blackbirding" trade in northern Australia, to the women who first wrote and published Australian profiles, including the earliest known written portraits of Aboriginal Australians. Research institutions are increasingly interested in creative digital dissemination strategies to target audiences for exploring, interrogating, and communicating new knowledge both within and beyond academia. At the same time, the focus of archival theory, in acknowledgement of the political framework behind archiving, has moved from evidence to memory. The online archivist has been transformed from a passive curator to a community facilitator, asking questions around the role of archives-- whether the archives are being posited as projects of collective identity that serve the interests of the community in power or as diverse collections from a range of communities with differing levels of empowerment. With those factors in mind, this study explores the creation of the database and its transfer from an experimental WordPress site to being hosted by AustLit, the online national literary research resource. In the process, the study examines the issues involved in establishing and building the database, which range from attempts to define the form as it evolved in Australia's colonial history, to the potential role of the database as a cultural narrator, a creator and facilitator of cultural memory, and a creative dissemination strategy rendering social historical themes in a democratized online form that can be delivered to a broad constituency of users.'

Source: Abstract.

'The argument has been made that memoir reflects and augments the narcissistic tendencies of our neo-liberal age. The Literature of Remembering: Tracing the Limits of Memoir [sic] challenges and dismantles that assumption. Focusing on the history, theory and practice of memoir writing, editors Bunty Avieson, Fiona Giles and Sue Joseph provide a thorough and cutting-edge examination of memoir through the lenses of ethics, practice and innovation. By investigating memoir across cultural boundaries, in its various guises, and tracing its limits, the editors convincingly demonstrate the plurality of ways in which memoir is helping us make sense of who we are, who we were and the influences that shape us along the way.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A fascinating account of ancient culture colliding with modern media

'Tucked between Tibet and India in the Himalayas, the kingdom of Bhutan is one of the most isolated and beautiful countries in the world.

'In The Dragon’s Voice Australian journalist Bunty Avieson provides a glimpse of life beyond the country’s exotic exterior. As a consultant to local newspaper Bhutan Observer, she admires the paper’s strong social conscience, but finds herself constantly challenged in a country where spirituality and personal happiness are prioritised over work.

'Bunty also witnesses the tensions that arise as a Buddhist kingdom makes the transition to democracy. How can deference to authority be reconciled with the need to ask hard questions of politicians? Does the courtship ritual of ‘night-hunting’ have a sinister side, or is it a rural practice misunderstood by city dwellers? And what place does activism have in a culture that prioritises peace?

'With a unique blend of memoir and reportage, The Dragon’s Voice is both a deeply personal story and a vivid portrait of a nation on the cusp of revolutionary change.' (Publication summary)

'It was the talk of the wake. The woman in the red dress. Everyone at the service wondered. Who was that woman?

'Pete's dead and Gwennie's life will never be the same. How could Pete, a young, fit man, leave her now? Their lives together were only just beginning. And pneumonia? It was insane, unthinkable, unbearable.

'Somehow she struggles through the funeral in a daze, and the mysterious mourner in the tight-fitting red dress barely registers in her consciousness.

'It's only later, when spotting a discrepancy in Pete's tax records, that she begins to wonder. Who was that woman?' (Publication summary)

'In the opulent rooms of a Sydney specialist, Nina and James Wilde are waiting to learn whether the hereditary condition that killed James' father will threaten not only James, but also their much-loved son, Luke. This is just the beginning of Nina's torment. She has a secret. Memories of another time and a passionate love that should never have happened but is still just as capable of destroying everything that is most important to her. It had started so innocently. But doesn't everyone say that? ' (Publication summary)

'Someone is watching her ... looks can kill

'Sarah and Ginny have been best friends since school. Then Sarah meets Tom. Her career takes off. She and Tom move into a stunning inner-city apartment.

'But Ginny has not been so lucky. She wanted Tom, but she didn't get him. She wants ... what Sarah has.

'Ginny moves into an apartment overlooking Sarah and Tom's. She starts watching them. ' (Publication summary)