I've decided to put some of my writing work on Medium (you can visit my profile here. Some items will have been previously published, so these will be re-posts, or will have appeared in actual print, on paper years ago. Other things will be new fiction, or at least little bits and pieces that were … Continue reading Rare or well done?
Review: Ant-Man & the Wasp
Some spoilers. Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp is an energetic romp. It's fun, family centric, and well-intentioned. There were laughs thanks to Luis (Michael Pena) and his side kicks. Really Luis stole the show from Paul Rudd's Scott Lang and Evangeline Lilly, as Hope Van Dyne, even with the ant-puns. Having said that Michael Douglas … Continue reading Review: Ant-Man & the Wasp
Miss Molly: a kitten story
Earlier this year my household got a call. A kitten was in need. Of course she arrived, wide-eyed in her carrier. I named her Molly. She was suspicious of people, refused to eat, and shrank away from everything, terrified. She had been dumped in a bin with her siblings. Luckily, all were rescued but were … Continue reading Miss Molly: a kitten story
Of myths, coincidences and writing histories
I was thinking the other day about author Sara Douglass. She had one of the best creative writing Genesis myths I had ever heard regarding the provenance of her book BattleAxe (and the subsequent Axis series). I could retell this story, but it is her's and she wrote it down for us. The entire concept … Continue reading Of myths, coincidences and writing histories
Review: Dark Imaginings
Gothic literature can be dramatic, macabre, and weirdly insightful. To my tired eyes some examples of Gothic, like Castle of Otranto are also unintentionally and refreshingly hilarious. Yet Gothic tropes persist in popular culture even as they were interrogated centuries ago, and continue to be. Since it is Rare Book Week in Melbourne I took … Continue reading Review: Dark Imaginings
Seen one, haven’t seen them all
Wandering around the Art Gallery of New South Wales was weirdly disorienting. It was a new building to me, but it was filled with familiar artists: Australians like John Brack and Grace Cossington Smith in addition to the usual Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood painters. Obviously, the individual works were different to those in the NGV or anywhere … Continue reading Seen one, haven’t seen them all
Of cobblestones & glass shards
The Rocks is likely the least romantic name for that area of Sydney that now maintains a certain pride in its varied history. From location you'd least want to end up to a tourist destination. Thus, I ended up at The Rocks like any tourist when I was in Sydney. It has stone buildings, cobbled … Continue reading Of cobblestones & glass shards
Cycles of war in three objects
I spent a part of my Friday off at The Ian Potter Museum of Art, where Associate Professor Andrew Jamieson from Melbourne University delivered a lecture on the Nimrud ivories in the university's Classics and Archaeology Collection. Archaeology as the biography of objects The three delicate pieces are more than 2,500 years old and were … Continue reading Cycles of war in three objects
Solstice
It's sunny in Melbourne. There is barely a cloud to cross this blue sky. It is chilly though, and the over-night dew lingers across shadowed surfaces. All too soon the sun will hide, and the long evening will bring on the damp air. It is the shortest day of the year and more usually it … Continue reading Solstice
Rereading’s good medicine
I confess to being the kind of reader who will stop and never return to a novel if it's not to my taste or standards. I couldn't even really begin Cloud Atlas. Apart from a missing page, I just didn't get it and it didn't draw me in. On the other hand, I did go … Continue reading Rereading’s good medicine
Writing Bec 