Some stories remain big in my memory, because of the effect they had on me when I was young. I've written about the first story I ever read, The Little Match Girl, and yes, I'll never forget it. But there were others. I had recurring nightmares after seeing Lost in the Desert, also known as … Continue reading Entertaining traumas
Writing
Finding out what we lost
Humans are very good at destroying things. Just look at the stark bones of the Great Barrier Reef. Bleached, it could end up being the largest thing visible from space that was once alive. Yet, it's almost too large to comprehend, which is ironic, given it is made of microbes. Our human brains don't really … Continue reading Finding out what we lost
Heroes here & there
Somewhere else in super hero films. Because the world is not America. Batman vs Superman, is a battle between Metropolis and Gotham. It's like a haughty hipster New York vs a brooding, damaged Jersey, kinda. Until the main characters realise they're on the same side, it's like Great Gatsby, but with capes and more money. But the real somewhere … Continue reading Heroes here & there
Review: this is what’s so civil about war
If you’re going to make a film where the conflict is self-created like in Avengers: Age of Ultron, that’s ok, but to up the emotional intensity and the battle of principles, then Captain America: Civil War is a better deal. Perhaps, the recent elegiac seriousness of Batman vs Superman just highlights the interpersonal stakes, as … Continue reading Review: this is what’s so civil about war
Something weirder this way comes?
I'm in two minds about the use of historical people and spiritual concepts in fiction. On the one hand it seems disrespectful to tear precepts and practices from their cultural contexts to insert them at will into stories. Then, on the other hand, that's what writers do and have always done. I used the poetry of John … Continue reading Something weirder this way comes?
Foots the Bill?
There's a new companion in the Tardis, if you haven't already heard. Pearl Mackie. She'll play Bill. I'm not about to judge her debut from two minutes on screen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaLficIRInM I posit the main difficulty with a completely new companion, is explaining. Most of the audience is familiar with The Doctor and his world and this new … Continue reading Foots the Bill?
Ugly House
Close to where I used to live, there was the ugliest house in its long street. It was a small square single storey weatherboard, marooned on a slightly bigger square of uneven, greying concrete that filled up almost the entire empty yard behind a rusting wire fence knit with straggling weeds. That old home, with its … Continue reading Ugly House
Review: lessons on appropriation
The Dandenong Ranges, just on the edge of Melbourne, is full of Devonshire tea, tourists and the tallest flowing plants in the world. The other day I visited a particularly green and serene bit: William Ricketts Sanctuary. For decades this artist lived on the side of a mountain and dedicated his art and life to the … Continue reading Review: lessons on appropriation
Poiesis-ly speaking
Poïesis is derived from the ancient term which means "to make". First I decided to attempt art for the Sketch Book Project. In (re)making the book it sent out, albeit a 16 page one, I made space for further creativity. Yes, there was commentary, yes there are sketches and doodles over water colours, and collages and colouring … Continue reading Poiesis-ly speaking
X Millenials
I seldom remember dreams, but this morning my dream woke me and continued to entertain as I dozed. It was a full colour, authentic setting, millennial version of X Files where young hipster Mulder and Scully resolved spooky meme mysteries using encryption and through posting on Reddit threads. Deputy Director Skinner texted them saying as 'digital natives' … Continue reading X Millenials
Writing Bec 