When confronted by death I am full of useless impulses to be doing. I think. I attempt poetry. I weep. I don't want to eulogise. I look up rituals. I listen. I wait and cannot. I sleep, or try to. I wake, and try not to. I complete my usual household tasks. I watch grey clouds … Continue reading Nothing matters and it all does
Stories
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
A matter of time
I don't think I believe in linear time. Lines are just points joined together; they don't have heft or taste. They exist to measure who's winning, but have no extent. They're abstract. You can't sense linear time internally the same way other time is detected. I have moments when I am chock full of vital … Continue reading A matter of time
Elsewhere: a dream
Melbourne's central business district is served by the City Loop, a ring of (mostly) underground rail lines and their stations. The iconic station, the one on the postcards, is that of Flinders Street, because of its classic facade, the clocks, and its steps. Around the corner, Southern Cross Station serves both the city, and trains … Continue reading Elsewhere: a dream
Lessons from kittens
My household volunteers for an animal rescue charity, fostering kittens and cats when possible. The organisation takes surrendered animals, and rescues kittens, cats, dogs and rabbits from death row shelters across Victoria. Fostering means preparing kittens and cats for permanent homes by getting them through medical assessments and treatments (including neutering). Fostering often entails ensuring … Continue reading Lessons from kittens
Patchwork heart
You won't be surprised if you learned I have a collector's tendency. A bit. Not in a massively life cramplingly problematic hoarding way, yet I do keep things. Maybe it's because stuff is comforting, like when I was a child. My room in one house was barely wider than my bed, in which was stuffed … Continue reading Patchwork heart
Enheduanna Bot?
Welcome to my periodical rant about the world's first name author. Turn away now if you want to continue thinking it's a bloke... Part of my interest in archaeology stems from reading history and literary history. Time and again an individual 'unearths' or 'discovers' a rich literary, creative legacy related to our female cultural predecessors … Continue reading Enheduanna Bot?
Auto population
The password is saved. Sign in page. Password field auto populates. Not recognised. It doesn't announce "unrecognised". It is not. Not a thing. Nothing. Type in the combination of numbers, symbols and letters. S L O W L Y. A magical incantation breathed through hope. Wait. Capture this: I am not a bot. But I could … Continue reading Auto population
Life outside the frame
Many would consider the small towns I lived near and grew up in boring. It was the 1980s and they lacked the services and excitement of the cities. But they didn't lack for character, nor characters. There was a woman who lived on the fringe of town (when I say town I mean one of … Continue reading Life outside the frame
Writing Bec 