In which I review/speculate on/suffer mild anxiety about the books piling up at home. For those of you who've been here before and read this previous post, you will no doubt see the irony at play here. Can't help it. You know, books. In this edition: Steal Like An Artist & Show …
Finding Your Process (Is Hard)
In which I say, try it all at least once, no matter what anyone says, and go with what works right now. I remember being a kid and wanting nothing more than to sit down with a fresh new notebook, full of lovely, clean white pages, and fill every single one of …
Judge The Work, Not The Audience
In which I get all a bit hot under the collar about people who dismiss youth media (or any genre storytelling) because of their own prejudices about the intended audience. When we think of ‘ageism’, we generally think of a bias towards the young over the old. We see it everywhere as we are …
Miranda July Speaks The Truth
At no better time could this have landed in my inbox. YOU GIVE INTO DISTRACTION AS IF IT IS A MURDERER. YOU LAY THERE, WAITING TO BE KILLED. TODAY: FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE. GOOD LUCK, MIRANDA This quote is getting printed out and blu-tacked to the wall. Thank you Miranda July. Photo via Daniel Boud.
Making Comedy Webseries ‘Town Centre’ with Sarah Frost and Damien Cassar
Is it just me, or is everyone making a comedy webseries these days? I approve! The state of comedy on commercial television is fairly dire, with most Australian networks giving us few if any options for innovative scripted comedy on the actual box, despite the outstanding success of some in recent years. Thankfully we …
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Quick Qs: Author R.A. Spratt on ‘Friday Barnes: Girl Detective’
In which I catch up with Australian author R.A. Spratt to talk about her new book Friday Barnes: Girl Detective, a witty, rollicking mystery featuring an enterprising eleven-year-old super sleuth. If you have anything vaguely to do with children in say, the 8 to 12 year-old age bracket, you may well already know R.A. Spratt as …
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Review: I’m Wearing Two Suits Because I Mean Business by Steen Raskopoulos (Performance, 2014)
Steen Raskopoulos is so hot right now. He seems to be everywhere on the Australian comedy scene at the moment. I’ve seen him in one of ABC’s recent Fresh Blood web comedies, he was in ABC2’s This is Littleton not too long ago (did anyone see that?), and he is constantly in my Facebook feed as …
I Hate Brick-Sized Books And I Cannot Lie
In which I confess I no longer fight my inability to stomach really, really, really long books. What a terrible confession to make, but it’s true. The first time I saw a copy of the award-winning, critically acclaimed novel The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, I knew in my heart I would never read …
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Review: The Babadook (Film, 2014)
In which I share my Friday the 13th movie for this year, a horror film about the mind’s ability to bring the shadows of grief and worry to life. I didn’t exactly plan to make yesterday’s Friday the 13th a scary movie night! I really wanted to see The Babadook but really did not …
Have You Tried Turning It Off and On Again?
In which I discover ‘The I.T. Crowd’ properly and also discover Graham Linehan’s awesome approach to writing sitcoms. I clearly have been living under a rock for some time (not an unusual feeling for me I have to say). I recently picked up the box set of The I.T. Crowd, the British sitcom …
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Do you know Colin Thompson?
In which I introduce you to Colin Thompson — award-winning author, illustrator, tech gadget fiend and bit of an inspiration. I had the great pleasure of wrangling the easily distracted Colin Thompson for an interview earlier this week for a web series. In truth, he was in excellent spirits and I think we (me and …
Quick Qs: Taylor Litton-Strain – ‘Into The Streets’
In which I talk to emerging film producer Taylor Litton-Strain about her film Into The Streets, a documentary about Sydney's first Mardi Gras, screening as part of The St Kilda Film Festival. The 2014 St Kilda Film Festival kicks off this week, and Sydney-based producer Taylor Litton-Strain has three (count 'em!) short films …
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