In a new series on the Wakefield Press blog, we've asked authors to write about the background, inspiration, research and work that goes into writing a book. This week features Anne Black, author of Pendragon: The life of George Isaacs, Colonial wordsmith. Anne writes about her first encounter with little-known literary icon George Isaacs, and the death certificate that sparked an obsession and a biography.
Continue readingOur poetry spotlight shines on Jeri Kroll today, and her lovely collection Workshopping the Heart. This witty, moving and accessible collection gathers poems from six previous books, beginning with Death as Mr Right, which won second prize in the 1982 Anne Elder Award for best first poetry book in Australia. With irony and frankness, Jeri Kroll workshops the complex relationships that individuals establish over the course of a lifetime with friends and family, as well as…
Continue readingTake a sneak peek inside this gorgeous book on artist Annabelle Collett by Kathie Muir, which is as bright, bold, and beautiful as Collett herself.
Continue readingOur poetry spotlight shines on Erica Jolly today, with the poem of the week taken from her collection Making a Stand.
Continue readingIn 2020, Poppy Nwosu is the published author of two young adult contemporary novels, Making Friends with Alice Dyson and Taking Down Evelyn Tait. Yet back in 2018, she had just signed her first publication contract for her debut book, and she really had no idea what the future might bring. This collection of blog posts (originally written by Poppy between March 2018 and March 2019) chronicles her experience during that strange year of limbo…
Continue readingOur poetry spotlight shines on award-winning poet Cath Kenneally today, with the poem of the week taken from her collection Thirty Days' Notice.
Continue readingWe're delighted to officially announce the acquisition of ANZ and UK rights to Sara Haghdoosti's YA debut novel, Sunburnt Veils, a 'love story with a hijabi twist', which Wakefield Press will publish in March 2021. Sunburnt Veils is a smart, funny, character-based exploration of Islamophobia through a heroine who's the kind of girl who reads at parties, but pushes herself to take a visible stand after a fellow student calls in a bomb threat on her first day of…
Continue readingThis week, the poetry spotlight shines once again on award-winning poet Geoff Goodfellow. This week's poem comes from Waltzing with Jack Dancer: A slow dance with cancer. The collection was written by Geoff in the aftermath of his diagnosis with throat cancer, and chronicles his experiences with treatment, hospitals, and the Big C.
Continue readingHilarious, charming and self-effacing, meet Edmund Pegge, one of Australia's most prolific supporting actors. Travelling between England and Australia and working on stage, in film and on television for over fifty years, Ed Pegge knows all the tricks and all the trials of a working actor's life. In this guest post, Ed writes about the nuances of fame, and the benefits of taking a brief rest every now and again from being a star.
Continue readingThis week's Poem of the Week comes from Jill Jones' collection Dark Bright Doors, poetry that has been described as having 'unsettling mystery and beauty' by Barry Hill from the Australian. This book was shortlisted for the Kenneth Slessor Prize in the 2011 NSW Premier's Literary Awards.
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