Gillian Dooley is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Flinders University, South Australia. Gillian is also a journal editor and the author of books and articles on literary subjects from Jane Austen to J.M. Coetzee. In this guest post she writes about the launch of The First Wave: Exploring early coastal contact history in Australia, and the book's importance in our understanding of Australian history. On 20 June, The First Wave: Exploring Early Coastal Contact History in Australia,…
Continue readingLove Your Bookshop Day is all about celebrating what makes local bookshops so great (and so important)! Here at Wakefield Press, we're celebrating by opening our shop on Saturday 10 August, but the celebration is about more than just one day. As our fearless leader, Michael Bollen, considers the daunting 'For Official Use Only' headers that have plagued his inbox as late, he also ponders his own official use as a publisher. In Diary of a Publisher, a brilliant…
Continue readingSara, a year 10 student at Saint Peter's Girls' School, talks about books, her experiences at Wakefield Press, and the differences between boys and girls reading What is the first book you ever read? At the risk of sounding generic, the first book I ever read was Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Before this, I lamented reading, but I was immediately drawn into the whirlwind of escapades at Hogwarts, and after reading the Harry…
Continue readingIf, like me, you have always loved reading, the idea of owning your own bookstore may also be your idea of heaven. I have been in customer service all my life, yet I have never worked in a bookshop before. I have worked at independent cinemas and theatres, I have worked in menswear and wine sales, but not in a place that would make me the happiest: selling books. Although working at the Cinema Nova…
Continue readingFrom world-renowned glass blowers to landscape painters, it's evident that Australia. produces some of the most talented artists, and art, across the globe. Here are five titles to fuel your passion for art this month. Penelope & Tansy Curtin, Blooms and Brushstrokes: A floral history of Australian art Blooms and Brushstrokes takes you on a unique journey through the history of Australian art, one flower at a time, examining the blooms depicted. in still lifes, floral portraits, decorative interiors…
Continue readingJaye Jarvis, a year ten student at St Johns Grammar School, outlines her keen interest in reading and writing, as well as her involvement in the work experience program at Wakefield Press. What is the first book you ever read? My mum spent countless hours reading to me as a kid, but the first novel I can consciously remember reading was Layla, Queen of Hearts by Glenda Millard. It's a gentle, almost nostalgic story about the ups and…
Continue readingIn this latest author interview series, work experience student Sian Beatton interviews Poppy Nwosu, author of Making Friends with Alice Dyson. Poppy's story came runner up for the 2018 Adelaide Festival Unpublished Manuscript Award, but here at Wakefield press we thought her story too good to go unnoticed. Poppy's book is a romantic story about rumours, friendship, and discovering who you really are. How do you keep a book interesting? This is a great question! For me, I…
Continue readingIn The Australian War Memorial: A century on from the vision, Steve Gower, the highly successful director of the Australian War Memorial from 1996 to 2012, gives a comprehensive account of the development of the Memorial from its inception just over a century ago. The book recounts the many challenges in establishing the Memorial and then in developing further its galleries and displays, the extensive collection, associated events and the overall supporting facilities. It also goes behind…
Continue readingANZAC Day is a solemn reminder to generations young and old of the pain and loss of war. But with the number of surviving veterans declining, it's important for younger generations to keep their memory alive. With that in mind, here are five historical titles to read this ANZAC Day. Don Longo, Pens and Bayonets: Letters from the Front by soldiers of Yorke Peninsula during the Great War Pens and Bayonets gives voice to the young Australia…
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