In a guest piece for the Wakefield Press blog, author and bookseller Christine Courtney casts her eye over the Largs Jetty. A snapshot of an iconic beach captured in the pandemic's peak in Adelaide, Christine captures in writing the nature of the beach: completely unfazed by the worries of humans, always changing, always the same.
Continue readingIn a very special edition of Behind the Books, apprentice typesetter Jesse Pollard writes about one of his very first typesetting experiences here at Wakefield Press. He also tries to answer a particularly difficult question: what exactly is typesetting?
Continue readingThis week for our poetry spotlight, we are showcasing a poem by Miriel Lenore, from her collection A Wild Kind of Tune. 'In this tale arcing from 1845 to the present, in poetry underpinned by meticulous research, we inhabit settler society with all its attendant joys, hardship and grief as we careen with Caroline through her journey of love, loss and horror into madness.' – Biff Ward, author of In My Mother's Hands.
Continue readingEmma Ashmere's recently released collection of short stories, Dreams They Forgot, is an exploration of illusion, deception, and quiet acts of rebellion. Undercut with longing and unbelonging, absurdity and tragedy, thwarted plans and fortuitous serendipity, each story offers glimpses into the dreams, limitations, gains and losses of fragmented families, loners and lovers, survivors and misfits, as they piece together a place for themselves in the imperfect mosaic of the natural and unnatural world. Read on for…
Continue readingIn 1945, Anglican priest Father Percy Smith brought six boys from their Northern Territory home to an Adelaide beach suburb. There, they became the first boys of St Francis, a place that would house 50 such boys over 11 years. Some were sent, with the blessing of their mothers, to gain an education. Others were members of the Stolen Generations. In their interviews with Ashley Mallett, many of these men recall Father Smith's kindness…
Continue readingDiscover beauty in simplicity, with our stunning new art book on Adelaide ceramicist Kirsten Coelho. With text written by author, art critic, editor and occasional curator Wendy Walker, this beautiful book traces the evolution of Coelho's textured practice, in which an ever-expanding framework of art historical, literary and cinematic references has driven a succession of formal shifts - a shaping of changes.
Continue readingOur spotlight shines once again on Ali Whitelock, this time featuring a poem from her first collection published by Wakefield Press, and my heart crumples like a coke can. ‘Ali Whitelock writes a poetry of excoriating tenderness. Whitelock is Bukowski with a Glaswegian accent and a nicer wardrobe.’ – Mark Tredinnick, poet and author of The Blue Plateau, The Little Red Writing Book, Blue Wren Cantos, The Lyre Bird & Other Poems
Continue readingToday we are celebrating the publication of new teen novel Indigo Owl, the long-awaited second book from Charlie Archbold. Charlie's debut Mallee Boys was awarded Honour Book in the Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards 2018. Indigo Owl is smart, thoughtful YA fiction for modern teens. Equal parts thrilling entertainment and thought-provoking social commentary, Indigo Owl discusses the 'what ifs' around the future of the human race.
Continue readingThis week's poetry spotlight shines on Aidan Coleman's 'Diagram & Leaf', from his recently published collection Mount Sumptuous. 'This is an outstanding volume of poetry. It is wonderfully original and deliciously complex. Its intellectual pirouettes and cutbacks are a pleasure to follow, always offering an incredibly agile and aesthetically stimulating journey.' – Lachlan Brown
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…
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