AustLit

'This is a collection of contemporary stories from the Queer community. It is about love, sex and identity told through diverse stories from buying a double bed, meeting neighbourhood witches and early morning swims. They talk about freedom and misery, victories and injustices. The result is a slew of fascinating tales expressing what being LGBTQIA+ means today.

'Introduction by researcher, writer and poet Quinn Eades whose work lies at the nexus of feminist and queer theories of the body, autobiography, and philosophy. Eades is published nationally and internationally, and is the author of all the beginnings: a queer autobiography of the body, and Rallying.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'From the author of The Waterfowl Are Drunk! comes a pointed and poignant collection of short stories for the present moment. Dear Ibis is a tender yet unflinching meditation on what it means to feel at home, and what it means to have this taken away. Set in New South Wales’ lush South Coast against the backdrop of the 2019-20 bushfires come stories of birth and death, disability and resilience, colonial greed and moral reckonings. Infused with lyrical prose, vast coastal backdrop and a vividly realised cast of characters, Dear Ibis is a letter for anyone feeling unmoored trying to find their way back to shore.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Cri Fi, Sci Fi, Noir, Rom Com, Lit Fic, Western, Horror, Gothic, Fantasy, Fairytale… In this latest anthology of microlit, writers were invited to play with genre.  Here you will find some of the well-worn tropes from literature and film reshaped and manipulated – all in less than half a page. The results are sometimes political, sometimes philosophical; but always playful, witty and stunningly written.

'Edited by Cassandra Atherton, and with a Foreword by Jodi McAlister, the anthology includes pieces by commissioned well-known writers including the award-winning joanne burns, as well as new voices unearthed through the national Microlit Award named in her honour.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Hest’s life is stagnating, until a levitating housemate arrives. Is Sam for real? Find out in this great new short story by 2020 Slinkies author, Sophie Overett about the ups and downs of shared households and modern live for 20 somethings.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The ships are leaving. One ticket. One passenger. Keep it close.

'The ships are leaving. Keep your ticket close. Wouldn’t want to be left behind.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Down in the bush, dark things are at play.

'Read these two short thrillers set in rural Queensland by Slinkies author, Thomas Alan.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'As a linesman, you get ‘danger pay’. And sometimes … you hit the jackpot.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Working retail is a drain. Who knew Lucia would still have a job in the zombie apocalypse?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Toxic friendships and social media, synaesthesia, and midnight sandwiches. Read this eclectic collection by Slinkies authors, Ch’aska Cuba de Reed, Sky Carrall and Teyha Nicholas.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Apologia is a collection of stories threaded by the themes of loss and displacement. Each piece captures a tumultuous moment in time, and is grounded in the psychological journey of how people deal with their own traumas and fears. Though this collection is host to an array of completely different and individually captivating stories, Arathimos has succeeded in binding them through the depth of human connection and portrayal of raw human pain, both mental and physical. A truly inspiring collection of work, each piece will leave you with a better understanding of the hidden sufferings humans endure in their daily lives.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Tomorrow, when Skyler’s gone, she’ll give the dog both cans of food, then get the bolt cutters and set her free.

'Brooke Dunnell’s collection of stories links females and dogs in surprising yet hauntingly familiar ways. Cleverly crafted, it explores a range of voices, ages and socioeconomic conditions, prodding you to see society through fresh eyes. From a missing person’s case, and a boy grappling with puberty, through to a girl watching helplessly as her brother trains his dog to kill, this book will pull you in from beginning to end.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Each day we will be delivering the world to you in the form of short audio stories under 5 minutes in length. Narrated by actors at some of our recent live events or recorded in studio by some of authors, these stories are drawn from our annual microlit anthologies.'

Source: Spineless Wonders.

'This year’s anthology of Australian microliterature from Spineless Wonders explores the theme of scars—how they mark us, how they mark the world around us, and the intriguing stories that they tell. From healing the scarred remains of an abandoned mine, to a kidney making peace in its final moments, to a concussion that sparks a supernova, each little story has a little something for everyone.

'Edited by Cassandra Atherton with a Preface by Gabrielle Fletcher, the anthology includes pieces by commissioned Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers as well as finalists in the 2019 joanne burns Microlit Award. Featured authors Raelee Lancaster, Paul Collis, Brenda Saunders, Steve Kinnane, Sam Wagan Watson, Benjamin Laird, Judith Crispin, Jessica Wilkinson and Shady Cosgrove.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Siarad is a Welsh word, meaning to talk, to speak. In this collection of spoken word, prose poetry and micro-fiction, Reid speaks to the memories and emotions that move us through decades, continents and cultures. The collection pulses with images of stars and stray dogs, highways with no horizon and mothers with fading memories. Reid’s background as a performer and playwright shines in this collection of works that are as bold as they are tender, begging to be shouted, spoken, whispered many times over.

'‘Psychedelic. Startling. Alive. This book takes you to places you never imagined you’d go, and some places you’ve already been, but thought you were alone when you were there. Caroline Reid is a fellow traveller in a chaotic world. She tells a woman’s story, but it is the story of us all.’ — Donna Ward, She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster’s Meditations on Life.' (Publication summary) 

'Set against a backdrop of suburban Australia and rural South Korea, a boy becomes a man and continues to question what he knows about the world. Understanding Almost Nothing of the World is a collage of fragmented memories about the ephemerality of childhood relationships and an evocative journey of self-realisation through the lens of adult naïvety.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'All Hands lives on the Australian coastline, running through the hopes and fears of people who call the ocean home. The stories nestle into relationships between characters and their return to family, childhood, romance, and who they are. ‘The Cape’ inspects fear and victory in surf competitions. ‘Swim risk’ travels through grief and falling into hope through instinct. The titular story ‘All Hands’ sees a dumped trophy husband return to his parent’s home only to be told ‘you can’t stay here forever’. The Australian coast is not simply a sunshine haven, but a vastly rugged home for personal reflection and growth.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Grub brings its focus to those things we don’t see, to the people on the edges of society who might be a little “grubby”. Its setting is Sydney’s inner west, in a not-too-distant future, where the looming concerns of today (like climate change and capitalism) have come to pass, and subsistence is commonplace. They range from light-hearted, such as ‘Grub’, where an obsession to cleanliness is taken to extremes, to much darker. In ‘Carpark’, a young queer boy is beaten up, watched by a couple from the safety of their apartment, and ‘Whipped Cream’ is a Handmaid’s Tale-type dystopia, with references to breeding and silver vans. Peopled with odd individuals, Grub examines our humanity (and sometimes, lack of) in extreme circumstances.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Shuffle celebrates the theme of sound: from the streets of Rome at night; the personification of ice cubes; David Bowie; Mad Max; a chainsaw; fish flops and tiny pikelets, to a conversation through a thin wall; silence and sign language. The microlit references sound in a plethora of unexpected ways; putting the short form under pressure to showcase each writer’s unique abstractions.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A collection that crosses boundaries of genre and time; meditating on history, memory, representation and desire. A ten year old visits her brother in hospital across a state border after a car accident; growing up in the age of Fibs bras and the rise and fall of the Whitlam government; the cast of Fatal Attraction let loose on the streets of Newtown; a montage of romance, dating advice and a teenage girl’s exploration of desire; a band of tourists visit Uluru; a man struggles for control of his life story; and a memoir using photographs reinventing relationships and belonging.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.