Your Mid-Week Art Break: Amei Zhao

I'm entirely enamored with the illustrations of Amei Zhao at the moment. Heartfelt and textured, dense and thematic, her ability to tell abstract but emphatic stories in deceptively simple drawings is gorgeous. She's a heartbreaker and a heartfixer all in one. You can check out her stuff here.

Overland #209

For Christmas, my mum bought me subscriptions to Overland, Meanjin and Island journals, and given my subscriptions already to The Lifted Brow and Voiceworks, it makes for a pretty great suite of subs. All that aside, this year I wanted to start reviewing more generally, and figure churning out some reviews to these subscriptions could be a great way to go. SO, to start us off, Overland.

Overland #209: Summer 2012

In the editorial to this issue, Jeff Sparrow talks about themes, saying that whilst it’s been a long time since Overland has had them, one sort of rose organically with this edition. This theme of writing and the role of it in Australia today emerges firmly as a common thread between what is, really, a pretty diverse selection of essays. From theatre collectives, human trafficking, copyright, Cyclone Tracy and espionage, this issue opens a really compelling and frank conversation about the responsibilities of a writer. Whether this is in reporting the underside of refugee camps, in telling the stories of the subjected, being a voice of the modern woman in a conservative, sexist Russia, in protecting your own writing or in sharing it freely. It's a conversation that takes so many forms, and one that is becoming more poignant in the modern, digital world, where stories have transitioned from print and local broadcasts to mass, international narratives and news. It's an interesting concept to brace, and now more than ever the storyteller is emerging as a force to be reckoned with. 

The non-fiction covers this sentiment broadly and openly, making for some pretty strong and compelling reads. I especially liked Me and Pussy Riot by Everett True, a love song to the band, but also a reflection on the movers and shakers in modern riot girl feminism and women in punk rock. Other highlights are David Carlin's Scenes from a Radical Theatre, a creative retelling the life of Melbourne's Red Shed Company and Isabelle Skaburskis' Overlooking Tragedy, which discusses and observes the victims of human trafficking. 

This issue also features the Overland/Victoria University Short Story Prize winners. All three are strong pieces but the winner is, well, the winner. Tara Cartland’s Frank O’Hara’s Animals is pretty great, and man, does it speak to my magical realism heart. The short focuses on Dimity, a girl who finds out she can stop time. It is really, really, wonderful, and the whole issue is worth picking up for that alone. 

Non-fiction and short aside, none of the poetry is really notable for me in this issue. That said, I'm pretty fussy with my poetry, so would be interested to see what people more attune to the form think.

All in all though, it's a strong issue and one that opens an important dialogue about the responsibilities of not only journalists but writers as a whole. You can pick up Overland at your local, independent bookstore or at their website.

Friday Finds

- Aussie journal Kill Your Darlings has announced their columnists for 2013! I'm not overly familiar with any of them, but they seem like a good bunch and I'm keen to see their output over the next week.

- Chuck Wendig brings the lolz and the reality checks (as always) in 25 Hard Truths About Writing and Publishing.

- The Atlantic Wire has got an awesome literary tour of historical YA fiction over on their website. This is great in an adding-to-my-to-read-list way, but also in a read-to-research-the-genre way. Plus, I'm pretty partial to Libba Bray and Markus Zusak, so it was nice to see them on here (code for: read them, everyone!)

- Also, this animationless motion comic of a guy hired to kill death is the best side of amazing.

- Dresses based on platforms and social networking websites! Dresses based on websites. And they are amazing. I would wear all of them.

- And floral beards!

- And delicious cakes! (Warning: this is basically food porn).

Bookfest? Bookfest!

Bookfest, you guys! I spent $57! I got all of the above!

For those playing at home, Lifeline Bookfest is a huge, second-hand book fair held at the Brisbane Convention Centre once or twice a year. The enormous sale has tens of thousands of books, separated by quality, genre, collectables and price. I'd never been before, and don't particularly know why  - probably some combination of geography, finances and general uselessness.

The community and the atmosphere was this perfect cocktail of friendly and intimate and horribly competitive and focused - the people are there to rec books and help you, but also, man, are they there to shop. One of my favourite moments of the day was heading in with my mum (her first time too), bagless and trolley-less, and all the other people making their way from carpark to the halls had a look on their face that said noobz.

We were there for hours really, running up and down the trestle tables of books, hoarding them in arms that would ache for days after. I came out with exactly twenty books, a lot of which I'd been eager to get my hands on for a while, and even more to flesh out my Australian women author collection. I'm particularly excited to read The China Garden, Pieces of a Girl (because, Jesus, I love me some Charlotte Wood) and What the Family Needed. I also grabbed all the Isabel Allende I could, because what I've read of hers in the past - particularly My Invented Country - sort of make my life.

There's another few days left of Bookfest - it doesn't finish until the 28th Jan - and I am hugely tempted to go back for sale day (because $2.50 a book was dear), and I really do recommend it. It's a pretty wonderful experience.

Your Mid-Week Art Break: Sean Lewis

I'm a little in love with Sean Lewis' work at the moment. He has such a beautiful, whimsical style that frequently emulates Van Gogh. He does a lot of portraits for odd or lesser known historical figures too, which are always dense and complex, offset by a lighter, sweeter colour palette. It's all pretty wonderful.

Momo Wang: The Third Hand

There's nothing I don't love about Momo Wang's 'The Third Hand' collection. It's visceral and beautiful and a whole mess of wonderful things. Designed from clothing that Wang found second-hand in some Jinzhou markets, the effect is this densely textured and worn and loved. I particularly adore all the coats. You can check out the full collection over at Miss Moss.

Friday Finds

- I've really liked the writing of Clementine Ford for a long while, and the article she wrote on Girls and why ugly sex is important is pretty fascinating and makes for a thoughtful read.


- This artwork by Alexa Meade and Sheila Vand is phenomenal. 

- And these vintage photographs of Swanky Nightclubs in the 1940s are also this side of wonderful.

- 10 Literary Board Games for Book Nerds! Pride & Prejudice!  The Shining! This is great.

- Why you should date a writer! And also, realistically, why you shouldn't.

- Flavorwire has a great visual history of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar covers. I'm a total sucker for a good book cover and a bit of Plath, so this hits all my sweet spots. I love that covers lend such unique interpretations and representations of content, and all aligned like this, you really get to see it. Lovely stuff.

- To take you out for the weekend, I was excited to see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host the Golden Globes, and they really didn't disappoint. Poehler just keeps proving that my affection and admiration in her isn't misplaced. It is awesome.

Your Mid-Week Art Break: Rafael Alvarez

I really love artists that feature a bit of absurdism or horror in their work, particularly when it's done so charmingly. Rafael Alvarez is pretty great for that, and his illustrations have such a deep sense of narrative too - they all tell stories. It's pretty great.

Ginger & Rosa Trailer

I'm getting pretty excited for Sally Potter's new film, Ginger & Rosa, for a whole lot of reasons, most of all because of my total partiality for female-centric coming-of-age stories. The genre is finding it's footing in a big way at the moment, with some lovely films coming out like Beasts of the Southern Wild and Moonrise Kingdom. What really sets Ginger & Rosa apart though for me is it's seemingly strong representation of female friendship and intimacy. Loooovely. Plus, Elle Fanning! What a doll.

Hache Collection

It's been a while since I've done a collection post, but I couldn't resist with the new Hache one. It's a shapely collection, relying on some interesting angles and curves to build what, in some cases, is a gravity-defying set of outfits. It's pretty great. I love all of the coats in particular. 

Friday Finds

- To break in to the new year, Chuck Wendig has 25 Resolutions for Writers in 2013.

- There's a really tremendous interview here of Helen Mirren, at 30, putting an interviewer in his place after he makes a few grossly sexist comments.

- And continuing the ladies being awesome train, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler wrote a Golden Globes drinking game! Awesome!

- These lousy book covers are both hilarious and horrifying.

- 20 Books Every Woman Should Read in Her Twenties. I've read a few of these already - namely Delta of Venus and Magic for Beginners and am currently reading Bad Behavior, but it looks like the rest are close to making their way onto my to-read list. I'm really keen to get through a bunch of them before the end of the year - add to my already ridiculous book schedule for 2013, and am contemplating compiling my own post of 19 books every woman should read in her teens.

2013

I always find it an odd thing to approach the new year - not necessarily in a bad way, just that so much stress is placed on a date. You spend the months leading up to it, well, leading up to it. Changing gears and charging into it with booze and kisses and promises half-kept, leaving people and intentions and desperation somewhere in the wake of it all.

2013 has sort of been that for me. I'm still working my sea-legs for the year, trying to rid myself of December's wobbles and hangovers and recollections and welcome the firmer footing that the new year can bring. That aside, it's already a big year of change for me. This week I started as QWC's Program and Marketing Coordinator, a step up from my role as Customer Service Officer, something I am pretty excited about. In maybe-bigger-news, my sister and her partner are in the process of moving from sunny, urban Brisbane to the rolling hills of rural New South Wales - Gunnedah specifically, with its dusty roads and sprawling paddocks. I'm going to miss her like all hell. As much as we fight and run rampant on each others nerves, she's still my better half, my rock, a whole swell of things that matter, that I find hard to put into words. She and her partner are heading out with a tentative two year plan, to earn and work and for my sister to care for her horses and train like she's always wanted. I'm happy for her, but my selfish heart still wants her here. I think she knows that though, and there's no part of me that won't help her on this step. I still have my brother here anyway, who's starting tenth grade(!) this year. Which is scary. I mean, I remember him being born.

On top of that, I myself am heading back to university, starting off on a shiny new degree - a graduate diploma in Japanese (yay for languages!) and am in the midst of planning a four week trip to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam for the end of the year, which I am close to delirious with excitement about. I'm starting to think that this'll be a big year of shaping up and growth, and the sentiment both frightens and thrills me, sends shivers into my legs and chest that tell me to run faster and work harder. That said, we're only a week and a half in, so maybe I should just play it all by ear.

I'm hoping to do more on here this year too, post more and certainly write more, and I hope that you'll be here for the ride. Your year is only as big as you make it, after all, so hopefully your all planning something good too.