For the Life of FaithMiles Pattenden reviews two biographies of Catholic women – a former member of Sydney's Protestant elite and an Armadale order of nuns. What did they give up for the Church? And what did they have to gain?Miles Pattenden17 Apr. 2025
In and Out of OblivionHow do we talk about psychosis with sensitivity and without sanitisation? What role does language play in mental health? Zowie Douglas-Kinghorn confronts these questions in her review of Elfy Scott’s book about her mother’s schizophrenia.Zowie Douglas-Kinghorn14 Apr. 2025
Exquisite AdjustmentsReviewing an anthology of collaborations between writers and artists with disability, Erin Scudder surveys the forms of ‘capacious solidarity’ and linguistic inventiveness at the nexus between art and medicine, creative and therapeutic practice.Erin Scudder4 Apr. 2025
Baltic Blues. And Other Colours.The war in Ukraine has highlighted the geopolitical significance of the Baltic Sea. Drawing on Jan Brokken’s account of Baltic peoples in Baltic Souls, Evelyn Juers unfurls the cultural and intellectual heritage of the region across the centuries....Evelyn Juers1 Apr. 2025
Bala Ga’ LiliThe Näku Dhäruk Petitions were the first native title documents recognised in Australian parliament. Monique Grbec reads Clare Wright’s historical account of the Petitions through the balance and reciprocity in the Yolŋu phrase, ‘bala ga’ lili’.Monique Grbec28 Apr. 2025
What Would Knowing Change?Tracey Lien’s protagonist in All That’s Left Unsaid is determined to uncover the truth about her brother’s death. In her review, Farz Edraki finds parallels between this forensic quest and Lien’s own mission to faithfully depict 1990s Cabramatta.Farz Edraki22 Apr. 2025
For the Life of FaithMiles Pattenden reviews two biographies of Catholic women – a former member of Sydney's Protestant elite and an Armadale order of nuns. What did they give up for the Church? And what did they have to gain?Miles Pattenden17 Apr. 2025
In and Out of OblivionHow do we talk about psychosis with sensitivity and without sanitisation? What role does language play in mental health? Zowie Douglas-Kinghorn confronts these questions in her review of Elfy Scott’s book about her mother’s schizophrenia.Zowie Douglas-Kinghorn14 Apr. 2025
Now What?To mark the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon and the arrival of Indochinese refugees in Australia, Kim Huynh and Vivian Pham exchange emails about the bonds of gratitude, the persistence of joy, and a new Vietnamese Australian aesthetic.Kim Huynh, Vivian Pham22 Apr. 2025
Baltic Blues. And Other Colours.The war in Ukraine has highlighted the geopolitical significance of the Baltic Sea. Drawing on Jan Brokken’s account of Baltic peoples in Baltic Souls, Evelyn Juers unfurls the cultural and intellectual heritage of the region across the centuries....Evelyn Juers1 Apr. 2025
The Statue of DavidIf sport is often compared to religion, sport writing offers the means of conversion. Reading two books on AFL, Edie Mitsuda reflects on the appeal of fandom, from the sense of community and custodianship to the thrill of transcending the ego.Edie Mitsuda21 Mar. 2025
The Value of DifferencesInternational literary prizes and book reviews are increasingly acknowledging the importance of translated work. However, as Jennifer Lindsay argues, while translators themselves are receiving acclaim, their art remains largely underappreciated.Jennifer Lindsay7 Mar. 2025
The Vietnamese TurnThe SRB talks to Nathalie Nguyen about the changing historiography of the Vietnam War, with greater recognition of Vietnamese-language sources and the role of South Vietnam, and the personal stakes of this history for the Vietnamese diaspora. Nathalie Huynh Chau Nguyen29 Apr. 2025
Settling ScoresIn the wake of the women’s World Cup, Ruth McHugh-Dillon speaks to Ellen van Neerven about playing sport on Indigenous land and the challenges – of classification and acknowledgement – laid down by their latest book, Personal Score.Ruth McHugh-Dillon, Ellen van Neerven28 Aug. 2023
Unveiling through artCigdem Aydemir is a Sydney-based contemporary artist whose work primarily engages with the topic of veiling and the way in which Muslim women are commonly depicted and perceived in Australian society.Kobra Sayyadi28 May. 2023
Murnane's Signposts‘Does telling literature to get fucked mean you are articulating a new understanding of what literature is and what it can do vis-à-vis its apparent opposite, which might be something like “life”?’Joseph Steinberg27 Nov. 2022
