Echidna
By Sue Gourlay Cartoons squawking, kids squabbling, toast burning, shit, run out of bread and there sits Grandad in his corner complaining about all the bloody idiots who’ll be back on the road now that school’s back. ‘I’m not … Continued
Dunkeld Writers Festival, 17-20 August 2023
By Jenny Hurley & Victoria Spicer Could there be any better way to spend a wintry weekend than in historic Dunkeld with a hundred or so fellow readers and writers? The second Dunkeld Writers Festival boasted a stellar line-up of … Continued
Decent Quality Outfits
By Sue Gourlay It’s not just my way of promoting a sustainable lifestyle. Think of the money I’m saving buying all these recycled dresses and skirts, jumpers, hats, gloves, shoes and socks. Yes I admit, most friends pooh-pooh the … Continued
Am Bròn Binn (The Sweet Sorrow)
By Kat Skarbek Her face is soft and pink in repose – childlike but for the snow-white hair fanned limply across the hospital pillow. Her face is remarkably unlined for someone as old as she never wanted to be. That … Continued
An Unquiet House
By Kat Skarbek Black Country England in the 1960s was anything but swinging. It was a place of dirt and hard labour and sweat. The streets were full of terraced houses, knitted together in red brick rows, pulsing with the … Continued
Distillate of the Detained
Image: Distillate of Tears by David Jones emicimages.com By David Jones This poem is from my book, The Taken, a series of photos and poems to highlight the trauma of our Stolen Generations. DISTILLATE OF THE DETAINED They quailed … Continued
Land Scars
By Olga Hogan. ‘Don’t walk backwards!’ she tells me. We’re coming home from the lake. It is late spring and the lilac trees lining the path are in full bloom. The air vibrates with sweet perfume, making me believe in … Continued
Scent of Grass Death
By Chris Hansen. In the morning, often of a weekend, the sounds of mowers could be heard as far as you might wish to travel through the suburbs. My father’s mower was a Victa. Tried trusty and true it kept … Continued