Somehow no one rumbled that I snuck onto a Killings columnist roster that otherwise contained nothing but champs. Me and the champs round out the year with our… Read more “2015’s Best Killings”
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas’ Suspiria
My final column for Kill Your Darlings is an interview with the inestimable Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. Her fine critical intelligence and quick infectious wit will be familiar… Read more “Alexandra Heller-Nicholas’ Suspiria”
Miles Allinson’s Fever of Animals
My take on Miles Allinson’s impressive but significantly flawed novel
Fiona Wright’s Small Acts of Disappearence
‘Wright’s use of the personal pronoun throughout is grounded and clarifying – weighted to illumination and analysis rather than expression.’ My take on Fiona Wright’s Small Acts… Read more “Fiona Wright’s Small Acts of Disappearence”
Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts
My take on Maggie Nelson’s genre-busting memoir The Argonauts, in which I argue for the overthrow of the narrative. Incoherently, of course.
The Post-Imperial Pet Shop Boys
More than thirty years ago, UK electropop duo Pet Shop Boys surveyed their present pop moment and asked themselves, ‘Do you want to be rich?’ Unfortunately for… Read more “The Post-Imperial Pet Shop Boys”
She Calls the Shots: the provocation of violent women
‘…questions like ‘How could she?’ and ‘Why didn’t she leave?’ keep rattling around like knives in a drawer.’ Me on Virginie Despentes, Rihanna and Maggie Nelson up… Read more “She Calls the Shots: the provocation of violent women”
Reviewing and the long way round (to anger)
My Emerging Writers Festival criticism paper has been published by the good people at The Lifted Brow. There are very few journals as committed to working with… Read more “Reviewing and the long way round (to anger)”
Bernard Cohen’s The Antibiography of Robert F. Menzies
Just back from the inaugural presentation of the Russell prize for humorous writing at the NSW State Library. It was a tremendous honour to be asked to… Read more “Bernard Cohen’s The Antibiography of Robert F. Menzies”
Lisa Gorton’s The Life of Houses
‘A Novel of Longer Exhalations’ My take on Lisa Gorton’s very fine novel The Life of Houses is now up at Killings.
