UW Does AWWC 2021
Last year the Underground team took on the Australian Women Writers Challenge, committing to the Franklin level challenge to read at least ten
Interview: Dub Leffler, illustrator of Bindi, by Lauren Pratt
Following on from her review of Bindi, Lauren interviewed illustrator Dub Leffler about what it was like to create the illustrations for this
Interview: Kirli Saunders, author of Bindi, by Lauren Pratt
Author photo by Salty Dingo Media Kirli Saunders is a proud Gunai woman who has released a new children’s verse novel titled Bindi.
Review: Bindi by Kirli Saunders, by Lauren Pratt
Title: BindiAuthor: Kirli SaundersIllustrator: Dub LefflerPublished: November 2020Publisher: Magabala Books To read and consume the verse novel Bindi is a gift—especially for children
AWWC Wrap-Up for 2020
In January the Underground Team took up the Australian Women Writers Challenge for 2020, pledging the Franklin-level challenge where we committed to read
Review: Windfall by Ketan Joshi, by Jess Gately
Title: Windfall: Unlocking a fossil-free future Author: Ketan Joshi Publisher: NewSouth Books ‘Australia’s new decade has opened with the static anxiety of helplessness
Review: Hysteria by Katerina Bryant, by Grace Wholley
Title: Hysteria Author: Katerina Bryant Publisher: NewSouth Publishing Katerina Bryant’s Hysteria does not fall comfortably into a familiar literary category: it is not
Interview: Dr Anne Ryden, Danish-English translator, by Shelley Timms
Dr Anne Ryden Dr Anne Ryden is a Danish-English translator, and a senior lecturer in Professional Writing and Publishing at Curtin University where
Review: Where The Fruit Falls by Karen Wyld, by Lauren Pratt
Title: Where The Fruit Falls Author: Karen Wyld Publisher: UWAP Where The Fruit Falls is Karen Wyld’s debut award-winning novel which delves into
Books to Get You in the Mood for Summer, by Kate Lomas Glendenning
Cover photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels Since we’ve all spent nearly the entire year stuck indoors because of You Know What, it
Review: Skyglow by Leslie Thiele, by Dylan Dartnell
Title: Skyglow Author: Leslie Thiele Released: October 2020 Publisher: Margaret River Press ‘A woman adjusts to her new urban landscape. A slaughterman comes
Review: Little Jiang by Shirley Marr, by Jess Gately
Title: Little Jiang Author: Shirley Marr Illustrator: Katy Jiang Publisher: Fremantle Press Published: 1st October 2020 This review was first published in the Underground
Interview: Laura Elvery by Lauren Pratt
Underground Junior Editor Lauren Pratt speaks with Laura Elvery about women in science, inspiration, and her new short story collection Ordinary Matter. Congratulations
5 Aussie book-to-screen adaptations you’ll want to watch
Book-to-screen adaptations are a controversial art. The limitations of special effects and other behind the scenes factors can make it difficult to accurately
An interview with Maria Papas, winner of the 2020 TAG Hungerford Award, by Shelley Timms
Maria Papas is the winner of the City of Fremantle 2020 TAG Hungerford Award, announced on Thursday 22nd October at an awards ceremony
Review: Fauna by Donna Mazza, by Dylan Dartnell
Title: Fauna Author: Donna Mazza Publisher: Allen & Unwin Fauna is Donna Mazza’s tribute to an unsettling future that seems as near as
Review: Return Ticket by John Doust, by Kate Lomas Glendenning
Title: Return Ticket Author: Jon Doust review Publisher: Fremantle Press Genre: Historical fiction Favourite quote: “Perhaps I wash the dishes the way I
Review: The History of Mischief by Rebecca Higgie, by Dylan Dartnell
Title: The History of Mischief Author: Rebecca Higgie Publisher: Fremantle Press Winner, Fremantle Press, The Fogarty Literary Award 2019 Introducing Rebecca Higgie and her
“I had to do justice to this story”: An interview with Danielle Binks, by Max Vos
Danielle Binks is a Melbourne-based author and agent, who recently published her debut novel The Year the Maps Changed with Hachette Australia.
Reviews: ‘under/Limelight’ and ‘Kindred: 12 Queer Stories’, by Jess Rae
Reading has been a tricky task for many during isolation. We think that because we have way more free time we should use
Upcoming New Releases We’re Looking Forward To, by Jemimah Halbert Brewster
Here at Underground we’re always hearing about new and exciting books being released in Australia. There’s always a delightful and relevant combination of
Review: Siarad by Caroline Reid, by Dylan Dartnell
Title: Siarad: Poetry & Prose Publisher: ES-Press, an imprint of Spineless Wonders Published: 2020 ‘Siarad [sha-rad] is a Welsh word meaning to talk,
Interview: Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, illustrator of Bruce Pascoe’s ‘Found’, by Ebony Bryant
Illustrator Charmaine Ledden-Lewis Charmaine Ledden-Lewis makes her debut into the illustration world, capturing the vivid beauty of the Australian Outback, in Bruce Pascoe’s
Review: Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff, by Jess Gately
Title: Aurora Rising Authors: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff Genre: YA/Sci-Fi Publisher: Allen & Unwin This review was first published in the Underground
Review: How to be Australian by Ashley Kalagian Blunt, by Jemimah Halbert Brewster
Title: How to be Australian Author: Ashley Kalagian Blunt Publisher: Affirm Press Favourite quote: “I couldn’t do the PR application, and more urgently,
Review: Fire Front poetry anthology, by Shelley Timms
Title: Fire Front: First Nations Poetry and Power Today Editor: Alison Whittaker Genre: Anthology/Poetry collection Publisher: UQP “Our legacies become futures, written from
8 Aussie Sci-Fi Authors Whose Books You Should Read, by Jess Gately
Marianne de Pierres Where better to start than with this boundary-crossing writer who has graced Australian publishing over and over again. Since 2003,
Review: The Coconut Children by Vivian Pham, by Ebony Bryant
Title: The Coconut Children Author: Vivian Pham Genre: YA, coming-of-age, urban fiction Favourite quote: ‘The coconut children on the trees need to drop
6 Australian Book Awards to Follow if You’re Not a Literary Fiction Reader, by Jess Gately
Book awards are a great way to find new reads from authors you may not have heard about, and also provide an easy
Review: An Inheritance of Secrets by Sonya Bates, by Shelley Carter
Title: Inheritance of Secrets Author: Sonya Bates Genre: Historical Thriller Publisher: HarperCollins Australia (2020) After the horrific death of her Oma and Opa,
Six Historical Fiction Books by Aussie Authors, by Shelley Carter
When I’m in a reading slump, or feel as though I need an escape from the world, I tend to gravitate towards historical
Review: The Salt Madonna by Catherine Noske, by Jess Gately
Title: The Salt Madonna Author: Catherine Noske Publisher: Picador Australia Genre: Thriller, literary fiction This review was first published in the Underground zine, issue
Review: In the Dark Spaces by Cally Black, by Jemimah Halbert Brewster
Title: In the Dark Spaces Author: Cally Black Genre: YA Sci-fi Thriller Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont Cally Black’s debut YA novel, In the Dark
Review: The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks, by Max Vos
Title: The Year the Maps Changed Author: Danielle Binks Publisher: Hachette Australia Fred has to get used to a lot in 1999—her family
Review: The Valley by Steve Hawke, by Kate Lomas Glendenning
Title: The Valley Author: Steve Hawke Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Fremantle Press(2018) I have never quite read a mystery novel like Hawke’s before. What
How To Support Yourself and Other Authors While Self-Isolating by Jess Rae
Image from Pixabay free images We’re in an unprecedented time. Stores, restaurants and entertainment venues are closed; people have lost their jobs; we
Review: The Fragments by Toni Jordan, by Jemimah Halbert Brewster
The Fragments by Toni Jordan is a brilliant novel incorporating themes of coming of age, taking charge of one’s destiny, and learning to
Bookish Bullet Journal Spreads by Jemimah Halbert Brewster
Image from Canva free stock images Bullet Journaling has been around for a while now, and there are many niche areas you can delve into
Review: The Daughter of Victory Lights by Kerri Turner, by Shelley Carter
Title: The Daughter of Victory Lights Author: Kerri Turner Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: HQ Fiction, HarperCollins Australia imprint, (2020) After serving her country proudly
Interview: Theresa Smith at the Australian Women Writers Challenge, by Shelley Carter
Theresa Smith is the Team Coordinator and Historical Fiction Editor for the Australian Women Writers Challenge, which Underground is participating in this year.