If Cheryl Kernot writes another book – and if Speaking for Myself Again is anything to go by, you had better hope she doesn’t – her publishers should at the very least make sure the punctuation police do their job. It appears they didn’t even show up to the scene of the accident this time. Exclamation marks are strewn throughout the work. Each time Kernot wants to bitterly labour a point, ... (read more)
Craig Sherborne
Craig Sherborne is an Australian poet, playwright and novelist based in Melbourne. His most recent book is The Grass Hotel (2022).
Australia has become a cocktail country. Those multicoloured, sorbet-like concoctions that young women drink in twilight-lit bars with techno music for a soundtrack. Liquid lollies for the adult-children of our economic prosperity. It has not, however, become a martini country, as Frank Moorhouse might put it. No matter how many little cocktail bars spring up, often without signage, in the backstr ... (read more)
The Cabinet of Wins
A stable of silverwas our sacred skite.It’s the poor in usmy father said; we are illwith going withouteven when we gaina stable of silver.‘Bring the guests this way, son.’That’s Oreka from his Hothamrout. That’s Ima Martian fromleading all the way.Sliding the glass, the mirror skins
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It’s before I got the wandering eye.I daydream I’ve already left:without her each morning I’d be able to wake,stretch in bed-warmth, blink used to light, not liefeigning sleep in case she cradles my back,her lap flexing for my elbow to liftto take her arm onto my chest. I keep stilluntil she shadow-dresses upon the wall.
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