Writers are the architects of imagination, the sculptors of words, and the custodians of stories. But what sparks this relentless urge to write? At Book Fair Australia, I was honoured to speak with 12 remarkable authors who shared their deeply personal...
‘I don’t fuck with Jack and Jill/ if I pop that pill that’s a magic bean/ I’m on my last life I don’t give two fucks/ I’m still gonna sip that lean’ raps an animated, masked Puss in Boots into a microphone. The ‘Puss in Zoots’ video has garnered 470k views since it...
Caption: Netflix. Heartstopper season 3 poster. Poster with the main characters, Nick and Charlie. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/heartstopper/s03, 2024) Content Warning: This television show and review discusses topics of mental health, self-harm,...
National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo) is a one-way ticket for writers to enter four weeks of self-inflicted madness (or so many authors have said), and write in any spare moment they can. The need for a rush of words leaves little time to overthink, go back or...
Author: Ayesha Bennett (Edited by Eugenia Kourkoutas) 'WELL, I LISTENED BEFORE THEY WERE COOL!’ Australia’s music landscape has always held a diversity of amazing acts. Yet in recent years, there has come an explosion of upcoming ‘Indie Rock/Pop’ artists that...
From the onset, Tim Winton’s novel, ‘Juice’, would be a book that I’ve not read the likes of in a very long time. I’m sure many people have drawn the parallels between Winton’s latest release and Cormac McCarthy’s, ‘The Road’, due to the dystopian setting, begrudging...
(Netflix. Heartbreak High season 2 poster. Chaotic poster with characters from the show. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/heartbreak_high_2022/s02, 2024) Introduction After a two-year hiatus, Heartbreak High's Gen-Z reboot returned with its second season on...
Interview with director and writer Milena Bennett, by Luci Kugathasan and Nataša Aster-Stater Milena Bennett’s 2023 short film, ‘Cactus’, is a heartbreakingly beautiful story about two lonely souls becoming unlikely friends. Through ‘Cactus’, Bennett tells her story...
As the cost-of-living skyrockets, thrifting is becoming a necessity, and Penrith is becoming a hub for op shoppers. Penrith’s High Street is home to a plethora of op shops including, but not limited to; Anglicare, Red Cross, Vinnies, Salvos, Cancer Wellness Support,...
Photo credit: Sabine Fischer | “A Woman Writing in a Notebook” | Pexels “Who uses typewriters anyway?” is a lyric by American singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift, from her song The Tortured Poets Department. Though author Joanne Macias doesn’t use a typewriter in 2024,...
The Nepean River once again became the heart of Penrith as thousands flocked to Tench Reserve for the annual Real Festival, held from the 12th-14th of September. Over three days, the riverside transformed into a lively celebration of art, food, music and...
Author Lyndall Clipstone wears bows and lace and lives in a hundred-year-old cottage with her family and shy black cat. Her work is described as ‘flower-threaded horror’, merging cottagecore and gothic atmospheres. Clipstone debuted in 2021 with ‘Lakesedge’,...
The Western Sydney University for Palestine (WSU4P) collective held a rally at Western’s Parramatta South University on the 13th of August 2025. Professor Alana Lentin, a long-time scholar of race and racism, and self-proclaimed Jewish anti-Zionist, was among...
Read Part 1: the Writing here. Award-winning writer and WestWords Creative Producer Alexandria Burnham’s debut novel ‘Swallow’ will be released in November 2025, after she announced in May that WestWords Books acquired publishing rights. From Creative to...
Award-winning writer and WestWords Creative Producer Alexandria Burnham’s debut novel ‘Swallow’ will be released in November 2025, after she announced in May that WestWords Books acquired publishing rights. ‘Swallow’: Australia’s Untold Story The novel is set in...