Midnight Oil are one of the most ‘Australian’ rock bands this country has produced. Born from the Australian pub rock scene that gave us AC/DC, Cold Chisel and INXS, the Oils were able to break out of that scene without compromising themselves in any way. Indeed, their breakthrough overseas record was the most Australian album they made.
But it wasn’t just the subject matter that made them fiercely Australian; it was their stubborn independence, and their refusal to play the rock‘n’roll game and respect its rules and masters. But more than any of this is the adrenalin rush of an Oils show. When they took this overseas, audiences could often not understand a word they were saying, but musically they recognised a common language: powerful, unadulterated live performances. There is no band whose live shows are spoken of with the same awe as the Oils.
'At last, here is a book that does justice to the power and the passion of one of the greatest rock bands the world has seen.'
This will explain everything Jeff Duff RRH: $49.95
In his tell-all memoir, dedicated to Bowie, Duffo shares his tales of life, love and rock‘n’roll, in what is a rollicking, entertaining read. Duffo recalls all with flair and style.
Award Winning Australian
Writing 2016 Edited by Chloe Brien RRP: $29.95
The Best Winning Writing from Short Story and Poetry Competitions Nationally. A celebration of Australian literature and a meditation on what makes Australian writing unique.
Reflections of Elephants Bobby-Jo Clow RRH: $39.95
A celebration, seen through the lens of acclaimed photographer Bobby-Jo Clow. From the rusty, red plains of Tsavo to the lush, green forests of Northern Thailand, Bobby-Jo has captured every aspect of elephant life, from first step to untimely death.
Melbourne Highlights Kornelia Freeman and Ulo Pukk RRP: $24.95
Tait's Modern Guide to Record Collecting John Tait RRP: $24.95
This book is a back-to-basics guide to record collecting . Its stories, trivia and real examples will be informative for the novice as well as the experienced collector. Happy digging!
See all of our most recent releases and more on our website!
The ninth edition of AWAW continues its commitment to sharing the best short stories and poems that have won competitions around the country. Melbourne Books is committed to representing the talent and efforts of Australian writers, and this anthology reflects the myriad of experiences that have defined the Australian writing scene in the past year. Our annual anthology is a celebration of Australian literature and a meditation on what makes Australian writing unique.
This collection features over fifty writers and awards, including prominent emerging writers such as Wheeler Centre Hot Desk recipient Kerrin O'Sullivan and Emerging Writers Festival 2016 panellist Jessica Yu.
Stay up to date with information about national writing competitions at our Facebook page.
The official launch of Reflection of Elephants. A fantastic night at Gleebooks. A massive thank you to everyone who attended and thank you to Samantha Connelly for capturing these memorable moments.
Read Award Winning Australian Writing 2016's Foreword By AWAW alumnus and head of the Lifted Brow Sam Cooney!
"Here’s a funny (not funny) anecdote for you: I had a piece included in the 2010 edition of Award Winning Australian Writing — a flash fiction piece that sometime in the year previous had won a perfectly obscure online writing prize, a thousand-word spurt of fiction based on a childhood memory of my mother drowning inbred-and-thus-severely-developmentally-and/or-physically-disabled guinea pigs, a piece that was 10 percent memory and 90 percent invented for the purpose of as-they-call-it ‘effect’ (or is it ‘affect’?), a piece that ramped up the gloom and poured on the anguish, and this piece was chosen for publication in AWAW 2010 and I said Yes! and Thanks! to the editor who asked if it could be included, and then I moved overseas for a while, which was always my plan, and had zero to do with AWAW 2010, and sometime while I was overseas a complimentary contributor’s copy or two of AWAW 2010 was mailed to my forwarding address in Australia, a.k.a. my parents’ house, and please know that I had never before told my mum that I still vaguely remembered that she’d once necessarily and courageously drowned a litter of tiny infant guinea pigs, and most definitely I had never told her that I’d exploited this vague memory to win like $25 in an internet writing prize, and oh boy had I never ever even considered mentioning that this piece was being published in a print book, a real-as-you-can-make-it paper-and-ink anthology, and so you can imagine that when she opened this particular parcel — because I had given her permission to open my mail while I was overseas, because she is and always will be my mum — that she was a bit surprised; I mean, can you imagine the thoughts she thought when she saw my name in the contents page (He never told me about this; he never tells me anything) and can you imagine the feelings she possibly felt when she read this story of mine, this story that yes was maybe a bit mine but really wasn’t mine at all? Ugh, I hate even recalling up from deep the memory here for you, it gives me the icks.
My point is: being a writer is wholly about taking what’s in front of you, whether it’s IRL or in your mind, then adding flourishes and deleting some boring bits and twisting a bit here and turning a bit there, then doing whatever it is you can do with that piece — submitting it, publishing it on your blog, etc. — to obtain some of that glory you desire, and maybe a bit of bonus catharsis too. What I mean is: being a writer is doing very silly things, taking unwise risks, in order to be part of something larger, but this in itself is also brave. Maybe not as brave as drowning cute little rodent pets in the just-dawn hours so that hopefully you can protect your kids from trauma, but it’s some kind of bravery nonetheless."
Sam Cooney runs the publishing organisation which produces the literary magazine The Lifted Brow. He is also overseeing its expansion into book publishing. Sam has commissioned and edited work for a variety of other publishing houses and publications, and his own writing has been published in many magazines, journals, and newspapers. He teaches at universities in Melbourne, sits on non-profit arts boards, recently undertook a residency with McSweeney's Publishing in San Francisco, and helps kids make literary magazines at 100 Story Building. He has hosted events and chaired panels at writers’ festivals here and overseas, and has been a judge of the Victorian Premier’s Unpublished Manuscript and also the Non-Fiction Prize awards, and the Lord Mayor’s Narrative Non-Fiction Prize.
To read the rest of Sam Cooney's foreword and a collection of this years unique Award Winning Australian Writingpurchase the anthology now from our website
Have you got an award winning short story or poem you'd like to see published? Submissions are now open for Award Winning Australian Writing 2017.
