Lefa Singleton Norton's Blog

It’s that time of the year again, when comedy takes over our city and my life. My wish-list is long, my spreadsheet is full and my month is looking good.

I’ll be reviewing for The Age again this year, and my annual newsletter The Pun will be sending missives for the next four weeks. If you want to keep up with what is happening at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, including short and sweet reviews, show recommendations and tidbits from around the traps you can sign up here.

This Melbourne Comedy Festival, I’m supplementing my reviews in The Age with a regular newsletter containing reviews, news, opinions and coverage of the festival.

You can sign up for updates here.

We’re just back from another amazing weekend at the Clunes Booktown Festival. Such a fantastic event (completely run by volunteers), that brings together literary arts, book lovers, panels, talks and some great vibes.

My first feature article in The Age has been published – and it made the front cover of M Magazine!

The babysitter has been booked. The group chat has finally settled on a night where everyone is free. Date night is in the calendar.

You’re heading out to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and I’m here to tell you that the only thing better than a night out seeing your favourite comedian is taking a chance on finding a new favourite and getting a one-two punch by catching a comed...

Excited to have this published on ABC Arts today. What a joy to be able to recommend some of the great books released in 2024. My biggest problem was, predictably, whittling it down to this list.

Give the gift of engaging stories, books that will be fun to read with your little ones all year round, and a way to encourage the creativity that comes naturally to kids.

One special request from me… please head to your local bookstore if you’re going to purchase books! Without them our publishi...

Matching this gorgeous Dragon Phoenix Oolong with a re-read of some of the powerful stories from Laura Jean McKay’s short story collection Gunflower. Both are bracing, clear and strong. Perfect together.

Every bibliophile knows the only way to improve a good book is by reading it while drinking a perfectly brewed cup of tea. So I’m super excited to have my own literary blends of tea, with the launch of Story in a Teacup, which blends the magic of literature into every leaf and sip.

Each of our blends is carefully crafted to capture the essence of a literary masterpiece. From bold, adventurous flavors inspired by Hemingway’s works to contemplative notes reminiscent of Jane Austen’s genteel...

I’m reviewing Melbourne International Comedy Festival for The Age again this year. Here’s the round-up of my published pieces:

Anna Piper Scott | None Of That Queer Stuff

Piper Scott treads masterfully into delicate territory to tease out entertaining truths. As she reassesses which labels she’s shedding and which she’s acquiring, sometimes grudgingly thanks to her partners, the trust she builds with her audience means any jibe about a particular sexuality or gender is taken with the affec...

It’s been a week since we were at the Clunes Booktown Festival with mobile bookshop On the Road Books and our soft-launch of my literary tea blends Story in a Teacup.

It was such a busy two days we barely had time to take photographs but here are a few snaps. Thank you to everybody who came by to buy books, taste teas and purchase them to enjoy later.

The crowds at Clunes are always so lovely, it’s great to chat about books (and tea), meet folks we talk with online, get to know other booksellers a...

It was a huge year for our little traveling bookshop! We went from the city streets (Melbourne) to the country (Wye River), attending festivals (Clunes Booktown Festival) and markets (Fitzroy Mills) and delivering books to your doorsteps.

I get so much pleasure from finding new homes for books that I know readers will treasure. It is a practical way to combine my environmental activism with my passion for Australian literature and reading. It’s been lovely to find other people who are as ...