Southerly: Writing Disability

by David Brooks (Editor), Elizabeth McMahon (Editor), Andy Jackson (Guest Co-editor)

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

David Brooks has published several collections of poetry, short fiction and essays, and four novels, The House of Balthus (1995), The Fern Tattoo (2007), The Umbrella Club (2009) and The Conversation (2012). His work has been highly acclaimed, widely translated and anthologised, and shortlisted for the Miles Franklin, New South Wales Premier’s, Adelaide Festival and many other awards. In 2011 he published The Sons of Clovis: Ern Malley, Adoré Floupette, and a secret history of Australian poetry. He teaches Australian literature at the University of Sydney, is co-editor of the journal Southerly, lives in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, and spends a small part of each year in a village on the sea coast of Slovenia.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name.

Reviews

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is absolutely fabulous. I enjoyed all the entries, which is unusual for an anthology for me- generally, I enjoy one or two entries, and don't connect with the rest. This was a very different experience for me, and multiple times I felt as if an author had ripped the words right out of my own mouth/brain. Seriously, if you want to try to understand how disability affects people, have disabled friends or family members, or have a disability yourself, this volume will speak to you directly. As a person with multiple co-morbidities and an overarching condition causing my disability, I felt a kinship with several authors, especially those dealing with pain and deafness. This collection is incredibly nuanced and varied, encompassing literary essays, creative fiction writing, memoir and poetry.

[John]

very good collection of essays , short stories and poetry. I did not realise that Henry Lawson was hard of hearing, and that Hungerford is still good in snipttes. wanna re read that one from the horses mouth, again.