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Lightning Flash: OutStanding Queer Australian Writing 2019
That flash of illumination.
When you see the truth of yourself.
And know that life can never be the same again.
In many queer lives there is a single moment of dazzling self-awareness. It might be as a child, as a teenager, even as an adult. It might be as simple as watching Mardi Gras on television and knowing that’s where you belong. Or as profound as realising the feeling you have for another person is love. It might be a brilliant moment or a terrifying one. But what is certain is that after the lightning flash your identity can no longer be imposed by others. It's yours to own and make anew.
The writers in this anthology have interpreted the theme in varied ways. Susi Fox writes about a six-year-old's meeting with her exotic Aunt Bee on Christmas Day; Cameron Bayley uses an imaginary playlist to highlight key “tracks” of a young gay man’s dance of life; Stacey Malacari defies the standard narrative of lesbian hook-up sites; Adrik Kemp speculates on the imperfection of categorisation (even for LGBTIQs with superpowers); Hayley Katzen compares geographical resettlement with the re-identification of sexuality; and Ash Rehn explores the joys (and hidden dangers) of an inter-generational relationship. (As a bonus, John Roberts has donated a story about a gay teenager in the sixties discovering his cousin’s sinful secret.)
But that diversity of approach is unsurprising, given the segmentation of the queer community. One thing that can still bind us together, however, is creative excellence — and the wise, funny, inspirational stories in Lightning Flash have that to spare.
Published by OutStanding Short Story Competition Inc with assistance from The Aurora Group.
When you see the truth of yourself.
And know that life can never be the same again.
In many queer lives there is a single moment of dazzling self-awareness. It might be as a child, as a teenager, even as an adult. It might be as simple as watching Mardi Gras on television and knowing that’s where you belong. Or as profound as realising the feeling you have for another person is love. It might be a brilliant moment or a terrifying one. But what is certain is that after the lightning flash your identity can no longer be imposed by others. It's yours to own and make anew.
The writers in this anthology have interpreted the theme in varied ways. Susi Fox writes about a six-year-old's meeting with her exotic Aunt Bee on Christmas Day; Cameron Bayley uses an imaginary playlist to highlight key “tracks” of a young gay man’s dance of life; Stacey Malacari defies the standard narrative of lesbian hook-up sites; Adrik Kemp speculates on the imperfection of categorisation (even for LGBTIQs with superpowers); Hayley Katzen compares geographical resettlement with the re-identification of sexuality; and Ash Rehn explores the joys (and hidden dangers) of an inter-generational relationship. (As a bonus, John Roberts has donated a story about a gay teenager in the sixties discovering his cousin’s sinful secret.)
But that diversity of approach is unsurprising, given the segmentation of the queer community. One thing that can still bind us together, however, is creative excellence — and the wise, funny, inspirational stories in Lightning Flash have that to spare.
Published by OutStanding Short Story Competition Inc with assistance from The Aurora Group.
69 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 27, 2019
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