Updates

Writers don’t get much positive feedback. But I was thrilled to be told that my article about Ransome where I lived published in the Brisbane Times had been a big hit. The first...

I’m inclined to putting my foot in my mouth!

When I was Dean of Music at the Victorian College of the Arts there were three visitors from The Royal Northern College of Music. I...

Talking of opera, I enjoyed chatting to Camilo Lopez one of the founding directors of the boutique opera company Voxalis when I was commissioned to write an article about this...

Collaborations between symphony orchestras and rock stars are often not a partnership, because the orchestra is reduced to a supplicant contributing a string surge here or a...

I reviewed Toni Morgan’s Tenderfoot for the magazine The Pineapple. I loved the book. Greyhounds are featured.

I can be squeamish – an understatement – about exploitation of...

When: Sunday, 1 March 4pm

Where: Classic Southside, the jazz club situated on Level 1 of the Classic Cinema in Elsternwick

Book tickets for Dr Donna Coleman, annual Sadie Hawkins...

Check out this new collaborative single by Pauline Maudy and Paddy McHugh - You’re the One. Out on Valentine’s Day through Troubadour Presents, You’re the One is a celebration...

Hawkeye Publishing, a trade publisher based in Queensland, is adventurous about the books it selects for publication. You can check out the range here.

Unlike the big five...

Photo credits: Daniel Boud

Cats can get bad press because of their unfortunate tendency to prey on indigenous birds and animals. Nevertheless, they are interwoven into human...

Performers and Composers have different perspectives on writing pieces designated for various solo instruments. While the composer maybe thinking of the structure or the...

I am chuffed to announce that Big Music received an Independent Press Award as a Distinguished Favourite 2026.

2026 is the Year of the Horse. This year, a revised edition of ...

On the music front I’m looking forward to Camerata’s Classic Alchemy (pictured above) on the 20 and 21 February at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Sting’s musical The...

There’s much debate these days about how best to get a book out in the world. There are those that prefer traditional publishing and others who advocate for self-publishing. I...

Before Christmas I reviewed Greg Bourke’s Under Silkwood for The Pineapple. Yes that’s right, the title is a nod to Dylan Thomas’ Under Milkwood. It escapes categorisation but I...

I’m not a great fan of the crime genre. But I did enjoy The Judas Window by Carter Dickson which is of the ‘locked-room murder’ varieties. In fact the author excelled at this...

Call me perverse if you like but I’m sometimes reluctant to read Booker Prize Winners. I do but, I’m not inclined to rush to do so. This is no reflection on the qualities of the...

I’m still reeling from Christmas and entertaining many family members and grandchildren but now I’m in an introverted space perfect for reading and books are very much on my...

I reviewed Carmel Bird's latest novel which is set in the Sun King's era. Very detailed and well researched with exquisite writing.

Patrick White Literary Award winner Carmel...

I interviewed Greg Bourke about his recently released novel Under Silkwood. There's also a film here from his first launch in Silkwood.

Where did the inspiration come for Under...

I've written a piece about Musica Viva's 2026 Season. It's an imaginative offering of concerts which will appeal to a broad range of audience old and young with all kinds of...