Latest Story News: 'An '80s Tenement Love Story' in Bourbon Penn 31

My latest story 'An '80s Tenement Love Story' has just been published in the hallowed pages of Bourbon Penn. This time in edition 31. 

It's only the second time that I've had stories in different editions of the same journal/magazine and it''s a fab feeling. The previous time was in Overland; a journal close to my heart in terms of provoking political discussion and sociocultural debate. 'Reading Coffee' was published in Overland 204 and 'Submerging' in Overland 214, with different fiction editors: Jane Gleeson-White for 204 and Jennifer Mills for 214. 'Reading Coffee' went on to be short listed for an Aurealis Award, and also reprinted in The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror Vol. 2 and 'Submerging' was reprinted in The Best Australian Stories 2014. And the two stories have been very giving ever since with ongoing anthology homes, both in the the US and Australia. 

 

'Anthropophages Anonymous (AA)', my previous Bourbon Penn story in edition 25 was in Ellen Datlow's Recommended Reading List for the year, and also earned a mention in her introductory essay for her Best Horror of the Year Vol. 14. Ellen Datlow has an eclectic sense of the genre, which I think helps educate many beyond the misconceived notion that horror stories have to reflect either slasher films or gothic ghost hauntings.  

For those interested in 'An '80s Tenement Love Story',  it's another longish story at a little over 6000 words. And although Bourbon Penn is a US publication, the story itself is set in Perth, and there's also a small part set in the rural town of Northam.

Naturally, This is a work of fiction and all characters portrayed in the story are fictitious... but I'll have to divulge that I've broken the rule here: the dog in the story is based somewhat on a friend's canine, Jen Jansen's. So if you know or see Jen at all, a wonderful English teacher, who is often accompanied by her dog on her Swan River promenades, get Sandy to sign a copy by paw, claw or maw.

The editor of Bourbon Penn, Erik Secker, always provides innovative cover art and this time around the work is called 'On Va Fluncher' by arnus. 

I'd additionally like to shout out a big congrats to the fellow contributing writers: Naomi J. Williams, author of the acclaimed novel Landfalls, whose short stories have appeared in numerous luminous 'literary' homes, including Zoetrope, A Public Space, One Story, Ninth Letter, and The Southern Review. Williams is Pushcart Prize nominee five times and also once a winner. E. Catherine Tobler, whose work has appeared in exceptional speculative fiction homes such as Clarkesworld, F&SF, Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Apex Magazine. Tobler has also been a finalist for the Nebula and Sturgeon awards, and currently edits The Deadlands. Alexia Antoniou (συγχαρητήρια) is a newcomer.  It's always refreshing to read a writer's debut story, so kudos to Erik Secker on unearthing a new talent. Let's hope Antoniou has plenty more stories to come. Apparently Antoniou is also in member of the folk duo 'Gawain and the Green Knight'. Corey Farrenkopf, whose story homes include Three-Lobed Burning Eye, Smokelong Quarterly, The Southwest Review and, most importantly, in a previous edition of Bourbon Penn (BP 22). Nico Montoya, who lives in Northeast Minneapolis, also has speculative stories appearing in a variety of homes. And Shane Inman has had a story in The Forge and a number of other places. 

Anyone who knows me, knows the thrill I get in seeing writers who I have been anthology or journal mates with before, and this time around it's a privilege to have another story alongside E. Catherine Tobler. We miraculously shared story homes in Bourbon Penn 25. It's wonderful to touch base again. 

Although an American publication, those good people at Planet Books in Perth (getting parochial now), stocked and sold out of Bourbon Penn 25, and guess what?.... Suppose it's a rhetorical question, but Bourbon Penn 31 willl also be on the shelves at both their Northbridge and Mt Lawley bookstores soon.

Bourbon Penn is my favourite place for stories at present. But don't just listen to me, Jeffrey Ford stated that it's: 'One of my all time favourite magazines.' It's hard to find a better recommendation than that from the author of The Shadow Year. 

The book details on Goodreads relate to Bourbon Penn's quality: "Stories from Bourbon Penn are regularly selected for Year’s Best anthologies and have been reprinted in Stoker Award, Shirley Jackson Award, and New York Times Notable collections."

Currently Reading: 

A collection by a veritable master of the narrative craft, Joyce Carol Oates, called Give Me Your Heart.  As you might well imagine Give Me Your Heart is replete with wicked tales of dark intrigue, suspense and mystery.

 

And Constantinople: The Last Great Siege 1453 by Richard Crowley is one for the history enthusiasts. It also brings back memories of reading Steven Runciman's elegant history The Fall of Constantinople 1453. I'm a keen reader of both Byzantine and Ottoman history and 1453 really is the terminal point of the Byzantine era, along with the Ottoman Empire clearly cementing itself as the European superpower of the time. 

A Rare Sporting Interlude:

2023 AFL:  My footy team, The West Coast Eagles, received the wooden spoon this year. Yazz sings it all: 

We've been broken down

 To the lowest turn 

Bein' on the bottom line 

Sure ain't no fun

....Hold on, hold on, hold on, 

oooh, ooh, ahh. 

The only way is up, now, baby...' 

Three true champions of the era were farewelled: Norm Smith medalist and twice fairest and best, captain Luke Shuey, was a player which every forward would want to have the ball in his hands. Boots was an excitement machine, who weaved and raced through midfield packs and never surrendered. Ironically, although a grand final hero and a super finals-player in general, he was never rewarded an All-Australian guernsey, and he deserved more than a few. One of my earliest memories of Boots was at a live game at Subi Oval with my dad. Although midfielders are often judged by their possession tally, Shuey sprinted over 100 meters from the play to mark a player, who was three kicks away, which really was emblematic of his team-first mentality. 

Shannon Hurn, the premiership captain, and one of the most lethal kicks in AFL history –and the other Eagle player who you wanted to have the ball in his hands– farewelled the side as twice All-Australian (and he was worthy of plenty more). Bunga also ended his career as the Eagles games record holder at a colossal 333 games. 

And Nic Naitanui, whose physical presence around the ball was the fiercest I've seen. Although as ferocious as a Cape buffalo bull in ruck contests, his gentle hands were softer than eiderdown, allowing  for wizard-like hitouts. Nic Nat retired with three All Australian guernseys,  two best and fairests, and a mark of the year. 

A huge thanks to all three for an abundance of highlight reels. Along with last year's retiree,  Josh Kennedy, and current defender, Jeremy McGovern, they were really the best Eagles players of the modern era. Hopefully, Oscar Allen and Liam 'Flying' Ryan will continue to create mercurial moments for the next generation of players and fans. 

Cricket: The Ashes Test Series was cricket at its entertaining best. Whether you appreciate Bazball or not, the English strategy brought out some exquisite batting and bowling from both teams. Mitch Marsh's century in the Ashes, after being twelfth man for an eternity, was the stuff of myth. Let's hope his limited over form continues to reap dividends too. Speaking of limited overs, I'd love Stoinis a little higher in the batting order.  

And elsewhere, the aging Indian stroke player, Virat Kohli, is still majestic to watch, and Rohit Sharma in the limited overs form seems able to hit boundaries off any ball.  

Soccer: The Matildas getting through to the semi-finals in The Women's World Cup was an epic moment, enrapturing the nation. 

And I know this sounds like a terrible betrayal, deserving of walk-the-plank punitive measures, but I've jumped ship in the Premier League from Manchester United to follow Tottenham Hotspur (COYS!), and it's solely because of 'Big' Ange Postecoglou. I've tracked his career since his playing days at South Melbourne, and then his coaching career in Australia, Japan, Scotland and now the biggest league in the world. What a legend! But don't condemn me until you condemn Robbie Williams:

 

And in the Natural World:

In the Dryandra Woodland and Perup Nature Reserve, numbats are clinging to survival. The Perth Zoo is doing a fabulous job in breeding this striking marsupial, and The Numbat Task Force, in turn, are performing marvels by both raising awareness and by aiding in conservation measures. Check the group out on their Facebook page. Whether we like it or not, we are custodians of the natural world, and this gang are doing all they can to ensure that Australia's egregiously criminal extinction record won't include the numbat. 

 

Books Read in 2022

Hag-Seed Margaret Atwood

On Chesil Beach Ian McEwan (novella)

Come Rain or Come Shine Kazuo Ishiguro (novella)

The Last Byzantine Renaissance Steven Runciman (history)

Cleopatra Michael Grant (history)

Train Dreams Denis Johnson (novella)

Barracuda Christos Tsiolkas

The Subtle Knife Philip Pullman

Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds Stephen Kinzer (expository)

Bourbon Penn 25 (collection/lit mag)  Ed. Erik Secker

The Book of Dave Will Self

Folktales of Greece Ed. Georgios A. Megas

The Sisters Brothers Patrick deWitt

Dreamside Graham Joyce

Nothing Holds Back the Night Delphine de Vigan (memoir)

The Love of a Bad Man Laura Elizabeth Woollett (collection)

The Lies of Locke Lamora Scott Lynch

Mother Tongue Bill Bryson (expository)

How to Be an Author Georgia Richter & Deborah Hunn (expository)

Mythic Resonance Ed. Stephen Thompson (anthology)

Prosper’s Demon K.J. Parker (novella)

Island 139 Ed. Matthew Lamb (lit. journal)

Fly Away Kathleen Jennings

Black Dogs Ian McEwan

Rubik Elizabeth Tan

The Eternal Machine Carol Ryles

The Hill of Dreams Arthur Machen

To Paradise Hanya Yanigahara

Griffith Review 68 Getting On Ed. Ashley Hay (lit journal)

A Room Made of Leaves Kate Grenville                                                           

                CONGRATS TO SOME KNOWN PERTH LOCALS

I'll open with a warm congrats to a few Perthites first. 

Carol Ryles has worked a long time on her steampunk novel The Eternal Machine, so it is  heartwarming to see it published. The first fifty pages are absolutely impossible to put down. It's also a novel for readers who desire more from their magic than simply 'it exists'.  The Eternal Machine has a rare and unique scientific sense of why and how magic works. Ryles has put a lot of real thought into an authentic and innovative steampunk world. 

Deborah Hunn was a lecturer of mine, whose classes I loved, so it was also a thrill to read her work How to be an Author, which was written in collaboration with Georgia Richter. 

And I had the good fortune of studying with the talented Elizabeth Tan, and finally read the inventive Rubrik, whose emotional launch I attended a few years ago. 

And moving out of WA, I previously met Kathleen Jennings in Sydney in 2012 at the Aurealis Awards for 2011. We have shared a couple of anthology homes together, and we've also shared another four Yearly Recommended Reading lists in the back of Year's Best anthologies. Jennings is a wonderful artist, and she designed a beautiful cover for the Aurealis Award winning anthology Bloodlines (Ed. Amanda Pillar), in which we were also both story compadres. Fly Away is a unique rural Australian dark fantasy with distinct horrific elements. 

And last, but not least, I read Mythic Resonance because Sue Bursztynski has a retelling of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarves' within. Sue had my second story published, which happened to also be the second story I'd written, so I tracked this anthology down. And by chance, Alan Baxter has a story in it too. Bursztynski's story has the dwarves of the LOTR type, which is how I love my Khazad. 

THE SHORT FORM

In the short form, I only read eighty-nine stories, which is a far cry from my norm. I enjoyed a few stories from Mythic Resonance (Vicky Daddo's was my pick of the bunch, followed by Alan Baxter, Sue Bursztynski, and Jen White's stories). And although more for horror fans, Laura Elizabeth Woolett's dark collection The Love of a Bad Man was of a consistently good quality with strong entry and exit points. Think devotees to quality horror may unearth a real find here. All the narratives are written in first person present, and, as they're from the lenses of actual historical figures, it's a harrowing and nightmarish read. But I guess that's Woolett's intention. 

Due to my limited reading, I'll just mention ten Greek folktales as standouts rather than my usual list of twenty five or so stories. All are from George Megas' collection. As stated last year, please keep the context of production in mind if you do track these folktales down: 

‘Master Semolina’ 

‘The Turtle and the Chickpea’ 

‘The Seven Ravens’ 

‘The King’s Godson and the Baldchin’ 

‘The Navel of the Earth’ 

‘Cinderello’

‘The Two Neighbours’ 

‘What is the Fastest Thing in the World’ 

‘Princess Plumpkin (Pachoulenia)’ 

‘The King and the Basket Weaver’ 

STANDOUT NOVELS AND NOVELLAS

NOVELS

I'm limiting the brief commentary to three from each form. As usual, I could mention many more, but I like to keep my posts a little briefer. 

Hagseed by Margaret Atwood

This was the fourth novel in Hogarth's Shakespeare Initiative. Atwood has some riotous fun here, utilising caricatures for extra hilarity. The protagonist, our modern day Prospero, is the aging theatre director Felix, who although seriously flawed, we are positioned to barrack for. Felix, whose inflated air of self-importance would fuel a battalion of hot air balloons, is putting on The Tempest; partly to resurrect the memory of his own deceased daughter Miranda, who tragically passed away at only three years of age. Yet Felix with his over-the-top character reinterpretations, which include a transvestite on stilts and paraplegics on skateboards, is undone and sabotaged by Tony. Felix is fired, and flees to a hovel on the outskirts where he broods for many years in isolated squalor. 

Eventually, Felix is drawn back into the real world by taking on an educational drama programme for the incarcerated. Felix, under cover, plans his revenge with the old play within a play routine. The retelling, acted out by a colourful array of inmates, while comedic, also explores various interpretations and perspectives of The Tempest. On the more magical-realist side, Miranda's ghostly presence both haunts and guides Felix at times. 

This was my favourite read of 2023. My bookclub also loved Hag-Seed. It is a rambunctious playful read in the same cheeky style as Atwood's collection The Stone Mattress. I have been strongly drawn to books over recent years which utilise meta-elements in their narratives, and Hag-Seed falls into this category. It's an intelligent, hopeful and refreshingly fun novel. Rather than targeting the macabre, Hag-Seed is intended for readers who are after a light hearted, but still intelligent and meaningful work. Whereby Fowles looked at the dark side of The Tempest in his revered The Collector, Atwood's novel reflects the more comedic elements of the play, which is a brave move as so many readers expect these rewrites to be deep and dark and flooded with gravitas. Yet, when the original play was produced it was marketed as a comedy or tragi-comedy, and as such, Atwood has done the original play more than justice. It's a delight! 

Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas

I have a confession to make, I really like Christos Tsiolkas: his interviews, his commentary, his articles, his work in Overland, but prior to Barracuda, I had not yet finished a novel of his. I often felt like the shock or the attempted-shock after shock after shock after shock lost its effect on me.

 Tsiolkas was a leading author in the innovative era of Australian 'grunge fiction'.  I found, however, little to connect with in his other works, and I certainly didn't see too many of those enjoyable moments of characters connecting. For me, these connections and times of light allow dark fiction to resonate more so, but Tsiolkas' lights in my previous reading seemed pretty dim, or at least in the parts I got through.

But Barracuda, although still imbued with the grunge elements of his other work, feels far more human, and there are moments of light, although not huge rays, throughout. This lengthy work is a winner. It captures the polarised class elements that exist within Australia: Tsiolkas explores self-loathing; notions of success and failure; and the loss of self with the search (and often failure) to realise one's place and identity not only within Australia but also within a broader global context. I also love Tsiolkas's inclusivity in terms of his repertoire of characters. In a sensitive writing and reading world, although Greek Australian, Tsiolkas is not fearful of portraying a broad array of characters, including a Turkish mother, another character of mixed Greek and Chinese background, a Hungarian swimming coach, both the privileged and the unprivileged, the upwardly mobile and the stuck, along with a broad spectrum of gay identities. The novel is insightful and gutsy and culturally very apt for the times. 

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

The sequel to The Golden Compass, although not quite matching the stratospheric qualities of the first, is still a delightful piece of world building and storytelling. 

NOVELLAS

The novella has become my favourite form along with novelettes and long short stories.  

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

Once again, McEwan captures the times so well, and he also explores, in his typical manner, the grey areas of morality, or as I like to term it, 'McEwan's moral dilemma'. The structure is especially clever as the ending condenses time and breaks completely from the slowing down of a moment in the rest of the narrative. Another of his finest works. 

Come Rain or Come Shine by Kazuo Ishiguro

Humorous, clever and subversive.

Train Dreams by Denis Johnson

Shades of Steinbeck, but with overt dreamlike elements. Unique and experimental, Train Dreams was short listed for the Pulitzer that was never awarded, and like Karen Russell's Swamplandia, it was worthy of the listing and more...

HISTORY & EXPOSITORY

The Last Byzantine Renaissance by Steven Runciman

One for history buffs alone. Runciman explores a late flourishing of thought in a dwindling kingdom. While their empire diminished rapidly around them, Byzantine scholars managed to keep alive classical philosophy,  scientific and mathematical inquiry, while also separating the spiritual side from the scientific. Not the easiest of Runciman's works but one of his most intriguing. 

Cleopatra by Michael Grant 

An enlightening read for those who want to truly understand the skills and diplomacy and navigation that Cleopatra used to strive to keep the Hellenistic kingdom of Egypt alive. 

Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds by Stephen Kinzer 

My uncle told me that this is the best work on modern Turkey, and I happened to read it twenty one years later... It's fascinating to read the book and see where Turkey was and where it is today. For instance, at the time, the once mayor (and now president) Erdogan, did time in jail and became a mocked figure for being an Islamic extremist. Ironically, in the preceding generations, Islamic extremists were kept at bay by the army. My how things have changed... Kinzer's fears have been realised, and his hopes that he had: alliances with Greece with the earthquake aid (when the Turkish army failed to prove effective when the nation needed them most);  potentially a nation that celebrates progressive elements and thinkers; and a member of a relatively modern part of the world rather than kowtowing to religion like many of its southern and eastern neighbours. Well, the hopefulness that Kinzer expresses here tragically hasn't eventuated. 

Kinzer furthered my understanding of Turkey so much, especially regarding his insight into the Kurds; but also topics like the the Korean veterans; journalists and writers and thinkers and how they are curtailed; the degree to which the former pro-Kemalist military prevented an over zealous religiosity in the country. 

However, Kinzer's insight into Cyprus is a lopsided Turkish perspective. For many years, Cypriot Greeks had been calling for  Enosis (unification) with the 'Fatherland'. As far back as 1950 only 4% of Greek Cypriots voted against unification with Greece (with a voting turn out of 90%).  Kinzer fails to acknowledge that the notion of enosis was long on the cards for the Cypriot Greeks, and he also fails to acknowledge or recognise or even vaguely understand the cultural history of the Cypriot Greek people. It's as if he's unaware that the national anthem of Cyprus is the same as that of Greece. 

Regardless of his warped view of Cyprus,  Crescent and Star is a beautiful work with a cutting and personal and confronting interrogation of modern day Turkey. Well, the Turkey of twenty years ago. Reading it now does not make it worse, in fact the parallels and downslide of Turkey become all the more apparent from understanding its recent past. 

Happy 2023 

Nice to see the world so connected again with high vaccination rates and a less virulent COVID strain. There is still some work to do ensuring all parts of the world have the opportunity to vaccinate. 

Like always, I hope we look after our wildlife, environment, and rich natural heritage, along with each other. 

Wishing you all a meaningful year. 

"Anthropophages Anonymous (AA)" from Bourbon Penn 25 on Ellen Datlow's "Recommendations for Best Horror #14 Long List"; and Bourbon Penn praised in Datlow's Opening Essay/Review

It's nice to have "Anthropophages Anonymous (AA)" from Bourbon Penn 25 on this renown and respected annual list from Ellen Datlow.

Ellen Datlow is arguably the world's leading editor of dark fiction in the short form, and her yearly Recommendation Lists, although long, are one of the best ways of promoting the genre to readers. 

This year's list (Recommendations for Best Horror #14 Long List) includes a few of my favourite short story writers with Joyce Carol Oates, Joe R. Lansdale, John Langan, and also includes Jeffrey Ford, who wrote one of my favourite novels, The Shadow Year. 

And others on the list that I have shared anthology homes with include the Antpiodean clan: Kaaron Warren (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror Vol. 2 & Vol.6), Lisa L. Hannett  (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror Vol. 2 & Vol.6), Alan Baxter ((The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror Vol.6, Dreaming of Djinn, & Bloodlines), Lee Murray (At the Edge); and the Americans Seanan McGuire (Bloodlines) and Louis Evans (Bourbon Penn 25 & Spawn of War and Deathiness).

And congrats to another Aussie, Ben Peek, who I met in Sydney at The Aurealis Awards. 

And although my lungs may burst, I'll make a trans-hemispehric shout-out to Erik Secker, the editor of Bourbon Penn, along with the other Bourbon Penn 25 writers listed. There are actually three from only six stories in Bourbon Penn 25 on Ellen's list of recommendations; the two other works being Simon Stranzas' 'That House' and Louis Evans' 'Lazaret'.  

And a heartfelt congrats to Simon Stranzas, Kaaron Waaren and Lee Murray who have made the eclectic and much shorter final ToC. 

Opening Essay/ Review of Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the Year Volume 14

And a friend just sent me a pic of the opening essay in Datlow's Best, which is now on my reading shelf. I am thrilled to see the Bourbon Penn and Erik Secker deservedly highlighted in Datlow's Year's Best:

Bourbon Penn edited by Erik Secker is one of the best, regularly published small press magazines, mixing horror, sf, and weird fiction. It's supported by a Patreon and is well worth the investment. The best horror stories in the three 2021 issues are by Simon Stranzas, Louis Evans, Hamdy Elgammal, Willian Jablonsky, A.C. Wise, Charles Wilkinson, Chelsea Sutton and Anthony Panegyres. The Wise is reprinted herein. 

Books Read and Stories Published in 2021 and a Dash of Mad Opining

 Books Read 2021

 

The Winter of Our Discontent John Steinbeck                                          

The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck                                                             

Sula Toni Morrison (novella)                                                                         

The Outsider Albert Camus (novella)                                                            

The Wisdom of Crowds Joe Abercrombie                                                 

Bourbon Penn 24 Ed. Erik Secker (lit mag/anthology)                                             

Heroes Stephen Fry (mythology/collection)                                                  

The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison (novella)                                                   

The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Conetmporary Short Stories Ed. Daniel Halpern (anthology)                                                                                    

The Limits of Enchantment Graham Joyce                                                     

The Toddler Brain: Nurture the Skills Today that Will Shape Your Child’s Tomorrow  Laura A. Jana (expository)                                                                              

The Cockroach Ian McEwan (novella)                                                          

Crome Yellow Aldous Huxley (novella)                                                        

The Girl With No Hands and other tales Angela Slatter (collection).       

Warriors 1 Ed. George R.R Martin & Gardner Dozois (anthology)              

The Devil You Know K.J. Parker (novella)                                                     

Hamnet Maggie O’ Farrell                                                                             

The Mystery Knight George R.R Martin (novella)                                    

The Hound of the Baskervilles Arthur Conan Doyle                                      

The Twilight Pariah Jeffrey Ford (novella)                                                   

David Balfour Robert Louis Stevenson                                                    

Spawn of War and Deathiness Ed. Tom Easton (anthology)                         

The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil George Saunders (novella).           

The Falling Woman Pat Murphy                                                               

What the Family Needed Steven Amsterdam                                                 

The Writing Book Kate Grenville (expository)                                              

Kidnapped Robert Louis Stevenson                                                               

Asimov’s (March/April 2018) Ed. Sheila Williams (mag/journal)                

Kassandra and the Wolf Margarita Karapanou (novella)                              

Bury Me in the Rainbow Bill Johnson (novella in Asimov’s March/April 2018) 

Fox 8 George Saunders (chapbook)                                           

Prince Otto: A Romance Robert Louis Stevenson                                         

The Black Arrow Robert Louis Stevenson                                                     

Monkey Grip Helen Garner    

 

Four Highlight Reads

 

Keeping my commentary to four highlight reads (although there were plenty more that I loved). And this time, for a change, they’re all classics, so I’ll be brief. 

 

Although neither compared to East of Eden, Steinbeck’s The Winter of Our Discontent and The Grapes of Wrath were the two clear standout novels. 

 

The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck

 

Similar to East of Eden, The Winter of Our Discontent has quite a bit of humour. It does, however, differ in terms of scope and magnitude, and is a far smaller story, albeit equally sinister in parts. The protagonist, Ethan Hawley, is intelligent, witty and chatty, and the reader is immediately drawn into his world. Ethan is from old-world money and of a privileged aristocratic status, but now essentially works as a grocery clerk in a store he once owned. Although initially content, this warm family man is tempted to be more, both in terms of wealth and status, and he is also tempted in terms of fidelity.  Without giving too much away, Ethan passes some of these ‘temptations’ and succumbs to others. Steinbeck cleverly creates a dichotomy of a likable character who ultimately performs some morally vulgar self-centred acts. Steinbeck does not necessarily privilege Ethan’s actions or thoughts, but asks the reader to evaluate. Rather than the larger events that Steinbeck’s epics East of Eden and The Grapes of Wrath explore, this smaller story is as equally meaningful, acting as an excellent critique of the trappings of US style capitalism and class, which in many ways is as relevant today as it was at the time of publication. As always, Steinbeck’s work is brave, but also very human. 

 

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

 

There’s enough commentary out there on this without me adding anything to the oceanic pool. I will say that while brilliant, it lacks the bravado and humour of East of Eden. This grave story of the Oakies’ migration west is important, especially as it such a significant part of the USA’s history. Steinbeck gives the theme justice with a defiant work in both a cultural and political sense.

 

 

Sula by Toni Morrison

 

While not The Song of Solomon, this is still a delightful little magical realist novella. Sula exhibits a beautiful voice throughout, capturing the time and place as only Morrison is able to. 

 

I had to laugh, when Morrison mentions “ the bull-necked Greeks and Italians” and then on the final page it’s the Greeks alone with the same phrase (‘the bull-necked Greeks’). I’m probably one of those ‘bull-necked Greek types’, and growing up, there seemed to be so many relatives and family friends just like that…

The Oustider by Albert Camus (also called The Stranger)

 

As with The Grapes of Wrath, my thoughts won’t add anything to what has already been discussed by a myriad of others. On the surface, this is a quick and easy read, but the morally grey areas will provide readers with some powerful reflection. 

 

Publications

 

New story: “Anthropophages Anonymous (AA)” in Bourbon Penn 25 

 

This is a delightful home for a story. Bourbon Penn privileges a variety of styles rather than the sardine can formulaic story. Bourbon Penn contains my favourite type of writing:  innovative, slightly unconventional, brave but readable, and it almost always strikes that delightful spot where the ‘lit’ and ‘genre’ boundaries blur. 

 

I found all six stories in BP 25 strong, and most superb. 

 

An early review is already out at SFRevu. I've decided to copy the part that mentions my story (mild spoiler alert) as I've realised with 'Reading Coffee' and other stories that web reviews can vanish into the ephemeral Etheretherlands: 

"The first story is "Anthrophages Anonymous (AA) by Anthony Panegyres.

James Davis has become Holy James to intelligent bears and has weaned them away from eating humans. Ted is a bear with a little more intelligence and loves his wife, Liz. But Holy James is far from divine.

A great little story."

  

I'm not on the Twitter-sphere, but a friend sent me pics of two tweets, one regarding the journal with Jeffrey Ford stating Bourbon Penn is 'One of my all time favourite magazines', which gave me tingles as Jeffrey Ford's The Shadow Year is one of my all time favourite novels. 

And Emma Culla, who contributed a poetic, colourful and structurally innovative story to Bourbon Penn 24 ('Red Diamond, Black Diamond, Golden Hexagon') wrote about my own story: 'I loved the AA story in this issue (AA as in bears who've stopped eating people and can speak, some of them very eloquently). What a ride!' There are few things more invigorating than a fellow writer enthusing about your own work. 

Although an American publication and easily ordered online through a host of channels, Bourbon Penn 25 is available at Planet Books here in Perth, both in Northbridge and in Mt Lawley. So if you're a Perthite, head on down. 

Reprint: “Reading Coffee” an Aurealis Award finalist story originally published in Overland Literary Journal 204, and then reprinted in Liz Grzyb & Talie Helene’s The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2011, found its third home a decade on in a colourful anthology of reprint stories called Spawn of War and Deathiness Ed. Tom Easton. 

 

I wanted to highlight three standout stories: ‘Wallflower’ by Tom Easton, ‘The Sidewalk’ by James Dorr, and ‘Daddy’s Girl’ by Jennifer R. Donohue. Other stories that I found especially entertaining were ‘Power of Attorney’ by Louis Evans, ‘Starship Scion’ by David F. Schultz, ‘The Schrodinger Child’ by Dwayne Minton, ‘The Inn of the Dove’ by Gordon Linzner, and ‘The Last Death’ by Sarah Seddon. But there is something here for everyone, a mixture of light and dark and all the greys in-between. 

Concerns and a Happy 2022

Opining Away on Opening Up 

We are opening here in Perth. I do feel for families who haven’t seen loved ones (and perhaps some work can be done on that front), but I don’t think that opening up is the solution, so I hope, perhaps vainly, that Premier Mark McGowan changes his mind. Healthy people make for a healthy economy, and, as we have seen, we are leading the nation in terms of employment, economic growth, health, liberties, and lifestyle. Ironically, 'opening up'will most likely mean closing more often; it will also place unnecessary pressure on hospitals and businesses. I would like to think that we've learned from the train wreck over East. NSW have just banned dancing at bars and clubs, hospitals are under immense pressure, more elective surgeries are on hold, plus, most tragically, deaths are on the rise. We will have to open up eventually, but with some patience we can see what the 'let rip' or the euphemistically labelled 'push through' policy brings over East. At present it doesn't look great. Who knows what, with a little patience, a couple of months of observation will bring? Albert Bourla is already discussing an omicron-specific vaccine for potential release in March. By waiting, we could also make a decision based on how the Australian COVID-19 modelling (although already flawed) works in practice –– especially regarding the alleged peaking.

 

At the moment, here in Perth, we have one of the best lifestyles in the world. But our wily Premier may yet have a few more cards to play in keeping the population safe. 

Vaccines and Global Inequality

The data out there is evident that vaccinations significantly help reduce symptoms. I am not claiming that vaccinations will solve the COVID -19 crisis, but they are currently an integral step in protecting lives where COVID-19 is prevalent. Having said that, the arena seems to be forever changing, and so too will vaccines and anti-viral treatments. But the tragedy is that some nations have incredibly low vaccination rates. I heard a programme on Radio National highlighting horrific issues in Papua New Guinea.Cultural and economic reasons mean that they, and many other countries, especially with low GDPs, have extremely low rates of vaccination (and they are often 'gifted' vaccines that have a lower efficacy rate). It may be idealistic, but I'd love it if we globally united to deliver to nations like Papua New Guinea. 

Happy 2022

 

On the brighter side, I hope you read a few books, take care of your loved ones and friends, along with our precious environment. It’s wishful thinking, but in a political sense wouldn't it be great if the era of the demagogue was over? The polarisation fuelled by fringe extremists on both sides is ugly. 

 

As always, I wish all a healthy, happy, but also meaningful, year.