Huge thanks to brave judge, Western Australian author, Susan Midalia and the Fellowship of Australian Writers Western Australia for yet another successful Stuart Hadow Short Story competition. The competition has encouraged Australian writers since 1977 and continues to draw a growing field of entries every year – this year 182. I am the very … Continue reading Stuart Hadow Short Story Competition 2021
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After the storm …
The storm blew in from the Indian Ocean, and gifts from an aquatic underworld have spilled onto the sand. Dragged up by a low weather pattern and high waves, a solitary sea star waits for the next tide. He is alive, and I know that he may be able to survive on this cold … Continue reading After the storm …
Swimming together
I’ve been thinking a lot, these days, about children, and their need for immersion in the natural world. It’s not a new thought-thread, but its gaining momentum. As I spend more time with my family’s small people, I see a chance they’ll grow up distanced from the natural world, well away from the kind of … Continue reading Swimming together
Making sense of it all …
We are living, say both scientific and popular literature, in a new epoch. The “Anthropocene” describes a period of human impact, outside of natural variability, on the Earth’s environment and ecosystems. The term is hotly debated in scientific circles, and not officially recognised in geological terms. However, the idea that we are searching for another … Continue reading Making sense of it all …
So much more
Why are forests the setting of so many of our stories? Forests are shelter. Plant and animal food. Habitats. They hold rivers and lakes and a cool retreat from the sun. But they are so much more. In children’s stories such as Hansel and Gretel, and the woods of Narnia, forests are the place where … Continue reading So much more
Julie Woodland 