Category: Personal
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The Last Line (Beth McMullen : Obstinate Little Tart)
“Excuse me.” I look up. I’m zero words into a five hundred word short story, so any interruption is perfectly welcome. “Do you know you look like David Marr?” I’m laughing now. At the woman waving her debit card. She was about to buy a coffee and has mistaken me. For David. Not David my […]
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Scissors Paper Nuke
“Scissors Paper Rock.” “Scissors Paper Rock.” “Scissors Paper Rock.” Three boys playing the game of ancient ages rouse me from my rail induced reverie. Obviously brothers. The youngest is short, brown hair and eyes that observe more than he sees. The middle is blonde, curly-haired. His blue eyes dance with laughter at any excuse. The […]
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Why Adults Should Read to Their Children (Upside Down)
Steps for reading to children: Place book on your lap facing child. Read book while tracing out each word. Which of course means the child learns to read for him or herself. Which leads them on the first steps towards an education. The disadvantage is that the adult has to learn to read upside down.
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Writing Lessons
Last week I learnt a few things about writing. Novel I’m probably tired of talking about the novel. It’s set in the present but with a backstory from the past. My major problem is that the backstory is quite intrusive, so intrusive in fact that it cannot be told in flashbacks without spoiling the present […]
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The Last Melbourne Cup
Apparently Melbourne Cup 2018 is being soaked by heavy rains. Melbourne Cup 2017 for me was tear-soaked. That day, I was working at Westmead Childrens’ Hospital. I had bought my cup of coffee and walking back to my office when I noticed something odd. Police vehicles were pulling up at the entrance. Ambulance sirens and […]
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Three Coincidences Too Many
Buying my own stationery was the first of three Ill-fated training coincidences…
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The Feminist Card
“You know me… I either bring the best out of people or the worst…” A mere musing to myself. But a few weeks later, the remark returned to me. Adversely. Not only that but he played the feminist card. On me… This person had hurriedly and thoughtlessly implemented a change that had adversely affected many […]
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Bring Him Home
Do you remember the first time you heard a song? The song that each and every time afterwards… The question…and my answer… That night I had the TV all to myself. The children were asleep. She was asleep. I wasn’t going to disturb her that night. Just dust out on the couch till morning. I […]
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Candy Royalle
I saw Candy Royalle perform four times. The first was at the Friend in Hand in Glebe where she was co hosting an open mic night. She performed this amazing poem that together pinned me to the wall with its passion and left me short of breath with longing. http://CandyRoyalle.com Then I saw her at WestWords […]
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On His Poetry
I still don’t know how the poet began. I do know I loved songs as a child. I still can remember the church hymns from even before I went to school. I can remember nursery rhymes. I can remember even the pop music (Van Morrison’s The Way Young Lovers Do!). But when it comes to […]
Andrew James Whalan 