Media releases can be downloaded as pdf's here

Site Launch Media Release September 2008 (333 KB)

Classic Poems Reveal their Secrets (120 KB)

It’s not all about kangaroos, mate. (130 KB)

Classic Poems Reveal their Secrets

From lyricists, to anarchists, to satirists Australia has an extraordinary poetic tradition, which, in the flurry of new releases, often gets lost. This is why ABC Radio National's The Book Show is dedicating a special week to five classic Australian poems. Each program features one particular poem and investigates it thoroughly. The poems will be familiar to many listeners but each one reveals new secrets as it is revisited. The poems and broadcast dates are:

Monday 12th May Kenneth Slessor - Five Bells F Tuesday 13th May Judith Wright - Rockpool Wednesday 14th May CJ Dennis - The Glugs of Gosh Thursday 15th May Rosemary Dobson - The Continuance of Poetry Friday 16th May A.D. Hope - The Death of the Bird This poetry series is the result of a joint project between ABC Radio National, the University of Technology Sydney, RMIT Melbourne and the Cultural Fund of Copyright Agency Limited (CAL). It is part of the project’s Australian Literature Compendium which also includes:

• A refereed e-journal with articles and essays which explore the programs further will be available on-line to ABC listeners, students and lovers of Australian writing.
• Teaching guides for both local and international Australian Studies Centres
• Public lectures and events at conferences and festivals.

The CAL funded project is co-ordinated by Dr Lyn Gallacher (ABC Radio National Executive Producer) and Dr Catherine Cole (Professor of Creative Writing, RMIT Melbourne). It is the first time a collaboration of this sort has been attempted and for the co-ordinators it offers an exciting new way to approach the study of Australian writing across different media. New technology is now more than ever, making the words of Australian writers available to readers. This Bookshow poetry series is just the beginning. Enquiries to: Dr Lyn Gallacher ABC Radio National 03 9626 1655 Professor Catherine Cole, Creative Writing, School of Creative Media, RMIT 03 9925 3714

It’s not all about kangaroos, mate.

ABC Radio National and the University of Technology, Sydney are pleased to announce an Australian Literature Multi-Modal Compendium. Funded by the Cultural Fund of the Copy Agency Limited, the project offers an exciting new way to approach the study of Australian writers and writing. Its co-ordinators are Dr Lyn Gallacher (ABC Radio National Producer) and Dr Catherine Cole (Senior Lecturer in Writing, University of Technology, Sydney).

‘The project will push the boundaries of Australian writing and literary studies,’ Catherine Cole says. ‘We certainly need to draw the debate about our country’s writing away from the narrow focus on why people aren’t reading it anymore. This project will venture into a more contemporary domain, examining writing as cultural and creative practice and offering readers different ways to access contemporary texts through new media and e-based sites.’

Gallacher is equally excited about the project. ‘This is the first time a national daily radio book program such as The Book Show will be working with an academic institution. We’ll broadcast and podcast our programs, taking our audience into a deeper understanding of writing they already love and also introducing them to innovative contemporary Australian texts. The Radio National audience will love it. Whenever we’ve given them more in-depth programs the response has been hugely supportive.’

The project will involve a number of elements including:

• Interviews, documentary features and readings for broadcast on The Book Show. These will appear as podcasts on a special UTS/ABC website.
• A refereed e-journal with articles and essays which explore the programs further will be available on-line to ABC listeners, students and lovers of Australian writing.
• Teaching audio and DVDs.
• Public lectures and events at conferences and festivals.

‘ABC Radio National is leading the world with this kind of multi-modal content delivery,’ Gallacher says. ‘What better way to use the technology than to make Australian writers and writing available to a wider and more critical audience. For example, local and international Australian Studies Centres will have access to material which offers a more nuanced view of Australia.’

Cole agrees. ‘My students are eager to approach Australian writing which reflects the world in which they live. Indigenous, multicultural, multi-voiced and using technology they take for granted in their everyday lives. This project will form an excellent teaching tool for writers, researchers, and teachers in universities and schools everywhere.’

For more information contact: gallacher.lyn@abc.net.au catherine.cole@rmit.edu.au