2011 Prime Minister's Literary Awards - Shortlists announced

Arts Minister Simon Crean has announced the 20 great Australian titles that have made it onto the 2011 Prime Minister's Literary Awards shortlists.

The judging panels were enormously impressed by the breadth of talent displayed in this year's entries, and applauded the inventiveness, artistry and flair for which Australian creators and publishers are justly renowned.

Non-fiction shortlist:

Sydney, Delia Falconer;
How To Make Gravy, Paul Kelly;
The Party, Richard McGregor;
The Hard Light of Day, Rod Moss;
Claude Levi-Strauss: The Poet in the Laboratory, Patrick Wilcken.

Fiction shortlist:

Traitor, Stephen Daisley;
Notorious, Roberta Lowing;
When Colts Ran, Roger McDonald;
Glissando, David Musgrave;
That Deadman Dance, Kim Scott.

Young adult fiction shortlist:

Good Oil, Laura Buzo;
Graffiti Moon, Cath Crowley;
The Three Loves of Persimmon, Cassandra Gold;
About a Girl, Joanne Horniman;
The Piper's Son, Melina Marchetta.

Children's fiction shortlist:

Why I Love Australia, Bronwyn Bancroft;
Flyaway, Lucy Christopher;
Now, Morris Gleitzman;
April Underhill, Tooth Fairy, Bob Graham;
Shake a Leg, Boori Monty Pryor and Jan Ormerod.

For more information about the shortlists go to www.arts.gov.au/pmliteraryawards/shortlists.

Feathers Fly at National Simultaneous Storytime

The remarkable “Zelda” (pictured) ruled the roost for awhile at Simultaneous Storytime for the Readers Theatre performance of Feathers for Phoebe by Rod Clement. Children were enthralled by the amazing birds – Zelda who runs the most popular beauty salon in the forest and fabulous Phoebe who added a tail, feathers, wings and a little song and dance to become the bird she thought she wanted to be, and their “bird” friends (pictured). It was great fun and children also enjoyed a game of pin the feather on Phoebe (pictured) and a cupcake morning tea. Three-year-old Olsen made his own mask for the event (pictured) that fitted in with the story beautifully. Thank you to everyone who joined in the entertaining morning.

Classics Read Power Without Glory by Frank Hardy

Our Classics Group at Cowra enjoyed a great discussion today about Frank Hardy's controversial novel Power Without Glory (old book cover pictured) and urge anyone who has started reading the book to continue as they will be rewarded with an amazing story. It was also made into an ABC series featuring actor Martin Vaughan (pictured). In the history of Australian literature few books have been so controversial than Frank Hardy's Power Without Glory. This is a tale of corruption stretching from street corner SP bookmaking to the most influential men in the land – and the terrible personal cost of the power such corruption brings. John West rose from a Melbourne slum to dominate Australian politics with bribery, brutality and fear. His attractive wife and their children turned away from him in horror. Friends dropped away. At the peak of his power, surrounded by bootlickers, West faced a hate-filled nation – and the terrible loneliness of his life.
Was John West a real figure? For months during the post-war years, an Australian court heard evidence in a sensational libel action. After a national uproar which rocked the very foundations of the Commonwealth, Frank Hardy was acquitted.
This is the novel which provoked such intense uproar and debate across the nation. (Review from Readings.com).

Library and Information Week 2011 - We Find Stuff

Library and Information Week 2011 gets is underway with the theme “We find Stuff!”

We catalogue stuff!
We look up stuff!
We research stuff!
We know stuff!

Events for the week include National Simultaneous Storytime to be held at 11am on Wednesday 25 May. Orange Family History Group will also host a Family History Australian Records Workshop on Thursday 26 May from 7  9pm at Orange City Library.
Please book your place at these events by calling 6393 8132.

In May every year, libraries and information services throughout Australia celebrate Library and Information Week and highlight the wonderful contributions made by libraries and information services to Australian communities. This year's theme – We Find Stuff! – celebrates libraries as a place to access information, communicate, educate, entertain and inform.
Libraries connect people to ideas. It's a vital part of our commitment to promoting the free flow of information and facilitating all Australians' access to recorded knowledge, information, and creative works.

Libraries in Australia support the development of literacy and reading, education, education, business, community and provide vital public internet access.
Each year, Australia's network of 1,500 public libraries, 9000 school libraries, 40 university libraries, 380 TAFE campus libraries and thousands of health, law other special libraries assist us by finding all sorts of stuff:

Public Library Stats for you:
*12 million Australians are registered users of their local public library

*178 million loans occur in Australian public libraries each year.
*Australian Public Libraries receive 108 million visits each year.
*Almost 8 million Australians visit state & national libraries each year.
*7,000 internet computers are currently located in public libraries around Australia.

Rhonda Doyle - F.O.O.D Week Legend

And the final guest speaker at our Books on the Menu event was a legend of Orange F.O.O.D. Week. Rhonda Doyle had everyone chuckling at her memories of growing up in North Queensland and feeling sophisticated drinking Blue Nun.

Rhonda has a passion for food and wine and organised the first Winters' Feast which led to F.O.O.D. Week as we know it today. Husband Stephen taught himself to make wine and they moved to Orange to start Bloodwood, one of the first vineyards in the district.

Rhonda told of growing in North Queensland with a food obsessed Dad. “The first recipe I recall is a cheesecake with condensed milk and lemon juice, then apple pies which were made from pineapples. And apple juice was added to lime juice make a cheap lemon tarts.”

The first cookbook I bought was Margaret Fulton. I was also interested in Asian cooking and had many Chinese friends. I used Charmaine Solomon as a reference book. I was interested to see her cook once but I was surprised about what she cooked and then I thought what would I have done?. “I'm always thinking what spices can you leave out – I think you get into trouble by adding more all the time.”

Rhonda also mentioned Peter Gilmour's latest book Quay  which is beautifully presented and a work of art. She is currently reading Real Food by Mathews Evans (pictured) and “so far I'm only halfway through.”

Now Rhonda is helping young families on low incomes learn cooking skills – easy things such as potato salad and “spag bol” as part of the Slow Food group.

She said someone once wrote that 20 years ago there were no such thing as local cuisine in Orange. We had a couple of jars of pickled walnuts, some jams, 3 wineries and the advice was just give it a go an see what happens. And here we are.

Thank you Rhonda, for a very informative and entertaining talk. Rhonda also received a spontaneous round of applause from the large audience after a guest called out “thank you for all you have done”.