Poetry as trespass By Andrew_Taylor ‘What kind of poetry do you write?” Anyone who writes poetry will inevitably be asked this at some time or another. Some questions are easy to answer. What code of football do you like? What kind of cooking do you like? etc. But when it comes to poetry, I don’t […]

Thai Green Curry Fishballs Herring goes very well with all kinds of curry spices and pastes. It’s a strong-tasting fish and can cope with strong flavours. These fish balls are great as tapas or as snacks with drinks. They’re not very ‘fishy’ tasting and are popular with most people - even kids. Makes about 20 […]

I have to admit I prefer fiction to reality, and I am not above exploiting my family and friends for the sake of a good story. Be warned! ‘Summerlands’, the story published in The Trouble with Flying and other stories, began life as part of my MA dissertation and continues to evolve as part of […]

Getting It Right By Andrew_Taylor Yesterday I had a tree removed from my garden. Actually, that’s not strictly correct, so let me revise it. The tree was, in fact, two trees that had somehow combined to form a dense cluster that was blocking the view of the rest of the garden. And, to be accurate, […]

The Fisherman Cooks Dinner in Valdivia - Chile By Jacqueline Hagan At the confluence of three large rivers, 15km from the coast and 850 kms south of Santiago, lies the picturesque town of Valdivia. Renowned for its Spanish forts, fish market and locally smoked salmon, we decided this was an ideal place to stay in […]

The Australian Short Story Festival has secured its place as a significant event in the Australian literary calendar following the outstanding success of our inaugural festival held in Perth last weekend, October 21-23. More than 1100 people attended the three-day festival, showcasing some of Australia’s most celebrated writers and a unique line-up of storytellers in […]

In the first of a new series, we catch up with previous Margaret River Press contributors to see where they’re at, and all they’ve done in the years since. First up is Mark Smith, who’s pretty much set the world on fire since his appearance in The Trouble with Flying and other stories. We’ll let […]

It’s Called Creative Writing For a Reason By Kate_Glenister A few weeks ago, I was at my high school reunion and speaking to a very talented girl who has gone into fashion since we graduated. I’ve stalked her on Facebook many times and stared at my computer screen in awe – she makes things with […]

Evenings in Turkey By Jacqueline Hagan Traditionally, fishermen everywhere have favourite dishes that they cook with the fish they didn’t sell at the market that day. It was the summer of 1974, and we were camping near a small village called Kefken on the Black Sea in Turkey, when we were first invited to share […]

I have a bit of a creative crush on Alfindy Agyputri. She made the short films for Shibboleth and other stories, you see, and they’re very good. To think that someone, somewhere will get to work with her and help her visions come to life gives me hope in all kinds of things. You can’t […]