Past & Parallel Lives | Book Review
If time is a woven cloth, then Kaya Ortiz’s Past & Parallel Lives sets out to unravel it – slowly, surely, and then all at once. If time were a glass […]
Writing
Our Writing & Criticism stream has run in successive StoryCasters programs. Emerging writers from Western Sydney have participated in an intensive program of workshops and mentoring led by Winnie Dunn, Shirley Le, and Sheree Joseph from Sweatshop Literacy Movement. These participants have reviewed plays, exhibits, books, and festivals and received editorial feedback. Their works have appeared in publications like Running Dog, The Big Issue, Books + Publishing, The Saturday Paper, Audrey Journal, Aniko Press, Artshub and Kill Your Darlings.
Chinese Parents Don’t Say I Love You | Book Review
Does food as a love language bring enough to the table? Chinese Parents Don’t Say I Love You is a memoir by food journalist Candice Chung, set mostly in Australia […]
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Peripathetic: Notes on (un)belonging | Book Review
Essay collection from Cher Tan that was Highly Commended, Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2025, Non-Fiction. Peripathetic: Notes on (un)belonging (2024) by Cher Tan is an essay collection that undeniably prompts […]
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Various Characters | Theatre Review
Exploring connection and belonging within the context of generational migrant experiences. I drive past boutique restaurants, around vibrant streets and old apartment complexes. I walk into the small, unassuming Flight […]
Snakeface | Theatre Review
A reclamation of self, inspired by the Medusa myth. As you enter the Belvoir St Downstairs theatre, you see a large, dimly lit, slab of clay as club music fills […]
In Search Of My Shadow | Documentary Review
Highlighting the retrospective works and diasporic life of artist, producer and actor Saleh Saqqaf. On a vibrant evening at the Bankstown Arts Centre, In Search of My Shadow brought audiences […]
Akil Ahamat: Extinguishing Hope, University of Technology Sydney Gallery | Exhibition Review
The artist examines pathways to mitigate the spectre of disaster. How might it appear to live without hope? Akil Ahamat is grasping for answers. Curated by Sebastian-Henry Jones, Extinguishing Hope […]
Fully Sikh: hot chips and turmeric stains | Book Review
Poetry and prose speak to the experience of growing up Indian in Western Australia. Devouring Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa’s debut book Fully Sikh: hot chips and turmeric stains (2025) within two […]
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Those Opulent Days | Book Review
A crime thriller set in 1920s Vietnam. Right from the start of Those Opulent Days is a threat of destruction. The book is the first novel from Jacquie Pham, a […]
3rd Bankstown Biennale | Exhibition Review
CaLD and First Nations artists challenge the traditional Anglo-Saxon art sphere. The 3rd Bankstown Biennale emerges as a powerful artistic and cultural statement, led by culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) […]