(Go directly to the readings for February)
During this time of pandemic many people have been isolated, confronting numerous problems. Some have lost loved ones, or like me were separated from them by great distances, others endured the challenge of separation imposed by state border restrictions. Finding other ways of coming together to support one another, and help to bridge this time of pain, is important to me. Reading stories from my collection of published works is my contribution. I’ve written 53 published stories. There are also unpublished works that I will add to the program later in the year.
Since September I’ve been reading from my published works
About my writing
Both my books are in the creative non-fiction genre and are largely memoir. Both cross temporal and disciplinary borders and frequently extend beyond simple linear tales. Most stories are set in our immediate region, Australia, the Pacific and South East Asia. Some are light hearted stories, others explore encounters in cultural settings far removed from my own. A few stories, particularly those about the Bali Bombings of 2002, plumb depths of suffering.
Readings in January
After a short break my readings will resume in January. The Program for January is:
3 Jan – Sid Thompson and D Company a story of the little know Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, that captured German colonies to Australia’s north in the early stages of WWI.
10 Jan – Red Poppies and Janur. Set in the years following WWI it explores the lives of people touched by this event.
17 Jan – Balikpapan: Looking Backwards and Forwards. A visit to a city I only knew from grainy 16mm black and white images in WWII documentaries. A booming oil town, a gateway to Borneo and it’s spectacular rainforests, or is it?
24 Jan – The River Guide. Borneo’s rivers have been multi-lane riparian highways since the Ming Dynasty, conduits for both exports and imports. The river guide, Alex was both the possessor of a commanding knowledge of these flows and eddies, but also eventually a victim.
31 Jan – Siberut and the Simple Life. An encounter with people leading an entirely traditional life who have not yet developed the habit of money.
Join the readings on Zoom
To join the mailing list and be kept up to date on reading times and titles, contact me on my gmail account maxdarn
Russell Darnley Blog 