Recently Penny Wong was asked, What's your vision of the best Australia can be, in the world? She replied: I have a view that foreign policy is obviously an expression of the assertion and prosecution and protection of one's national interests and values; it is also the expression of identity. Referencing Gough Whitlam she continued … Continue reading Unspoken Realities: A Comment on the Howard Era
Writing About the Vietnam War Era
This image is from December 1965. I was 18 years old, in this photograph. I've written about the Vietnam War era in two of my books: Seen and unseen: a century of stories from Asia and the Pacific, and Beyond Borders: conversations across boundaries. The most recent, Beyond Borders: conversations across boundaries, has a story, … Continue reading Writing About the Vietnam War Era
Story Readings in April
All artwork by Aurélie Charmeau My April readings are: 4 April A Forest Encounter11 April Bunga's Family18 April An Invitation25 April The Honey Harvest Zoom details:Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, 07:30 PM UK 9.30 am Central European Time 11.30am Athens 12.30am Jakarta 4.30pm Singapore 5.30pm https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7288045094Meeting ID: 728 804 5094 The Story These readings are chapters from a … Continue reading Story Readings in April
Story Readings in March
My March readings are: 7 March Made in Japan14 March Magic Polygamy and Triangles21 March First Landfall28 March An Unusual Kind of Thunder Zoom details:Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney 07:30 PM UK8.30 am Central European Time 9.30am Athens 10.30am Jakarta 3.30pm Singapore 4.30pm Brisbane 6.30pm https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7288045094Meeting ID: 728 804 5094 A brief review of stories 7 March Made … Continue reading Story Readings in March
Story Readings in February
This month I'll be reading four stories. The images illustrate themes from these stories: Monday 7 Kampanye - The Campaign Procession The Campaign Procession opens in Sydney, at the height of the paranoia that typified the Howard era. Then the differences between Australia and Indonesia were amplified through fear propagated by the Australia’s mainstream news media. … Continue reading Story Readings in February
Siberut and the Simple Life
Mentawai Islands Siberut: languages and catchments Land Use Map Mentawai A sjhort segment from the story Accustomed as I was to the wide Mahakam River, journeying up the Rereiket River from Muara Siberut to Rokdok village was more like travelling up a mining sluice. It was a raging turbid torrent of sediments and tree trunks … Continue reading Siberut and the Simple Life
A little project I completed while suffering from Covid19
Readings for January 2022
Kenyah Dayak grandmother from Rukun Damai. Mahakam River, East Kalimantan 1989. (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 … Continue reading Readings for January 2022
‘Going Down’ & ‘Garam Masala’
My apartment block in Singapore The spice seller In my latest book Beyond Borders: conversations across boundaries, there is a suite three stories about Timor L’Este. Some elements in these stories are a little confronting. In the interests of relieving the tension for readers so once readers I decided to use a light tone for … Continue reading ‘Going Down’ & ‘Garam Masala’
“Can you Help Me?” – A story
Background to the story This story was inspired by a recent visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and an encounter with a stranger. Descending from the observation deck of the Petronas Twin Towers, I was ambling around the central business district. Without any particular destination in mind, except a vague notion that I’d like to find … Continue reading “Can you Help Me?” – A story
Russell Darnley Blog 