I am my first book: @burgewords reports from #bwf16

We were inside the building. We belonged, inasmuch as new students belong in new classrooms when they change schools UNDER the general theme of ‘belonging’, the 2016 Brisbane Writer’s Festival (BWF) set itself up with few boundaries, and writers have been rushing to traverse the intentionally unfenced territory across the city. As an independently published author, I […]

Divorced from reality: @burgewords comments on the Coalition’s #MarriageEquality problem

The Coalition will just have to take care of itself, because the political wedge has finally hit its target. AFTER the Coalition’s narrow win, the plebiscite on Marriage Equality should be getting ready to kick off, yet the same election promise has been blamed for the major swing against Malcolm Turnbull. And the paradox has […]

We need to talk about Pauline: @burgewords comments on #PaulineHanson

Like all political parties, One Nation sends mixed messages, and its followers are able to live with policy blind spots, just like other Australians. WITH no result on election night, it wasn’t too surprising when people came up to our market stall at Cleveland in South East Queensland on Sunday morning asking who’d won. We weren’t selling anything, […]

Beyond the Like Button: @burgewords comments on #NoBrexit #NoTrump #NoPlebiscite

Perhaps it’s the weight of all our first-world problems, but Westerners have lost touch with one of our strongest power bases. PROGRESSIVES internationally are being hit with some hard facts, from the reality of the United Kingdom’s vote to end its politico-economic links with the European Union (EU); through the rise of Donald Trump as […]

Cut the crap about arts funding, just grant us access: @burgewords comments on #ArtsBlackFriday

Australian artists will never be silenced by cuts to funding. MUCH is being made of this week’s wholesale cuts to arts funding in Australia. We knew it was coming, it’s shocking to witness, but does it mean anything to the average Australian artist? Well, if you’re an independent Australian artist, probably not. There is a simple […]

Better ban the Bard if #SafeSchools scares you: @burgewords comments on Australia’s #NeoPuritans

Hated by the Puritans, the complete works of William Shakespeare was firmly entrenched in the Australian school syllabus decades ago. WESTERNERS have lived through many periods in which extreme Christians distributed anti-gay propaganda and thereby got the ear of authorities, and this month’s spat from Australia’s hard, religious right shows not much has changed in four hundred years. […]

LGBTI versus Christians, an unnecessary war: @burgewords comments on #SafeSchools

This is not a suffering competition for martyrs, it’s a legislative process taking place in a secular nation. THE Turnbull government has no firm plans for a public vote on marriage equality. We only know it’ll be ‘after the election’, an Abbott three-word slogan for ‘on the never-never’; and that it will be a non-binding, […]

Keeping #MarriageEquality off the record: @burgewords comments on #NeverMarried

It felt like a cold label for what was a beautiful love affair. WHEN the South Australian government was caught out by the world’s media for its lax approach to recognising overseas same-sex marriages on death certificates, the justifiable outrage about Marco Bulmer-Rizzi being documented as “never married” to husband David resonated with many readers. One small voice of […]

Coming out in the cold: @burgewords reviews #Carol

The wait for enlightenment will be long, and the darkest, pre-dawn hour lies ahead. WITH nothing more complex than a series of firmly-closed doors, the film Carol takes a powerful dramatic turn that subtly gives two women the space to explore their attraction. When Therese (Rooney Mara) slips into the passenger seat beside Carol (Cate Blanchett) […]

#Homophobia for the holidays: @burgewords on creating #LGBT characters

It would surprise most people to see what a strong thread of prejudice runs through families. Spending time with family over Christmas and New Year can be a challenge for anyone, but journalist and author Michael Burge explains how his first collection of short stories grew in the fertile ground of familial homophobia. WHEN I began […]