In her latest book Rina Robinson explores the world through poetry and the unique paintings she has created over the past few decades. She discusses life through it's many stages, whether the whimsy of a beloved, recalcitrant pet, or the sad image of a discarded bouquet of flowers found on a daily walk. It is a collection that is as thought provoking as it is delightful. The blending of the two media makes for a wonderful gift.

Linda Brooks, acclaimed author of 'I'm not broken, I'm just different' has combined other women writers to create a unique short story collection, with a small selection of poetry. This clever blending creates an entertaining and compelling journey for readers. The book embraces life in all it's chaos, beauty and humour.

A Lily for the Living is the second book in Rina's Australian country tales collection, following Tarnished Threads. The story begins with the arrival of a new policeman to the group of country towns around Koondaloo. Topper, as he is known, is a man who plays his cards close to his chest. Everyone in the close-knit country area is wondering why he has been transferred from his exciting city job. It's a question he asks himself, but it wasn't a matter of choice, and Robert Toppington doesn't care what the locals think. He soon discovers that there is nothing boring about his new life. As he uncovers the secrets of the townsfolk, he struggles to keep his own past well hidden. The Fisher boys are up to their old tricks, and Ivy Stokes, the town gossip has plenty to keep her busy. Some of the newcomers are not what they seem. Opportunities are lost and gained, plans go awry and the unexpected is always just around the corner.

Leah is not looking forward to 'coming of age'. There are many dangers to face in the land where she lives: false wizards and barbaric ceremonies. However, nothing causes Leah more disquiet than the prospect of marriage - to be owned by a husband fills her with dread, but she will have no choice. She must bow to tradition. Leah's friend, Janah, left her home to be married some months ago. But she has now unexpectedly returned. The girls are re-united under strange circumstances, and face many difficulties together. Their wits are tested at every turn, as they must decide who to trust. Along their journey they meet a cast of fascinating characters. Will they rely on Menah and Terstyn, two handsome strangers, to help them? When they find menace on the road they have to take a chance. What hand will fate play the two girls next?

Every third Wednesday we meet. Every third Wednesday we attempt to hone our craft. Stretching beyond rhyme, metre and description to tanka, cento, haiku, and abecedarium while we sip frothy cappuccinos, or perhaps indulge in cake, we go on a journey. When the blending of our words seems like rubbish, we laugh. When they fall flat, we groan and move on. Every now and then, someone will read a poem and we all sit still, poised in silent surrender to the soaring of our spirits and we are grateful for the places that poetry takes us. "Most pleasing of all is the profusion of poetic styles and forms... Running through all this are familiar and consistent themes: the power of the wry observation, condensed into verse, to remind us of life's absurdities ... the inescapable nature of loss ... and landscapes transformed by poetic eyes ... Read these poems and enjoy the verbal worlds created for you by these five poets." David Musgrave, poet, writer, lecturer, publisher

You know us. We are your cousin Alice, who tells the story of Nanna's funeral; how all the cars followed Uncle George in the wrong direction, while a priest stood by the grave, waiting to conduct the burial. We are your dad, who you visit on warm summer nights, and he talks about the old days; when he met mum; when he worked in the cane fields. We are the migrant family next door, who laugh till they cry, telling of how, when they arrived in the fifties, they went to the milk bar for a gelati. The owner kept saying "Gilleti" and offering them razor blades. We are the Vietnamese mother who tells you one day how she came to Australia. She quietly talks of three weeks at sea in a small boat, crammed in with twenty others, knees to chest, cold, wet and hungry. We are anyone who has lived in Australia since the 1930s. Often, our stories will be your stories; but some will be strange, different; some will be funny and others will bring tears. We are the story tellers who started with memories that turned into stories. We wrote them down, and learned the frustration when the words wouldn't come; and experienced that magical moment when the words took over, and the story wrote itself. We became authors. Now here we are. These are our stories; our country's living history, by the best historians of all - those who lived it. John McBride (2010)