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Quote for today: Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) biochemist and one of the ‘big three’ sci-fi writers in his lifetime. He coined the term ‘robotics’ and was a ‘special space consultant’ for the Star Trek TV series. He wrote in “The Cult of Ignorance” in 1980: Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through out political and cultural life, nurtured by the false sense of notion that democracy means that my ignorance is as good as your knowledge.
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Writers, academics and artists protest against the closure of UWAP – Open Letter
“It devalues our local writers and shows a lack of interest by the university in the literary culture of WA.” https://watoday.com.au/culture/books/dull-and-lifeless-backlash-grows-at-uwa-move-to-dump-print-publishing-20191122-p53d7m.html [UWAP authors Nadia Rhook and Annamaria Weldon] We, the undersigned, protest the decision by UWA to close University of Western Australia Publishing (UWAP). We protest for our wages and the wages of other writers. We protest for designers, printers, bookstores, IT professionals, and other associated industries. We protest for our historians, scientists, workers in politics, academics, and truth seekers. We protest for the emerging writers and academics UWAP consistently provides with first publication, and enables publication elsewhere through recognition, prizes, and events. We protest…
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Yona Diamond Dansky – Educator, Writer and Illustrator
Yona Diamond Dansky is a Philadelphia based writer, artist, lifelong educator, mother and grandmother with many stories to share. Moshu Worries , Yona’s first children’s book, draws upon her three-year-old grandson’s journey when Yona’s daughter was diagnosed with cancer. I approached Yona for an interview because this is the book I wish my child had when I was diagnosed with a blood cancer. Most adults struggle to get their heads around a cancer diagnosis, so you can imagine how hard it is for children. How do you explain that a parent’s sudden hair loss， lack of energy and absence from the house for long periods of time？ “When Mom gets a serious illness,…
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Catherine Robertson – Writing a Bestseller
I met Catherine Robertson at a short-fiction workshop at the International Institute of Modern Letters when I was on a working holiday in the Land of the Long White Cloud. I don’t know how the others in the workshop felt about their time there, but I remember thinking, “This is it. This is why I took such a meandering path and made seemingly senseless choices…I’m meant to be alive at this moment, sitting in a circle with 12 intelligent and creative people who value creative expression as much as I do, and damn this view over Wellington Harbour is amazing.” The 13 of us in the room, 12 Wellington-based emerging writers and…
