Meg Mundell | Journalist

Meg Mundell

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25.01.2022 Strange times. Stuck in quarantine during a global pandemic, I got some good news. The Trespassers - which is about some people stuck in quarantine during a global pandemic - has been shortlisted for a prize, the Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. Reality feels upside down: fiction becoming fact, sick people trapped on ships. Congrats to all the shortlisted writers <3 https://aurealisawards.org/

24.01.2022 One for all the animal-lovers <3 A very short poem, OTHER CREATURES, about that sometimes-profound connection we share with other species. Part of a new online mag, "Love On Slow Release". Keep your furry/feathered friends close, people. Pic: Gizmo <3 https://loveonslowrelease.com/2021/04/02/other-creatures/

23.01.2022 Hope gets a bad rap: it’s been dismissed as passive, delusional, unrealistic. But hope is also an act of imagination, an antidote to apathy, a call to arms, a catalyst for change. It lifts our spirits and gives us strength. Without hopewhat hope do we have? On fire, floods, and raising kids in a burning world - my essay from LIVING WITH THE CLIMATE CRISIS: VOICES FROM AOTEAROA, edited by Tom Doig (Bridget Williams Books, NZ). Photo: Justin McManus/Fairfax, via Getty Images. https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/02-01-2021/the-burning-world/

22.01.2022 Coming up Sunday 2 Feb, 2pm-5pm - just confirming line-up <3

22.01.2022 A new epidemic: homelessness? Experts say the numbers will rise. As big threats shatter our world, many more people will find themselves on the breadline. What's it like to suddenly be without a secure home? In this amazing book, 38 diverse writers share true tales of home, place & belonging. All profits go to to creative programs for people experiencing homelessness. Kia kaha <3 https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/we-are-here/

22.01.2022 Tomorrow I'm launching this book at The Wheeler Centre to a sold-out crowd of 250 guests: 40-plus true stories & poems by people who've experienced homelessness. Can't wait to celebrate with the writers. They're an extraordinary group of people. I might get a bit emotional. <3 https://www.wheelercentre.com//we-are-here-stories-of-home

22.01.2022 This new writers' fest looks flippin great and the people who invited me are bloody lovely. If you fancy a bit of Yarra Valley scenery with your book shenanigans, or just want to heckle me, I'll be loitering with the likes of Angela Savage, Tony Birch, Michael Veitch, Indigo Perry, Alice Pung, Han Ray, Brook Powell, Helen Garner, Charlotte Wood, Alice Robinson, Christos Tsiolkas, Emma Viscik, David Williamson and other people whose brains make me envious. 8-10 May. https://www.yarravalleywritersfestival.com/program

21.01.2022 Who's your favourite fictional team or couple? Bet you can't guess mine! :) Enjoyed this mini-interview with author Narelle M. Harris. With bonus uplifting song by soul legend Ben King: https://narrellemharris.com//quintette-of-questions-meg-m/

20.01.2022 Woke up to this awesome news: THE TRESPASSERS has been named by the United Nations as one of 17 books that bring the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to life and address the climate crisis. Extra excited cos my category is OCEANS <3 (Goal 14: "Life Under Water"). Nice to share a list with ole Friedrich Engels, too ;) https://www.weforum.org//unesco-cities-of-literature-reco/

20.01.2022 Looking forward to my upcoming Zoom chat with host extraordinaire Bruno Lettiere on 10 November. "Author Talks at Home" - a free public event from Maribyrnong Libraries :)

19.01.2022 Earlier this year I tried really hard to get a project up: an amazing public art project, collaborating with writers and readers who've experienced homelessness. I failed. (Social distancing made the project impossible, but that might not be why I didn't get funding...I dunno.) Was super disappointed. But this week I got some GOOD news: an Australia Council grant to develop my next book, 'Who Cares? Changing Our Minds on Homelessness' (working title). It will be a non-fiction dive into the psychology of stigma, and creative ways to beat it. Grateful & happy <3 [Image credit: María J. Díaz Candamio.]

17.01.2022 Happy publication day to We Are Here! Our book is finally out in the world. Congratulations to all the talented, courageous writers who shared their stories of place, belonging, home & homelessness <3 Here's a little teaser from the Intro chapter... https://affirmpress.com.au/rightful-places-we-are-here/

17.01.2022 Heading down to Geelong for the Word 4 Word Nonfiction Fest. Yay! One session about WE ARE HERE...and also joining in the BAD DIARIES salon, where writers read terrible extracts from their early diaries, then curl up into a ball of shame. Can't wait! http://www.wordforwordfestival.com.au/session/we-are-here/

16.01.2022 [Good news alert!] Norma K. Hemming was Australia's first female science fiction writer. Here she is in costume, 1956. The Norma K. Hemming Award celebrates excellence in exploring themes of race, gender, sexuality, class or disability in speculative fiction. *Happy news: THE TRESPASSERS is a finalist in the 2020 Awards!* Congrats to my fellow finalists... 'Ghost Bird', Lisa Fuller (University of Queensland Press) 'From Here On, Monsters', Elizabeth Bryer (Pan Macmillan) 'The... Old Lie', Claire G Coleman (Hachette Australia) 'Darkdawn', Jay Kristoff (HarperCollins) 'Collision: Stories', J S Breukelaar (Meerkat Press) 'Blackbirds Sing', Aiki Flinthart (CAT Press) Full shortlist: https://normakhemmingaward.org//2020-norma-k-hemming-fina/

16.01.2022 Cancel fever is sweeping the land, but Yarra Valley Writers Festival has somehow bucked the trend -- they're going online (6-10 May)! Please support the organisers and the talent they've lined up for this brand-new fest, including Angela Savage, Tony Birch, Alice Pung, Hannie Rayson, Helen Garner, Michael Veitch, David Williamson, Jock Serong, Alice Bishop, Donna Ward, Charlotte Wood, Christos Tsiolkas... and many more. High five to Brook Powell & Han Ray for this champion effort <3 Full program > https://www.yarravalleywritersfestival.com/program

16.01.2022 A bunch of short interviews with NZ and Aus sci fi writers, including this one. https://austsfsnapshot.wordpress.com//2020-snapshot-meg-m/

15.01.2022 "My aim was to create a world that’s close to our current-day reality close enough so you get that uncanny feeling, where the familiar blurs with the strange. But reality overtook fiction. Scientists had been warning for decades that a global pandemic was coming, but watching Covid-19 unfold just months after the novel came out was surreal" - interview with Sisters in Crime. Author pic by Joanne Manariti Photography <3 https://www.sistersincrime.org.au/zipping-on-the-zeitgeist/

15.01.2022 Eeep! Book won prize. So happy and grateful to everyone who has supported and encouraged me. THE TRESPASSERS wins 2020 Davitt Award for Best Adult Crime Novel <3 https://www.smh.com.au//there-s-a-plague-about-and-it-s-ma

15.01.2022 Had too much fun at the Word 4 Word Nonfiction Festival in Geelong on the weekend. Made some new friends, had inspiring conversations, and stayed up too late. Full house for both sessions: "We Are Here" (talking home, homelessness & place), with Claire Coleman, Rachel Kurzyp & Harrison Tippet; and "Bad Diaries Salon", with MC Jenny Ackland, Jane Caro, Tony Wilson, Shokoofeh Kazar & David Astle. <3

14.01.2022 Topical hint: this book makes a GREAT xmas present! Available now in all good bookshops. As Benjamin Law puts it, WE ARE HERE is "A beautiful testament to survival, resilience and hope". This week writers Jody Letts & George Zammit-Ross were on Triple RRR with me to chat about writing, homelessness, and this beautiful collection of true stories. Interview starts > 2:01:50. Happy xmas break to everyone, and big love for 2020 <3 https://www.rrr.org.au//10065-the-grapevine-16-december-20

14.01.2022 Had fun talking murder with the Sisters in Crime crew... https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=U35RtgsPTdE

13.01.2022 Happy to be included on this list - Books for the Climate Emergency. There are books for adults, kids and everyone in between <3

13.01.2022 Had fun talking favourite films with David Astle & Richard Sowada on ABC Radio the other night :) Also enjoyed the ridiculous horse-movie puns flying around during this segment. Wish I didn't have such a deranged laugh though... https://www.abc.net.au//pro/evenings/meg-mundell/11562028

13.01.2022 "Another Australian novel that seems to augur events of 2020 is Meg Mundell’s The Trespassers (UQP). Set on board a ship during a deadly pandemic (yep) The Trespassers is a compelling howcatchem that is eerily clairvoyant in its depictions of daily life in the midst of a microscopic assailant, along with the greater social and political implications. Equally remarkable is Mundell’s facility for tenderness amidst the havoc." The lovely Josephine Rowe, in tomorrow's Saturday Age/Sydney Morning Herald <3 https://www.smh.com.au//the-books-we-loved-to-read-in-a-ye

12.01.2022 Not sure where to put this pretty social media tile my publisher made, so just gonna pop it here.

11.01.2022 Frankfurt Book Fair: half a planet away, my adorable agent & amazing publisher are beavering away in the literary saltmines, bringing Australian writing to the world. Books are like ducks: you see the nice birdie floating on the water, but there's all sorts of invisible paddling going on beneath the surface. Thanks to my crew: Aviva Tuffield, Kate McCormack & all at University of Queensland Press (UQP), and superagent Martin Shaw/Alex Adsett Publishing Services: without their expertise & tireless work, there ain't no duck. <3

10.01.2022 Free this Sunday? Come along! I can guarantee you'll be entertained, surprised, uplifted & full of snacks: 2pm, Multicultural Hub, opp Queen Vic Markets, Melbourne <3 http://cityofliterature.com.au//writers/we-are-here-storie

10.01.2022 It's World Jellyfish Day! To celebrate their gooey beauty, three new reviews of The Trespassers: "A stunning novel which mixes genres in a masterful way...5 stars" - Emily Paull, AuReview "Intelligent, provocative fiction...the writing is richly textured and atmospheric, the characterisation nuanced" - Amy Ballieu, Australian Book Review "A riveting story that reads like a thriller but has all the intelligence and wisdom of a literary novel...I really loved this book" - Kim ...Forrester, Reading Matters https://launch.theaureview.com//book-review-meg-mundells-/

09.01.2022 How do we talk to our kids about climate change? "My son is too young to hear the whole truth about the damage humans are doing...So I filter the facts to protect him. But I know its just a temporary measure." I wrote this back in December, before the full horror of the bushfires came to pass. Since then things seem to be accelerating. https://www.dumbofeather.com/articles/tomorrow-people/

08.01.2022 "Like every child of the 1970s, I planned to be an astronaut. Zero gravity, moonboots, flaming meteorites, infinite adventures. But the lyrics of Space Oddity bothered me: Major Tom never made it home. Black holes were real. What if the Daleks got me? I realised I was too neurotic for space travel. Early signs suggested another fate..." Wrote a short thing for the "How to Become a Writer" series, on Annabel Smith's blog... http://annabelsmith.com/?p=3838

06.01.2022 It feels trivial to talk about books when Australia is burning. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the fires. It's too awful to grasp. I hope 2020 brings kinder weather, less suffering, more activism, and REAL climate action from our politicians. Anyway, my novel made this best-of list, which is kinda nice: "Have you ever wondered what Hitchcock might have made of Camus or Saramago if given half the chance? Me too! Well, I reckon the answer might lie in Meg Mundell's fantastic new novel, The Trespassers. It's spec fic awesomeness in abundance, where paranoia, claustrophobia and murder run rampant on the high seas and sharp social commentary simmers between the lines..." http://baitforbookworms.blogspot.com//2019-in-review-final Wishing everyone a gentle and hopeful New Year <3

06.01.2022 Stoked with this very thoughtful and enthusiastic review of The Trespassers, from fellow author Cass. Thank you!

06.01.2022 Tomorrow! Join us for the SecondLife Book Club. I'll be the one in the mermaid tail and sailor's cap :) > 10am AEST time, with host Draxtor > Fellow guests Damon Young, Alice Robinson & Anna Whateley You can watch the show LIVE STREAMED on Youtube & Facebook, or pick your avatar & join us in SecondLife. Links:... > https://secondlife.com/destination/second-life-book-club > https://youtu.be/UdtjGGlMezw > https://www.facebook.com/secondlife/ See more

06.01.2022 "Cough into your elbow. Wash hands properly. Under the state of emergency, the Captain's word is law..." Gave a talk to Nova Mob last week, Australia's oldest speculative fiction group. A gathering full of brains, compassion and humour. I promised to bring hand sanitiser, but it was all sold out. Here are some slides they made to introduce my talk: "Have a safe voyage. RedStar cares!"

06.01.2022 One month to go til my Writers Victoria workshop. We'll explore using PLACE to help drive plot, evoke mood, spark action, sharpen conflict, stir emotion, mold character, reinforce themes & offer a "way in" to stories for both writers & readers. Nov 24, details here <3 > https://writersvictoria.org.au//info%3Fid%3D663%26reset%3D1

05.01.2022 Crime fiction fans: a bunch of books written by female crime writers, recommended by female crime writers, with short & sweet summaries. All your crimey, noir & feminist needs catered for right here!

05.01.2022 Hello hello...*two* weeks to go til Book Club! (Not one week...) Join multi-talented duo Michael Veitch (HELL SHIP, Full Frontal) & Brook Powell (Director, Yarra Valley Writers' Festival) and me for a chat about empathy, hope, THE TRESPASSERS, and the psychology of pandemics. First half of is readers-only (out of my earshot - go nuts!) Then I'll join you for chat & questions. FREE, next Wed 26 Aug, 6.30pm. See you there <3 Booking link > https://www.facebook.com/events/724704471684561

04.01.2022 Zoom tip #327: Use houseplants to hide home-office chaos & create a "natural" backdrop. Yarra Valley Writers Festival kicks off tomorrow! Join me online for a lunchtime chat, Place in the New World Order, with fellow authors Alice Robinson (The Glad Shout) & Karen Viggers (The Orchardists Daughter), hosted by Elizabeth McCarthy (Triple R) & Michael Vietch (Full Frontal, Hell Ship). 12:40pm, Saturday 9 May. Just $15 for a full day of live-streamed book banter, featuring David Williamson, Clare Bowditch, Charlotte Wood, Julia Baird, Chris Flynn, Kerry O'Brien, Rick Morton, Alice Bishop, Tony Birch, Indigo Perry, Christos Tsiolkas, Angela Savage, Jock Serong, Alice Pung, Guy Rundle and more Tix & details >> https://www.yarravalleywritersfestival.com/

04.01.2022 Tonight, 7.30pm! Join us on the Zoom machine I’ll be chatting to host Bruno Lettieri about THE TRESPASSERS, storytelling, pandemics, sea monsters, and the power of compassion in dark times. FREE, Tues 10 Nov, from Maribyrnong Libraries & Bruno Goes Everywhere. Book here > https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/author-talk-at-home-meg-mun Author pic: Joanne Manariti Photography <3 Ping University of Queensland Press

03.01.2022 Oh. My. Gosh. Eek! Very excited & also grateful to find out that THE TRESPASSERS has made the shortlist for the Voss Literary Prize. Alongside books by Andrew McGahan (vale), Tara June Winch, Alex Landragin, Carrie Tiffany & Mohammed Massoud Morsi. Big thanks to Aviva Tuffield, Martin Shaw & University of Queensland Press <3 https://vossliteraryprize.com/short-list-2020/

03.01.2022 At my dads workplace there was this room full of typewriters. As a preschooler Id sit there for ages banging out misspelled words, enjoying the sight of the letters slamming onto the page. One day dads workmate poked his head in. Youre very busy, he said. Are you going to be a secretary when you grow up? I remember the question annoyed me. No! I said. Im going to be a writer. On book covers, research wormholes & quarantine stations... Enjoyed this gasbag with author Clare Rhoden: https://clarerhoden.com//meg-mundell-and-the-whole-strang/

03.01.2022 "During moments when death is close, some readers crave an experience that is beyond what they expect, beyond the endlessly repeated platitudes on radio and TV and the Internet..." Jane Sullivan & Siri Hustvedt on "plague fiction". "Meg Mundells novel The Trespassers, set aboard a ship of migrants en route from Britain to Australia to escape a deadly plague...now bears an eerie resemblance to the true stories of cruise ships moored in our ports and full of sick travellers and crew." https://www.smh.com.au//new-life-plague-fiction-is-once-ag

02.01.2022 Oh my gosh...happy news: THE TRESPASSERS has been longlisted for the Voss Prize, for the best novel published in Australia in 2019 Wheeeeee! <3 <3 <3 https://www.readings.com.au//the-voss-literary-prize-longl

02.01.2022 In late March I'd planned to deliver a workshop on PLACE for Writers Victoria, but sadly had to cancel due to pandemic madness, and couldn't convert it for online delivery in time. Apologies to those who booked...but the GOOD NEWS is that author Angela Savage has stepped into the breach, and will deliver her own online workshop on "Using Place to Enhance Your Story". You'll be in good hands - she's talented, smart, a great teacher and a lovely person. (Coincidence: it's on 19 April, my birthday!) Book here >> https://writersvictoria.org.au/civicrm/event/info

02.01.2022 If you missed the sold-out launch of WE ARE HERE, come along this Thursday 5 December to the beautiful Library At The Dock (Docklands). Hear four talented writers read from their work, plus a short discussion, Q&A - and guest speaker, Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp! The book got a bumper review in the Age & SMH (see below). Free, starts 6pm, book here > https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/we-are-here-stories-of-home

01.01.2022 Looks like someone's grabbing a cheeky bottle to take home with some stories...