Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Edited by Ashley Hay, Griffith University, $27.99.
The introduction hits the sentiment mark – precisely. “Perhaps no other year has been so comprehensively wished away as this one: bushfires, droughts, storms, floods, even waves of locusts – and then the virus came.”
As Ashley Hay puts it: this edition is called ‘Generosities of Spirit’ “as a kind of optimistic catch-all title with which to complete a year”. Featured are inspiring despatches from the frontlines of generosity – stories that delve into the transformative power of the positive in our everyday world.
It presents the winners of the Novella Project VIII, alongside exciting new short fiction, non-fiction and a collection of new Australian poetry. The stories ‘mine the ongoing transformative power of the positive in the social spaces where we live, work and play’. The narratives are of inner lives, resilience and the realised potential.
GR70 showcases the winners: Rhianna Boyle, who time-travels to a different telling of an earlier global epidemic story; Claire G Coleman, whose law enforcement agent policies a future pandemic; Mikele Prestia plumbs the gifts and assaults of one family; and Kate Veitch sends a daughter home after the death of her father to navigate his home and memories.
Also on display are explorations of generosity, potential and betrayal in Thomas Mayor’s powerful essay on the fate of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
There’s compelling work from Linda Neil, Allanah Hunt and Kristina Olsson, as well as a selection of vital Australian poets – including Tony Birch, Lisa Gorton, Mark O’Flynn and Eileen Chong.
Climate scientist Joëlle Gergis also introduces a new series that focuses on the responses and reactions to the climate emergency.
The annual showcase of the best of Australian new writing investigates and rejoices in the kindnesses and benevolences, those enriching and unforgettable experiences that brighten our lives.
