Books published by Ginninderra Press

I have been writing poetry since I was a child, one who loved reading, including the poetry available for children at that time. As I grew older, my poetry writing became an outlet for a whole range of emotions and experiences, both good and bad. I try to use language for which no one would need a dictionary to understand. I hope that my readers will find a resonance of their own lives in some of the poems and discover for themselves that writing poems can be therapeutic as well as pleasurable and very satisfying.

It is South Africa in the early years of the scourge of the apartheid system, its prejudices and injustices affecting the fabric of the society. Against this background is the thwarted love affair of Daniel and Maryssa, two young people from traumatic backgrounds. Daniel is a brilliant young doctor who is unable to admit to himself the love he has for Maryssa, and to take responsibility for their relationship. His actions are profoundly influenced by the negative impact from his childhood of his parents' unhealthy marriage. Maryssa's father is an abusive alcoholic. Her way of coping is to withdraw into herself. She is reticent and uncomplaining, accepting and forgiving until pushed to the brink. Their ensuing relationship is one of frustration and insecurity, of passion and pain. But underlying this is a deep and unquestionable love for each other, a love that is unable to be resolved.

The essays in this volume originally appeared over a period of some years in Voice magazine. All were published well before the global financial turmoil of October 2008, to which all are linked. Other essays in Voice covered a variety of topics, but those appearing here developed a common theme, a belief that representative democracy has not just outlived its usefulness, but has become a danger to the survival of humanity itself

These short poems celebrate the enigmatic, sometimes comical, often disappointing and always exquisite movement between dark and light in every human encounter.Maggie Slattery received awards from the Fellowship of Australian Writers and the Rhonda Jancovich Society for poems in this collection. She grew up in the suburban fringe of 1950s Adelaide, migrated to the west coast of America in the 1970s, and returned in 1990 to live close to the city's heart and its inspiring parklands.

This moving memoir details the first twelve months after a mastectomy and how one woman has dealt with it. Facing cancer focuses the mind sharply on both the past and the future: the present has simply to be got through. The authors hope is that her struggle to make sense of her situation may help others and their intimates.

Michele Fermanis-Winward lives on the edge of bushland in the upper Blue Mountains of New South Wales, part of the World Heritage National Park. The trees and wildlife surrounding her home are a constant inspiration

Where the Hell is Heaven? is another collection of dark-humoured short stories, sometimes whimsical, sometimes passionate, about a variety of relationships set in different times and cultures. The stories tell of someone having it in for you in a foreign country, violence in the education system, navigation under difficult circumstances in a large city, becoming part of history in a rural community, drinking in the education system, how people can resemble seagulls after the demise of a loved one, the resolution of differences of opinion in the family, how old ladies can make you feel foolish when you've been drinking, the family that preys together stays together, how some people can behave inappropriately when others take their clothes off, more violence in the education system, and heavenly copulation on a celestial level

That week, we went to a kabuki show,stories of wandering souls in search of revenge, or lost love. On my last night in Tokyomy father comes in at a wooden gate, wet with rain from ';The Wooden Gate'

Based on true events, this story is set predominantly in Adelaide, and takes a trip down memory lane to my childhood home of Barmera in the Riverland, 222 kilometres north of Adelaide. Born in 1974 to Greek migrants, the youngest of three, my need to fit in has always been a challenge, but did I need to? My siblings were always the popular ones, never having to try, but what is the need really about? I always struggled to find my place, from adolescence to adulthood, and not too much has changed well, not until I was introduced to the world of martial arts, specifically boxing. Boxing was never my first choice, and never something I had considered doing, but something pulled me towards it. It wasn't really a choice; it was just something I had to do. This was not a smooth ride, but through a dedicated instructor who saw my potential, a group of friends made along the way, and support from my family, especially my siblings, I learnt a valuable lesson, that by not giving up and by believing in yourself, you can achieve anything. Getting to this point was never going to be easy, and I still struggle, but it's not without small achievements along the way. After years of self-doubt and self-deprecation, I made many discoveries about who I was: getting angry in my twenties, finding it difficult to commit, having to learn why friendships were so important to me, and recognising who I want to be a confident, strong person who considers herself worthy of all the best life has to offer. Not without some laughter and tears, this is not only a story about boxing; it's about finding the passion within, finding something that moves you, when all seems lost. It's about what lies beneath, beyond a person's heart and soul.It's about finding ';the boxer within'

';Through her poetry in Moonbeams in the Bitter Rain Jayne Linke invites understanding of what it is to come through harsh and life-changing events. Crisp, raw and achingly honest, her writing at times gives voice to her experience of being perceived and treated as broken, expressing the desire to be related to fully and naturally, to be engaged with as spirited and alive. Rich with allegory and beauty, her words move beyond isolation and despair to a sense of soulful connection and transcendence. Her openness to beauty, life and nature and her interconnectedness with it all shines through, as does her experience of joy, play and freedom. To know Jayne, to read her poetry is to witness the expression of a sharp and observant intellect and wit, a depth of ability to make connections after an experience of trapped and enforced silence. It is to be touched profoundly by the power of love and tenacity in her and her family.' - Colleen Lamshed

They were all running. Running away from or to something. Something as brutal as rejection, lost love or perhaps obsession. For some it was a matter of running out of time, knowledge, faith or self-belief. But for all, the tender, the bruised, the brash, the feisty, it was the constant urgency to endure, to keep going, to squeeze in moments of reflection into tiny matchbox sizes of time and then get on with it.

See, in the places of our lives, in the lands of our childhood, in the rooms with strange laughter and conversation; how we look back upon those simpler days with their self-styled skills and their innocent reward. See through the chaos of these present years, the invisible memories that occasionally spring to mind of sacrifice, of regret, of the unexplained that lead us to a common belief, that all will be well in the by and by.

George Genovese was born in Malta in 1962 and immigrated to Australia in 1967. In 1985 he graduated from La Trobe University with a major in philosophy. He has since read his poetry at various venues in Victoria. He has previously published one volume of poetry, Heartlines, with the assistance of the Council of Adult Education, and has written for the Education supplement of The Age. In 2002 he collaborated with Australian composer, Lawrence Whiffin, in the setting of one of his poems for the Astra Chamber Music Ensemble's fiftieth anniversary. In 2004 he again teamed up with Lawrence Whiffin to produce an extended narrative poem for the Camp Street poetry festival. He currently lives and works in Melbourne.

Kathy Abrahams was born in Fremantle, Western Australia, and then moved to Busselton in the south-west of the state, about three hours from Perth. She is a member of the Society of Women Writers WA and edits one of their postal workshop magazines.