Catherine McKinnon

An ambitious, remarkable and moving novel about who we are: our past, present and future, and our connection to this land. In 1796, a young cabin boy, Will Martin, goes on a voyage of discovery in the Tom Thumb with Matthew Flinders and Mr Bass: two men and a boy in a tiny boat on an exploratory journey south from Sydney Cove to the Illawarra, full of hope and dreams, daring and fearfulness. Set on the banks of Lake Illawarra and spanning four centuries, Storyland is a unique and compelling novel of people and place - which tells in essence the story of Australia. Told in an unfurling narrative of interlinking stories, in a style reminiscent of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, McKinnon weaves together the stories of Will Martin together with the stories of four others: a desperate ex-convict, Hawker, who commits an act of terrible brutality; Lola, who in 1900 runs a dairy farm on the Illawarra with her brother and sister, when they come under suspicion for a crime they did not commit; Bel, a young girl who goes on a rafting adventure with her friends in 1998 and is unexpectedly caught up in violent events; and in 2027, Nada, who sees her world start to crumble apart. Intriguingly, all these characters are all connected - not only through the same land and water they inhabit over the decades, but also by tendrils of blood, history, memory and property... Compelling, thrilling and ambitious, Storyland is our story, the story of Australia. 'The land is a book waiting to be read' as one of the characters says - and this novel tells us an unforgettable and unputdownable story of our history, our present and our future.

Storyland

Jimmy Dale Ensemble

Catherine McKinnon ; Jimmy Dale Ensemble

'My point is this: who needs enemies when you have a family?' Claire Delaney, a fiery fifteen-year-old, and her mother, Jackie, are both out of control. They've had a lot to deal with after the tragic death of Claire's father – and they're driving each other crazy. When Jackie, a forty-something comedian, announces she's going to marry a younger man she's only just met, Claire is outraged. In retaliation she apprentices herself to a volatile Italian chef, who teaches her the secrets of his kitchen. In time, both Jackie and Claire discover that life – like the best recipes – is at once mysterious and mysteriously simple. 'A convincing and engaging portrait of a family, with a cast of well-drawn minor characters, Some highly evocative South Australian settings and a wonderful account of like in a restaurant kitchen.' SYDNEY MORNING HEARLD ' . . . delivers the untidiness of family life with humour and pathos.' THE AGE

The Nearly Happy Family

The Adelaide Festival is as much shaped by people and place as it in turn shapes people and place; its identity is a weird and wild shifting thing. It is not owned by one individual, but belongs to everyone. Adelaide Festival 60 Years is an astounding cacophony of images and tales that revel in the life of the Festival since its founding in 1960 - remembering what it was, anticipating what it might be. The tales are told by the many - choreographers, actors, singers, artistic directors, audience members, writers, lighting designers, arts administrators, curators and more. Stunning full-colour photography captures moments in time, both sweeping and intimate, woven together to form an important story of culture and ideas across 60 years of history and 35 iconic festivals.

Catherine McKinnon

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