Susan Hawthorne

Cathie Dunsford

Short stories and poems, some previously published.

Lesbian Writing from Australia and New Zealand

The Exploding Frangipani

The Edinburgh Festival brings together artists from all over the world, and Cowrie is among them, telling stories and giving readings. But even Cowrie can't anticipate the chemistry that will begin when a group of traditional storytellers sets off to the Orkney Islands with Ellen, to stay at her coastal family cottages. For Ellen turns out to be Morrigan, and Morrigan is a selkie, living in the sea and on land. As an ancient mystery unravels, Cowrie and Sasha must turn detective to discover the truth behind Morrigan and the song of the selkies.

Song of the Selkies

Dive into a luscious feast of language and imagery, laced with Maori proverbs. Cowrie boards a ship bound for Mururoa Atoll during the French nuclear tests. She is in for a rough ride. As international attention is focused on the Pacific and the environment, the stakes rise. She is joined by Sahara, a young peace activist from England. But can she be trusted? Can anyone be trusted? With the rich flavours and textures of the island nations, Cathie Dunsford brings us a third novel about Cowrie. With sensuous writing and a deep knowledge of the traditions, the reader can feel the rock of the sea, taste the food, and fear the attacks on the peace flotilla.

Heart Warrior

Manawa Toa

Manawa Toa ist der Name des Bootes, mit dem BewohnerInnen der pazifischen Inselwelt in den 90er Jahren versuchten, die erneuten Atomtests im Moruroa Atoll zu stoppen. Cathie Dunsford, die einer Familie aus Hawai'ianern, Maoris und Weißen entstammt, erzählt vom Widerstand der Frauen gegen die Vergewaltigung der Erde und die Zurichtung der Menschen durch dieses Erbe des Kolonialismus. Und gleichzeitig zeichnet sie - voller Lebensfreude - ein farbenfrohes Bild ihrer Heimat und berichtet von alten Mythen und neuen Legenden. 2001 erschienen bei Rogner & Bernhard in Zweitausendeins.

Roman

Cowrie visits Hawaii, which her ukulele-playing grandfather had left decades earlier. There she visits her extended family and Mt Kiluea, travelling around the island in an old pick-up truck called Hone. As she enters the crater of Kiluea we are drawn into the very centre of the earth, with Cowrie and her cousin, Paneke as our guides. Sensual and sexual language bring the earth to life, and Cowrie too, as she tests the limits of her endurance and explores her own erotic connection with the earth. The mythology of the islands comes through the descriptions of natural and cultural events. One can taste the tropical fruit, the fish cooked in banana leaves and coconut, and smell the sweet fresh ginger.

Cowrie

Susan Sayer

This anthology reflects the varied tongues, the inventiveness, and the diversity of lesbian culture and writing.

And Other Contemporary Lesbian Writings

Car Maintenance, Explosives and Love

What happens when a group of scientists take creation into their own hands? 'Ao Toa' is that rare novel -- an eco-thriller combining action and suspense with deep emotions and the sensual power of the natural world. It is peopled with believable women and men, teenagers and elders, suits and activists, farmers and gardeners. As they grapple with concerns ranging from sick children and indigenous medicines to toxic sprays and genetic engineering, they encounter the realities of corruption, politics and power. Fired with her passion for life, food and challenge, Cowrie and her friends take on multinational corporations and government over the issue of genetically modified crops. Blending Maori tradition with feminist insight, the novel explores ways of right living. The richly realised texture of daily life expresses fundamental conflicts over food security, the care of the environment and the morality of science. The writing is irreverent, funny and fresh, catching the authentic tone and flavour of today's global debates as they play out at a local level.

Cathie Dunsford

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