The inaugural A(narchist) Melbourne Bookfair/Melbourne Anarchist Bookfair done come and gone. It seemed to be reasonably popular and will likely return next year, again as a precursor to the Melbourne Writers Festival. (Speaking of books, Enrico Massetti is looking for funding to help him publish one that will serve as an introduction to worker-owned cooperatives in the United States.)
The token anarchist presence at this year’s Festival comes in the shape of Clara in Washington by local author Penny Tangey.
Clara is in Washington.
Washington D.C. is meant to be all glamour, politics and great conversations but what do you do when you don’t have the words to join in? Or the knowledge to ride the subway? Or you’re scared someone will mug you?
Joining her mother on a trip to Washington is Clara’s end-of-school adventure and a chance to be someone else other than the studious geek she’s always been. Although, starting an adventure is hard to do when you won’t leave the house.
But Clara didn’t count on meeting Campbell and his anarchist group and she didn’t count on her new discoveries threatening to unravel all her plans.
Will she still be the same after Washington?
Otherwise, youse can go Beyond White Guilt with Sarah Maddison and Tony Birch:
Academic Sarah Maddison’s Beyond White Guilt argues that the relationship between white and Indigenous Australia is immobilised by white guilt. She talks to Tony Birch about how change must come from personal acknowledgement of white Australians’ collective responsibility.
I says ban the burqa!
Did you know that documentaries about the prosecution of anarchists in Belarus are now available in internet in English? That an activist wanted in Russia over an attack on Khimki City Hall by anti-fascist and anarchist groups has been granted refugee asylum in the Netherlands? In Russia, anarchists KILL IT WITH FIRE. Speaking of which, did you know that 325 has lotsa stuff about people setting fire to things? That last month First trial of the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire ends with severe sentences? That the nature of monkey is irrepressible?
Otherwise, check out Destructables / Utopian Mag / Vomiting Diamonds.
Delving further back in history, in 2008 David Faber completed a PhD thesis on Francesco Fantin, titled ‘FG Fantin: the life & times of an Italo-Australian anarchist 1901-42’.
This anarchist is tired.
The blurb you linked to re Sarah Maddison’s book doesn’t speak about “collective responsibility”. Rather it seems to advocate White Australians taking a personal interest in reconciliation as opposed to The White Guilt Trip, which as we know is just a licence to do nothing… or it validates the majority position of sitting back and letting the government do nothing/make things worse. Sounds like a decent tome, at least it purports to take a new approach.