Fremantle Press - Booktober 2023

Fremantle Press

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Own voice poetry.

Poetry is a wonderful way to create intercultural and personal understanding and to explore issues of belonging and identity. This list includes diverse own voice writers representing First Nations, refugee, immigrant and queer communities.


Vociferate 詠 by Emily sun

‘Every poem here is like a little grenade, sometimes filled with sizzling rage, sometimes wry humour, but always with expansive wit and erudition. Vociferate is polemical, personal and political. Be prepared to be blown away!’ Alice Pung


Poems that do not sleep by Hassan Al Nawwab

Hassan Al Nawwab is a former Iraqi soldier who came to Australia after the war with his family 20 years ago. With devastating simplicity, these imagistic poems speak of war and terror, of homesickness in exile, the blessings of peace and the pain of belonging. The collection is in English and Arabic.


Of Memory and Furniture by Bron Bateman

This collection is concerned with expressions of female sexuality in its myriad forms – heterosexual, lesbian, and experiences of non-normative sexuality – as well as issues of maternal subjectivity, mental health and abuse 'Erotic, feminist, sensitive and skilled, Bateman is a poet who wants, and deserves, to be widely read.' Saturday Age


The Future Keepers by Nandi Chinna

Shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s literary award, the poems in The Future Keepers honour ecosystems and the custodians of future ecologies. ‘The poems revolve around an intensely personal exploration of identity and environment … [Chinna’s] images force the reader to contemplate the world around them with more depth and concern as they become aware of how important the future is for all of us.' Westerly


Sister Heart by Sally Morgan

This beautiful verse novel from Sally Morgan can be used as a personal and approachable conversation-starter about the Stolen Generations for mature young readers ... its message is powerful.' Books+Publishing



Newsouth Publishing

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Insightful non-fiction.

These insightful non-fiction books from experts in their field will intrigue, delight, and ignite discussion.


Australia & the Pacific: A history by Ian Hoskins

‘A fascinating history that shows how Australia’s relationships with the Pacific have shaped and informed each of our worlds.’ – Iain McCalman


The Best Australian Science Writing 2021 edited by Dyani Lewis, foreword by Cathy Foley

This much-loved anthology showcases the nation’s best science writing. New voices join prominent science writers and journalists, taking us to the depths of the ocean, the fuels of the future, and to the Ryugu asteroid and back.


Coming of Age in the War on Terror by Randa Abdel-Fattah

‘Randa Abdel-Fattah has produced an urgent...

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Text Publishing

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The team at Text Publishing has long believed that Australia punches above its weight when it comes to crime fiction, and here's the list to prove it! From rural thrillers to slow-burn suspense, there’s something for everyone—even if you don’t fancy yourself much of a crime buff.


THE NIGHT WHISTLER by Greg Woodland

Nostalgic yet clear-eyed, simmering with small-town menace, Sydney author Greg Woodland’s wildly impressive debut populates the rural Australia of the 1960s with memorable characters and almost unbearable tension.


WHITE THROAT by Sarah Thornton

Sarah Thornton’s second novel featuring the feisty-yet-flawed Clementine Jones, White Throat is a nail-biting thriller set in an idyllic coastal town, where the leader of an...

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Robert Watkins – Ultimo Press

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Australian writers who are doing things a little differently.

I’ve worked in Australian books and publishing for over 20 years, and I still get excited when I discover or read Australian authors who are writing provocative, thoughtful works. Some of my favourite books of the last ten years can be found in the list below:


Foreign Soil – Maxine Beneba Clarke.

An Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean descent, Clarke is an extraordinary wordsmith. I think these short stories are evocative, insightful and simply masterful.


Love & Virtue – Diana Reid.

This debut novel is so timely and clever – the way Reid tackles big issues like consent, class and power is deeply thoughtful without ever being preachy. Incredible!


Down The Hume – Peter...

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