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Thuy On

Thuy On

Thuy On is an arts journalist, critic, editor and poet.

Shirley Le, editor of Sweatshop Literacy Movement’s anthology about love.

Two new books to help you feel better about the world

Anthology Love celebrates love in all its guises and permutations, and a debut collection whole reflects on the lasting effects of colonialism through playful poetry.

  • Thuy On

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Author Johanna Bell.

Be patient with this unique eco-thriller: the pay-off is worth it

Set in the near future, Department of the Vanishing is a thriller that uses poetry, black-and-white images, archival material, lists and even newspaper headlines.

  • Thuy On
Evelyn Araluen’s poetry collection Dropbear was the bestselling collection in the country at the end of 2022.

These collections from local poets will make you feel everything from warmth to rage

Poet and critic Thuy On looks at five recent Australian poetry collections.

  • Thuy On
Author Sita Walker.

This smart, funny, topical school novel is set over one lunch break

A former teacher herself, Sita Walker’s school-set fiction debut is full of insightful and empathetic character portraits

  • Thuy On
Maxine Beneba Clarke’s new book of poetry is playful, blunt and provocative,

From rage to playfulness, these poems are unashamed tributes to womanhood

Maxine Beneba Clarke’s new book of poetry is a feminist rallying cry.

  • Thuy On
Claudia Shnier in her one-woman show Split Ends.

Funny, surreal and fierce comedy exposes insidious effects of partner violence

A woman’s love for a vacuum cleaner takes us on a journey into the torment of being caught in an abusive relationship in Split Ends.

  • Sonia Nair, Thuy On and Cameron Woodhead
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Soul of Possum by Brodie Murray at fortyfivedownstairs.

Taut and potent, this is a story we should know

Soul of Possum serves as a potent and topical reminder of the past that still needs present-day reckoning.

  • Thuy On, Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Nadia Bailey, Tony Way and Jessica Nicholas
Meow Meow unleashes in her show The Red Shoes: “You have to go for all levels of intoxicating.”

An ‘eternal showgirl’ puts a new spin on a grim classic about a woman cursed to dance forever

The original Hans Christian Andersen tale involves a girl enamoured with a pair of red shoes – Meow Meow’s version offers a new spin on things.

  • Thuy On, Nell Geraets, Andrew Fuhrmann, Tony Way and Karl Quinn
Zadie Smith, who has written a series of essays titled Dead and Alive, pictured here in 2022.

Zadie Smith on creativity, politics and falling out of a window

In this selection of essays, the award-winning author proves herself as nimble a visual arts and movie critic as she is a literary one.

  • Thuy On