Two days ago, my partner sent me the link to a poem by Koraly Dimitriadis, Greek-Australian writer and performer, called ‘an Open Letter to Melbourne Unesco City of Literature’. The poem throws flame at Melbourne literary institutions – festivals, magazines – denouncing their whiteness in explicit ways.
Read MoreI’d like to tell you about the place that I used to call home. Imagine a place in the South of France – a broad landscape of flat, salty marshland. If you turn to the right and look out towards the sea, you will see a lighthouse, and my great-great grandfather built this lighthouse.
Read MoreThe first time I took a train down from Beijing to Shanghai, one particular spot triggered a strong emotional reaction. It's a range of mid-sized mountains, dragged at the top, some white stone exposed, dark pine or cypress trees dotting the flanks, among lower, yellower, shorter bushes. I have since gone through this pass a number of times.
Read MoreSomething funny happened to me the other day. I had a meeting with someone who works in Sydney, in the lobby of a famous hotel. I arrived in the morning, had lunch with a friend, then strolled over to the harbour. The meeting was at 2:30. At 2:35, I receive a text from that person saying they were in the lobby.
Read MoreI recently had this conversation with two friends in Melbourne, both involved in 'innovation circles'. They were talking about the 'Burning Man festival' in the US - 'It's fantastic, they build a city from nothing in the middle of nowhere in, like, a week.'
Read MoreAlternatives are limited. My multicultural friends in Melbourne often resent 'anglos' and their sense of self-evident linguistic and cultural centrality. But forces of resistance are dispersed.I like lists. One of my favourites is the yearly list of 'Global Cities', major nodes in the world system, ranked in order of importance.
Read More