Date: Tue, 9 May 95 09:17:20 EDT From: "Ellen Greenblatt" BLACKWATTLE PRESS -- 1995 Catalog PO Box 4 Leichhardt NSW Australia 2040 Phone & fax: Sydney 02 660 8627 Australia +612 660 8627 E-mail BlackWattle Press Australia Welcome to our 1995 Catalogue ______________________________________________________ We are Australia's leading gay and lesbian literary publisher. BlackWattle Press produces the top-selling lesbian and gay books in Australia - books of fiction, history, cartoons, anthologies, biographies and poetry; a wide range of books that are exciting, fresh, and different. Our latest titles include: Fruit - a new anthology of gay men's writing; Living With Adam - Australia's most popular gay cartoon strip; Wisdom - a new queer fable; and Beyond Blood - writings on the lesbian and gay family. BlackWattle Press aims to promote gay and lesbian writing in Australia by publishing books and magazines, and by supporting other activities that encourage lesbian and gay writers in their efforts. ______________________________________________________ Ask your local 'family' bookshop to stock us if you can't find us on their shelves. (Get them to contact our distributors below.) If you'd like to purchase by mail order see the details at the end of this catalogue. ______________________________________________________ Got a book or project in mind? Manuscript submissions are welcome from Australian lesbian and gay writers. Send us a synopsis and a chapter or two by post; include a return post-paid envelope if your want us to return your manuscript. ______________________________________________________ For further information, or to order books (retail or wholesale), contact us directly at: BlackWattle Press, PO Box 4, Leichhardt, NSW Australia 2040 Phone & fax - Sydney 02 660 8627 - Australia +612 660 8627, or E-mail Our distributors in the United States of America, and Canada are - InBook, part of the Inland Book Company, East Haven CT, Phone 203 467 4257 Phone orders on 1 800 243 0138 or fax 1 800 334 3892 Our distributors in the United Kingdom, and Europe are - Turnaround Distribution, London N5, Phone 0171 609 7836/7 or fax 0171 700 1205 ______________________________________________________ Some titles may not be available in retail stores in your country. RRP - Australian prices listed are Recommended Retail Prices only. BlackWattle Press Pty Ltd - ACN 061 418 433 - May 1995 ______________________________________________________ GARY DUNNE, Editor ___FRUIT a new anthology of contemporary Australian gay writing CONTEMPORARY GAY FICTION ISBN 1 875243 15 1 - 142 pages Australia RRP $14.95 [USA $10.95, UKpd 5.99] This unique collection of gay writing is by the best of Australia's gay authors; accessible and entertaining stories that illustrate the expanding diversity of our community. A failed intimacy with a touring porn stud. The plottings of a famous novelist. A TV chat show guest exposed. Overnight lovers in a bush caravan park. A leathery buzzard nightclubs the Los Angeles curfew. A curious schoolboy grows up in Athens. And adventures from Stockholm, Tokyo, Wangaratta and the Gulf of Siam. New and exciting writing that is both upfront and confronting; twenty potent examples of today's Australian gay literature, each one a great read. Simply, the pick of the crop - Christos Tsiolkas, Dean Kiley, Stephen J Williams, Gary Dunne, Peter Blazey, Stephen Dunne, Cameron Sharp, William Yang, Peter Wells, Sasha Soldatow, McKenzie Wark, Ian MacNeill, Con Anemogiannis, Rob Cover, Ben Widdicombe, Graeme Hindmarsh, Tim Herbert, John Lonie, Peter Jackson, and Mark Try. Reviews - 'the best collection of Australian gay male writing yet .. buy this anthology'-Crusader Hillis, Melbourne Star Observer. 'established giants rub pecs with the queer youth ticket .. real fire and spirit' -Kirsty Machon, Sydney Star Observer. 'mark(s) a new stage in self acceptance and pleasure in diversity in Australian gay writing' -Robert Dessaix, The Australian. _____________________________________________________ RAE DESMOND JONES ___WISDOM a queer fable CONTEMPORARY GAY FICTION ISBN 1 875243 18 6 - 138 pages Australia RRP $14.95 [USA $10.95, UKpd 5.99] Bernhard is the tough ex-juggler with rheumatism in his fingers and suspicion in his heart. Jenny is the aboriginal girl who shares his space and lives somewhere else entirely. When they want a child, the Gods give them Sophia - neither boy nor girl. Maybe not even human. This is the wisdom they seek and the different wisdom they find. A tale of greed and death. A tale of lust and fury. A tale of power and hopelessness. A tale of anger and diverse love. Released April 1995. Rae Desmond Jones is widely published as a novelist, short story writer and poet. His poetry and short stories have appeared in many collections, most recently The Oxford Anthology of Gay and Lesbian Writing. His last novel was The Lemon Tree (Angus & Robertson Imprint, 1990). A political activist, he was the Deputy Mayor of Ashfield in 1992. He lives with his family in Summer Hill, in Sydney's inner west. _____________________________________________________ JEFF ALLAN ___LIVING WITH ADAM outrageous gay cartoons GAY CARTOON STRIP ISBN 1 875243 16 X - 96 pages Australia RRP $12.95 [USA $8.95, UKpd 4.99] For the last five years the Sydney Star Observer and syndicated newspapers right around Australia and New Zealand have celebrated Jeff's reflections on modern gay lifestyles. Issues like .. How do you keep variety alive in a relationship? Why is service at gay restaurants sooo slow? Why did the woman in The Piano wear that silly thing on her head? Discover all these answers and more with Australia's favourite gay couple in their first ever collection. Five years of the best cartoon strips plus a special nude centrefold! Reviews - 'This book deserves a place on every gay coffee table' Robert Johnston, Campaign. _____________________________________________________ LOUISE WAKELING & MARGARET BRADSTOCK, Editors ___BEYOND BLOOD writings on the lesbian and gay family BIOGRAPHY/FICTION ISBN 1 875243 17 8 - 150 pages Australia RRP $14.95 [USA $10.95, UK pd 5.99] An exciting new book on the subject of alternative parenting, with the focus on lesbian and gay experience. These autobiographical, theoretical, analytical, practical and creative contributions offer a valuable and unique perspective on the subject of the alternative family. Personal accounts by lesbians and gays of their parenting experience, stories from children brought up in lesbian and gay families, experiences of successful and not-so- successful would-be mothers, partners and donors, stories from the partners of gays and lesbians involved in parenting or long term care of children, and accessible, ground-breaking insights on the legal, psychological, sociological, economic, medical and practical aspects of lesbian and gay parenting, and growing up in such families. Reviews - 'a feast of moving stories, humour, practical advice and insight .. a great contribution to our lesbian and gay culture.' -Gail Hewison, Sydney Star Observer. 'deserves praise for its refreshing honesty .. a heart warming and real account of the many issues to be faced' -Kath Gelber, Green Left. _____________________________________________________ ROBERT FRENCH ___CAMPING BY A BILLABONG gay and lesbian stories from Australian history AUSTRALIAN GAY HISTORY ISBN 1 875243 14 3 - 116 pages Australia RRP $14.95 [USA $10.95, UKpd 5.99] >From the First Fleet to the fabulous fifties, a collection of stories your history teacher didn't tell you. Stories that illustrate important themes in our history; stories of sodomites, homosexuals, lesbians and camp people, from the start of European settlement through to the dawning of gay liberation. Drawing from a wide variety of sources, Camping by a Billabong brings to life the ancestors of today's gay men & lesbians. Robert French is an archivist, historian and gay activist, and the author of the widely syndicated history column, In the Past Lane. Reviews - 'Perverse, campy, lustful and intriguing' -Adelaide GT. 'This book's charm is that the reader is only one step behind the researcher' -Martin Portus, Sydney Morning Herald. 'Represents=20a nudge at the closet door of Aust history .. recommended' -Robert Johnston, Campaign. 'Meticulous documentation .. well researched, tight .. infinitely readable' -Susan Robbins, Sydney Star Observer. 'A treasure trove in the burgeoning area of gay studies .. these are the sort of facts we want to know - especially about our own history' -OutRage _____________________________________________________ ROBERTA SNOW & JILL TAYLOR, Editors ___FALLING FOR GRACE an anthology of Australian lesbian fiction CONTEMPORARY LESBIAN FICTION ISBN 1 875243 12 7 - 147 pages Australia RRP $14.95 [USA $10.95, UKpd 5.99] Drawing together diverse lesbian lives, from feminist to gay lib, from coalitionist to queer, from suburban to chic - for the first time a wide ranging collection of Australian lesbian prose in one volume. 'This lively volume rips back the veil of secrecy and silence .. Stories of the 'dangerous tenderness' one woman can feel for another as she looks at 'softly tanned shoulders cut by the line of a pale blue singlet'. Stories of the inchoate longing that troubles and stirs the core of so many female friendships, as women instinctively reach for each other within the very shadow of husbands and convention .. Their sexual love for each other is confidently expressed, whether in the 'carpet-lined smoke boxes' of an urban bar, or in the very bosom of the family at an Aussie wedding, where the bridesmaid has her eye on the bride.' Dr Mary Hartman from the Foreword Reviews - 'A treasure-trove of an anthology' -Robyn Stone, Lesbians On The Loose. 'Exhilarating confusion of style and contributors and subject matter, the mix is eclectic and balanced' -Jenny Pausacker, OutRage. 'A shining display of lesbian literary talent' - Short, Burn. 'Refreshing .. reminds us that the diversity of real life is a fine thing' -Tina Muncaster, Australian Book Review. 'Robust moments of comedy .. lovely mix of eroticism and eccentricity' -Campaign. 'There's something for everyone here and lots, lots more.' Grace Danger, Sydney Star Observer. _____________________________________________________ GARY DUNNE ___SHADOWS ON THE DANCE FLOOR CONTEMPORARY GAY FICTION ISBN 1 875243 11 9 - 96 pages Australia RRP $11.95 [USA $9.95, UKpd 4.99] "Where there's hair, there's hope," states Mr Pointy Head, inner- city survivor, shoplifter and owner of three milk crates of second hand mens' underpants. Back in 1985 he and his ex-boyfriend Grace went for HIV blood tests together. It's now 1991 and, for the first time their different results really begin to matter. Nothing that Gary Dunne has previously written will prepare you for the hilarious yet poignant intensity of Shadows On The Dance Floor. It's an insider's story of a community where illness and death are common aspects of day to day living. With its dry wit and humour this novel powerfully captures an Australian response to AIDS. Reviews - 'Regrettably familiar territory with sincerity, simplicity and devilish lashings of humour' -Robert Johnston, Campaign. 'Brittle and extremely camp, a tough comic novel' -Australian Book Review. 'Undoubted skill in the way the colloquial dryness and the quick trot of the narrative guide the book to a confronting yet witty resilience' -The Australian. 'For once I agree with the blurb' -Campion Decent, Sydney Star Observer. 'Says a great deal about contemporary Australia and has heart' -Diana Simmonds, The Bulletin. 'This is a splendid book .. the kind of testament of which we who are of that generation can be proud.' -Paul Van Reyk, Talkabout (PLWA NSW). _____________________________________________________ TIM HERBERT ___ANGEL TAILS CONTEMPORARY GAY FICTION ISBN 1 875243 08 9 - 118 pages Australia RRP $13.95 [USA $9.95, UKpd 4.99] The fifteen stories in Angel Tails cover new fictional territory; exploring affection, flirtation, seduction and bonding within the ambiguities and contradictions of gay sexual desire. The characters range from drag queens and S&M punk-politicos to daddies and boys, clubland devotees and fashion victims, HIV support groupies and AIDS activists. Their stories are both disturbing and innovative, touching on areas considered forbidden and taboo. Reviews - 'His style of writing reeks of eclectic imagery; its sensory and emotional capacities leave one reeling .. he charges through a staccato structure, into a Burroughs' metaphorical madness and out again, all without a hint of trouble .. (the stories) paint delicately disturbing pictures of gay love, infidelity, dependence..' -Tony Magnusson, Sydney Star Observer. 'The candidness of confessional pornography .. with a literary overlay' -Sydney Morning Herald. 'Herbert subverts the subversive with his finely honed prose and sheer energy' -Australian Book Review _____________________________________________________ SASHA SOLDATOW ___MAYAKOVSKY IN BONDI CONTEMPORARY GAY FICTION ISBN 1 875243 13 5 - 119 pages Australia RRP $13.95 [USA $9.95, UKpd 4.99] When the Russian futurist poet, Vladimir Mayakovsky, shot himself in 1929, he heralded the end of the heroic period of the Russian Revolution. "It was better to be taken from the top floor, rather than to be removed in the dead of night from the dungeons beneath the road." Soldatow deals with the broad sweep of history, from revolutionary idealism to the collapse of communism, from the personal to the political; a combination of biography, autobiography, fantasy and fiction. Melbourne, Hanoi, Moscow, Leningrad, Venice, Sydney, each city describes a new layer of meaning in which to explore death, friendship, commitment, love, sex and lust. Reviews - 'The biography seems deceptive, the fiction rings true and the gossip is iced with the sweetest of poetry' -Kirsty Machon, Sydney Star Observer. 'A penetrating watchfulness .. glittering piece of writing .. (&) obligatory mention of bare- arsed exchanges in rank toilet blocks' -Tina Muncaster, Australian Book Review. 'The tension makes for a series of stories which are collectively memorable, if not individually addictive .. peppered with glorious aphorisms and epithets' -Michael Sharkey, The Australian. _____________________________________________________ MARGARET BRADSTOCK ___FLIGHT OF KOALAS WOMEN'S / LESBIAN POETRY ISBN 1 875243 10 0 - 68 pages Australia RRP $9.95 [US$7.95] This is a book about journeys, especially the journeys women make today - with all the baggage of desire, the need for knowledge, love and freedom. The poems take flight to various places: Europe, South-East Asia, the 500 bus route in Sydney, the Blue Mountains, and finally an impressive sequence about travelling in China. They explore the relationships between mother and daughter, the tragedy of AIDS, the difficult paths of feminism, the births and deaths of ordinary people. _____________________________________________________ CHRIS JONES ___THE TIMES OF ZENIA GOLD QUEER / GAY POETRY ISBN 1 875243 09 7 - 56 pages - Australia RRP $9.95 [US$7.95] Call it gay, call it queer, call it steamy, erotic, leather-bound, drug-fucked, euphoric .. A collection of linked pieces that draw together such diverse subjects as banksia men, AIDS, wet-stuff and a serenade for the boy next door. This verse novel throws out a challenge to the often staid words that pass as Australian poetry. _____________________________________________________ IAN MACNEILL ___TV TRICKS and other poems GAY POETRY ISBN 1 875243 00 3 - 48 pages - Australia RRP $7.00 [US$7.00] For more than a decade Ian's poetry and short stories have given enjoyment to his readers. This, his first book, presents all new work over a variety of themes. _____________________________________________________ DENIS GALLAGHER ___THESE TATTOOS GAY POETRY ISBN 1 87524 02 X - 42 pages - Australia RRP $7.00 [US$7.00] In These Tattoos Denis Gallagher presents a personal selection of his poetry and other writings from the period 1975 to 1990. His choice deliberately amplifies a preoccupation with 'gayness', often enlivened by reference to Sydney's inner-city milieu, in which he lived and worked during the mid 1980's. _____________________________________________________ SASHA SOLDATOW ___ROCK-N-ROLL SALLY GAY PERFORMANCE ISBN 1 875243 04 6 - 32 pages - Australia RRP $7.00 [US$7.00] 'Performance was something we all did at that time, many of them were impromptu, sometimes they got a public showing, there is no record for most, mainly because they were done for the heck of it.' The Adventures of Rock-n-roll Sally is a record of one in the series of performances that appeared through the late 1970's and early 80's in small cabaret venues in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne. _____________________________________________________ ******* MAIL ORDER ****** We welcome mailing books directly to readers, but since postage is added to the purchase price it may cost you more than buying from a retailer, particularly outside of Australia. It also may take several weeks for books to get to you by mail. Credit card purchase is easiest. Please make amounts payable in Australian dollars; if necessary your credit card provider will convert to your currency when they bill you. (Here's your chance to play the foreign exchange market!) Approximate exchange rates are one US dollar = $AUS1.3 or one UK pound = $AUS2.2. For cost reasons personal cheques (and drafts) are only accepted from Australian customers. Australian postage - include $2 per book, to a maximum of $6. International post - by air include $AUS5 per book, to a maximum of $AUS20; by surface $AUS2 per book, to a maximum of $AUS8. CREDIT CARDS - We accept Mastercard, Bankcard and Visa card. Please include the following details - Name of cardholder, Card type, Card number, Card expiry date, Amount of sale (include postage) in _Australian_ dollars, Dispatch address, and Signature. Please check that you have included _all_ of the above details. Security. We're not sure if your credit card details are safe on E-mail either, so please snail mail us your order (or fax if you're in a hurry). Your credit card details are not kept electronically by us; but we may add your name and address to our mailing list. Write to BlackWattle Press Pty Ltd, PO Box 4, Leichhardt NSW Australia 2040. Phone & fax - Sydney 02 660 8627 - Australia +612 660 8627 or E-mail