xenophobia

David Hill reviews Ian Wedde’s new novel, The Reed Warbler

by

An independent, sensuous life unfolds in hundreds of brightly-lit scenes. I first heard of Ian Wedde in the 1960s, through his poetry. It was a jolt. Wasn’t verse supposed to be runic and remote? This guy was chatting to you! OK, chatting in a voice that was colloquial yet innovative; expansive and technically virtuosic, but … Read more

The real plague is racism: Why I refuse to give into xenophobia over coronavirus

by

As the mother of an immunocompromised child, Kiki Van Newton has more excuse than most to worry about the coronavirus outbreak. But racist reactions – and panicked border closures – aren’t the answer, she writes. When my baby was eight weeks old she was in hospital. Each day a physiotherapist would put on a mask … Read more