Andrew Roff

One night only! And that night is tonight!

Adelaide pals: seldom do we celebrate a Victorian, but we have to make an exception for Wayne Marshall's debut novel, Henry Goes Bush. Launching next Wed at Ern Malley. Free entry, just rock up, and don't worry: LOCALLY-sourced readings from yours truly, Alex Cothren & @jake-dean.bsky.social.

Out now: Splinter Journal vol 5, with @roffwrites.bsky.social, Linda Atkins and many other luminaries! splinterjournal.com

Huge if true: my debut book will be published by Wakefield Press in 2027! www.wakefieldpress.com.au/blog/2026/09...

Publishers: “Short stories don’t sell and are impossible to market so we are not going to take the risk of publishing them.” Also publishers: “What can we publish to fit this era of reduced attention spans when people are reading fewer novels?”

So, I have a lot of respect for @islandmag.bsky.social . And ordinarily, I welcome criticism of my work. But this piece contains several serious factual inaccuracies. Where does this Ferr-Fow joker get off? 😤 Read and decide for yourself: islandmag.com/current-issue

So delighted to see Wayne Marshall shortlisted for the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction (a prize I actually helped set up, many moons ago!), with his tremendous 2nd novel Henry Goes Bush! www.readings.com.au/news/the-rea...

Paywalled alas, but the first review of Pip Adam's new novel, kluge (@thwupbooks.bsky.social), is up at the Listener: "Adam calls the novel a "scream" in her acknowledgements, and in every sense of the word, it is" www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener...

Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Vast and Trunkless Leg of Stone, Standing in the Desert from classic poem Ozymandias.

"takes the reader to unexpected places both fun and frightful, as surreal as Wake in Fright stuck in a landscape painted by James Gleeson." James Arbuthnott reviews Wayne Marshall's debut novel Henry Goes Bush: newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/wayne-marsha... @jamesjourno.bsky.social #BookSky 💙 📚️

Absolutely massive news, and well deserved! Anyone who loves, eg, The Left Hand of Darkness, or The Dispossessed, should be checking out Audition.

Reupping for the morning book folk. Henry Lawson is sent off to Bourke to sober up and learn about the true spirit of the country, but soon finds himself in, uh, a real "Battle for the Bush" with Banjo Patterson. Then the earthquakes start. A very fun book about Ozlit, moustaches and mateship.

Goood appreciation here of Wayne Marshall's debut novel Henry Goes Bush from Cameron Woodhead www.theage.com.au/culture/book...

So delighted to announce: kluge, the new @pipadam.bsky.social! (And the most breathtaking novel I’ve read in yonks…)

I don't want to alarm anyone, but Wayne Marshall's historical/literary/speculative romp, Henry Goes Bush, is at large and roaming the countryside. Track down a copy however you can.

In scenic Bacchus Marsh today for the launch of Wayne Marshall's epic Henry Goes Bush!

Cover reveal today for Adam Ouston's new novel "Mine" from Transit Lounge! "A wild, ecstatic howl of a book, dense with ideas and emotion and written with a ferocious energy as mesmerising as it is exhilarating" says James Bradley, and...indeed!! transitlounge.com.au/shop/mine/

When the top 10% of consumers make up half of all spending, the economy can at the same time be technically going well while the majority of people struggle massively. This is the US right now. Hope that helps when thinking about societal problems.

I am so grateful that organisations including Writers SA have banded together to create Constellations - Not Writers Week. It was awful to see Writers Week cancelled; now we've got a flurry of so many writing events on the horizon!

Many thanks to Emma Rayward and Meanjin(!) for this thoughtful review of Here Are My Demands. All my world-building was not for nothing! (And now I'm inspired to go harder in my next spec-fic effort...) meanjin.com.au/latest/put-i...

"A literary culture disaggregated from the contemporary world consigns itself to utter irrelevance – and yet in Albanese's Australia, the fantasy of an apolitical cultural sector seems to have been installed as de facto cultural policy." @catrionamp.bsky.social infra-dig.ghost.io/hard-surface...

Constellations not cancellations! www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...

A guerrilla festival is indeed being discussed 📚❤️ ✊🏼 www.indailysa.com.au/news/just-in...

For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of hearing Ben Walter read his own work -- this is a very excellent way to spend a minute and thirteen seconds:

Me last weekend, taking in some sport during a break at the Short Story Festival #ManOfThePeople

This weekend, the Australian Short Story Festival is on in Adelaide. It's always a great vibe, so get along if you can. I'll be moderating a couple of sessions. On Saturday night, there's a 'Complaint Letters' event that should be good fun. More here: australianshortstoryfestival.com/2025-program/

How interesting. Ultimo Books specifically open to subs of manuscripts between 30-40k words (both fiction and nonfiction). Don't think I've seen anything like this from a biggish publisher in Australia before. hardiegrant.submittable.com/submit/33977...

Super proud of my homeboy and 'confident literary talent' @jake-dean.bsky.social, who has been shortlisted for the Richell!

👀 Jump on this, friends!

I do! I do love to see it!!

This, exactly. GenAI, as I'm experiencing it in my working life, is a machine for shifting cognitive burden from one colleague (the AI user) to another (the person who receives, must interpret, and must almost always re-do the work).

It felt like Australian publishing was shrinking with mergers and the shock closure of Meanjin - waiting to see the full story behind that! But there's a few new players bring fresh energy and new books in recent months. With thanks to @jocaseau.bsky.social for excellent editing.

Me in today's 70s wallpaper shirt plugging Lithosphere book launch at Fullers.

I’m on a panel called ‘justice’ as part of this new writers festival coming up on Kaurna yarta SLSA 20-21 September www.eventbrite.com/cc/writers-a...

Ripper review of @roffwrites.bsky.social’s Here are my Demands notaboutbooks.blogspot.com/2025/09/andr...

On grief dreams, planting trees, and figuring out how to talk about loss and death with the toddler (w cameo from Grug)

Really sad to hear the news about Meanjin. Seeing one of my stories in print there, alongside work by ozLit giants, was the first time I felt like a real writer. What we're losing with this closure is not replaceable.

Thanks to @readingsbooks.bsky.social for this review of Here Are My Demands. Worth emphasising that you can buy this very book from Readings *right now* via the magic of internet technology. www.readings.com.au/reviews/here...

Adelaide friends: we are officially launching Here Are My Demands at Ern Malley bar in Stepney on 27 August. Come hear me tee off about the state of the future! All welcome, (free) tickets essential. Details here: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/book-launc...

A reminder that this is tonight! From the comfort of your preferred location, listen to Alex be erudite about satire, and me... also say words.

I will be in conversation with author mate @cothren_alex on 14 August about our new releases. Webinar free for all comers. Join us for books, brains and bromance! (Ps. you don't need a student id to register) adelaide.zoom.us/webinar/regi...