When Michaela McGuire was hired by a federal MP eight months before the 2007 election, she didn't know exactly what to expect. She probably should have, because before that she had worked in the highrollers' room of a casino and had overseen lap dances in a strip club. It would become another novelty job to add to her brief but colourful r�sum�.Michaela has advised a Liberal MP to campaign for his seat rather than get a haircut, cleaned ashtrays and helped organise a senior partner'...

Women of Letters have conquered the world with their passion for correspondence. Taking their literary salons on a global tour, they've collected an astounding and sweeping array of contributions from some of the world's brightest talents.From Ubud, award-winning author Lionel Shriver writes with unexpected nostalgia about her days as an unknown novelist.Musician Moby pays tribute from Los Angeles to his favourite David Bowie song, even while acknowledging the frustration o...

'Letters, we have witnessed firsthand, stir some unusually beautiful things in people,' write Women of Letters curators Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire. In From the Heart, the full power of letter-writing is on display.Rock star Amanda Palmer thanks a song for reminding her of the importance of music, and the importance of love.Torn between wanting to encourage and wanting to warn, Senator Penny Wong tells of the 'amazing highs and terrible lows' of choosing a ca...

What dark gastronomic slip does Annabel Crabb have to confess to an unsuspecting guest?How did Mary Anderson change the life of Frank Woodley – despite the fact the two of them have never met?How did a plate of steak teach Missy Higgins a firm lesson about not being too hard on herself?The act of letter writing allows us to slow down and truly connect, with a person, a subject, an idea. At their hugely popular Women of Letters events, Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuir...

Dear Madonna,Thank you for showing me that it is okay to be both a devoted mother and on a podium drenched in glitter.Love, Em RuscianoDear Mum,My life is so much more fortunate than yours was and I'm sorry if my unplanned arrival was a part of that.Love, Anthony AlbaneseDear Leigh Sales,What kind of psychopath is unmoved by fairy wrens?Love, Annabel Crabb

When Jill Meagher went missing and was then found murdered in 2012, the city of Melbourne was shaken to the core. Emotional responses ranged from grief to guilt to rage to defensiveness, but no one was left untouched.The media coverage was unrelenting and overwhelming, constantly updating readers and viewers on the latest awful details, and friends and neighbours couldn't help but discuss it. Here acclaimed writer Michaela McGuire eloquently describes how, as the story continued to ...

In homage to that most civilised of activities, letter writing, Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire created the literary afternoons of Women of Letters. Some of Australia's finest dames of stage, screen and page have delivered missives on a series of themes.Published here for the first time are Deborah Conway writing about the ups and downs of being a dog owner in A Letter to the Best Decision I Ever Made; Ita Buttrose imagining an alternative life as an opera singer in A Letter to ...

With sold-out live events around the country and a bestselling book, Women of Letters have revived the gentle art of letter writing. In this all-new collection of missives, a dazzling array of noteworthy Australians share their wisdom, wit and wildest dreams.Here Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire have preserved a year of captivating correspondence. The irresistible line-up features Kate Miller-Heidke writing 'A love letter' to her twelve-year-old self; Di Morrissey recounting a dra...

Writing a letter can be an act of confession or celebration, while receiving one can bring joy, insight and vivid memories. Ambassadors for correspondence Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire have lured some of our best and brightest to the literary afternoons of Women of Letters to write and read missives of all kinds.Bestselling novelist Hannah Kent exchanges letters about books, editing and synchronicity with her publisher Alex Craig.Intimate and outrageous declarations of...

Haunted by the brutal murder of a local couple, David heads to his weekend shack with his new lover, Lydia, and his children from his recently crumbled marriage. Together they find escape, if only briefly, in the ocean and the bush.The Bodysurfers, the title story of Robert Drewe's classic first collection, is a vivid evocation of love, passion, terror and the beauty of the beach.

Austin North sees himself as a fine English teacher in his local high school. His students respect him, and he finds personal fulfillment in teaching them the power of poetry to move and inspire. However, Austin's self-perceptions are upset by his infatuation with a young Sudanese girl, a recent immigrant to Australia. When Austin realises that he is just another predator in her difficult journey, he is forced to re-examine his own values and relationships.

Compelling short fiction from Christos Tsiolkas, bestselling author of The Slap.'My God,' she thought, a coldness settling in her, 'do I hate him?' After witnessing her teenage son insult a disabled girl, a mother struggles with contempt for her child.