Smiths Alternative Bookshop - part of beautiful, clever, thoughtful, political Canberra

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25 June 2009 poetry event!!! We are hosting the Canberra launch of a fabulous book of poetry, Taste of a Poem, by the wonderful Fiona McIlroy, this Monday the 29th of June, at 6pm. There will be drinks and nibblies provided, as well as music and of course, poetry.

Fiona is currently a cafe Poet in Residence at Carlos in Watson, and her poetry reflects her experiences of connection to the land, environmental activism, community involvment, and family.

Hope you can join us here on Monday.

17 June 2009 - Bob Ellis The iconic iconoclast, Mr Bob Ellis was excellent! Challenging, forthright, controversial and deeply thoughful. We believe he talks like Leonard Cohen sings (we mean that as a compliment), he walks the walk like Jack Kerouac and he puts pen to paper in a way that might attract comparisons with Hunter S Thompson. But we do know he is a hard man to offend because he is ALWAYS offended by something that is offensive. And so it went. Buy the book, discover stuff you didn't know, have a chuckle, be informed, be outraged, maybe be offended - it is well worth the read.

16 June 2009 - Bob Ellis Yep tonight at 6pm the iconoclast hisself, Mr Bob Ellis talking about his latest book And so it went. "It seems little of our life on earth and the heroes we briefly worship that Bob Ellis, rumpled, ubiquitous court jester, has not thought about or illumined with warmth, commonsense and occasional gusts of humour." Will he say something controversial? Is my insurance policy up to date? I'll just go check - See you here.

7 June 2009 EVENT, EVENT. EVENT WAS SUCCESSFUL!!! The launch of Block #8 was a happening event.

1 June 2009 EVENT, EVENT. EVENT!!! YEP an event is happening right here in this shop The launch of the ANU's fabulous literary journal Block #8 is happening on Thursday 4th July 2009 at 6PM - be here or be no where!!!!! Wine/Food/Poetry/Prose/People/Emerging writers/Stuff

Here is a poem that may have made the Block #8 but didn't because it wasn't entered (a small oversight) but it will be entered for inclusion in Block #9 and it better be included or there will be hell to pay!!!!

As Leonard Cohen may see the issue
if you do not wish to think, if you do not want to choose
then let a stranger pick your make-up and also select your shoes
and do without the sky and wind and see not when it rains
see no begging blind men but see some shallow pain
and see the same old same old every day and the same old every night
constant-ness is nice for some and there is no cause to fight
we all become that citizen that is made to consume
everything is all in view, the goods, the lights, the room
and in the end we will end not by bombs or calamity
we'll be ruined by our sameness and our long stemmed vanity

so rejoice before the altar of mediocrity
and sing the songs we know so well and drink that ersatz tea
and park our cars and pay our dues
and test the rouge and the sugared perfumes
and let's all come when they say come all
and ruin every soul at the shopping mall.


One of our favourite sites.
Former Canberran Chab Gassie has a new site. We like it.

Operation Bludgeon: Operative Journal

and he (Chab Gassie) likes 100 Animals To See Before You Die.

28 May 2009 - Hooray! Graeme Barrow has released his new and updated and latest book on bush walks in Tidbinbilla Exploring Tidbinbilla on Foot Yep Graeme has probably worn out a hundred pair of shoes and three compasses putting this together. The 2003 bushfires destroyed all the old tracks and here are the new ones.

20 May 2009 What's selling? And why? Well to start off with it is Coffee, hot chocolate and Tea which you can't really buy on line (although if you want we will post it to you). In the way of books we are selling:
The Brain that Changes Itself this is a very interesting book about how the brain heals itself, perhaps we could organise some of this activity for some CEOs of banks and big businesses because they have brains that definitely need changing.

Transform your Life by Kelsang Gyatso, Geshe. Maybe CEOs of banks and large companies should read this book and discover a better life or a better way to live their lives?

The Guide to Ethical Supermarket Shopping 2009. This is selling very well and (you may have already guessed the next comment) the CEOs of large banks and of large supermarkets need to get a copy because they ARE NOT in it and they should transform their lives, change their brains and get into this book.

The Accidental Guerrilla which is about terrorism and how it works (please insert appropriate comment concerning CEOs and terrorism here).

Book of Longing by the great, the fabulous, the well liked Leonard Cohen!!! Wouldn't it be great if that great man became a CEO of a bank, yes I know the bank may go broke but it would do so in a most poetic and thought provoking way. Halleleujiah .... Halleleujiah .....Halleleujiah ....hal lay lew ooooohhhh yar!!


15 may 2009 We recently did another survey of the noises and things we hear from our customers when they walk around the shop. Here are the top five:

1- Wow wee that is fantastic, really really really fantastic

2- Oh My God Oh My God Oh My God oh my god oh my god

3- yes yes yes yes oh ohh ohhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh yes more more more - sorry that's enough please stop

4- yeeerrrkk, I just hate those shopping malls, thank god for shops like this one, oh check out this weird book

5- hicka wicka slicka ticka shreeeeee

Proving that 1 in five of our customers is odd.

4 May 2009 - A selection for dear old Mums (Mothers' day is on the way!!!)

My Brick Oven - lots of Mothers are forever using ovens but we reckon they might want to build their own brick oven. ......

On Bullshit by Harry Frankfurt - have Mothers had to deal with shit all their lives? Well have they?? Certainly in the first year or so of my life my Mother dealt with my shit and then when I was a teenager she dealt with further shit so here for Mums is a simple book on the other shit they encounter in life, good old fashioned BULLSHIT!

A Decapitated Coffee Please This books is hilarious and Mothers will love it and use it to hang shit on their kids and partners, you know, they say stuff like "Oh I remember the time when you were 3 and you said 'Mummy can I have a shit sandwich' and other fond memories.

British Fashion Designers: Paper Dolls This is for the more the more traditional Mother.

Gigs from Hell Lots of Mothers went to rock concerts when they were young (some still do) and we are sure they behaved extremely badly, perhaps even got pregnant and had YOU? Maybe your father is Mick Jagger?? (yeah maybe). This book will bring back memories, ask her to tell you some.

Ethical Shopping This is for women who don't do the shopping so they can tell their partners what to buy.

1 May 2009 Today is May Day and to celebrate you may buy a book. How about this socially aware publication? The Voice is a journal of comment and review which hopes to suggest ways to make a more democratic, participatory and culturally rich world and be part of the processes involved in such changes. Voice seeks to increase the relevance of Ozlit and support the independence of social comment. It is edited by Bill Tully (who does a lot of different things for our community); Ian McFarlane (novelist, poet and critic); and Stephen Matthews (owner of Ginninderra Press). To read a sample issue (available in read-only PDF format), Click here. or you can Click here to buy the latest copy.


We love this book - From Little Things Big Things Grow (Vincent Lingiari must have been an amazingly tough, insightful, forward thinking, patient statesman and the people who wrote this song and did this book are also worthy worthy people)........From Little Things Big Things Grow................From Little Things Big Things Grow................From Little Things Big Things Grow................From Little Things Big Things Grow!!...... (see here for the lyrics)


EVENT Friday 26th April, 6pm. Gen Kelsang Rabten will do a talk on 'Transform your life' by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. The National Spiritual Director of Kadampa Buddism of Australia, Gen Kelsang Rabten has studied meditation for 10 years. He has travelled widely, by taking different positions within the discipline. He is now teaches in various places throughout Australia. On Friday he will be introducing the wonderful book 'Transform Your Life'.

"The best-selling title, Transform Your Life is a relevant and practical guide to help solve our daily problems and attain pure happiness from within. Beautifully written and magically inspiring, Transform Your Life is a must for anyone that wishes for everlasting peace and happiness."

TWITTER - yep we are now on Twitter as Smithsaltbooks. Follow us and we will follow you! (Will it actually be done? We don't know)

What's Selling? Try these fancy books that we seem to have sold more of then we expected: The Canberra & Queanbeyan Cycling & Walking Map (we are a fit lot of people here in Canberra (& Queanbeyan)) .............. The Brain That Changes Itself ........ Zen-Brain Reflections ........ Valley of Grace .........Sea of Poppies ............. .........The Anatomy of Wings by the fabulously credited, award winning colourful author Karen Foxlee ................. .........Food for Thought - very clever use of fruit and veges ........................ .........The Onion's Our Dumb World ................ .........The Great Family Songbook".

EVENT- On Friday 20th March, 6.30pm to 9.30pm Fund Raiser: To help raise awareness and funds towards the wellbeing of indigenous communities in Altai - Central Asia. Altai is known as the 'Pearl of Asia' and is situated in the middle of Euroasia. Its rugged beauty, diverse ecosystems and the local indigenous people of the Altai Republic are under threat from Russian land reforms. Help over 80,000 indigenous people protect their way of life and their ancestral lands. Musicians: Bunna Lawrie is the singer of legendary Aboriginal band 'Coloured Stone'. Trio Encuentro comprises of three talented Latin American musicians that will enchant patrons with their melodies and acoustic guitars.

EVENT- On Thursday 19 March, 5.30pm for 6.00pm - In Government we Trust: Market Failure and the Delusions of Privatisation Come to the book launch and hear author and academic Jane Andrew speak on this important topic. There is a mounting disquiet throughout liberal democracies with the social and political consequences of aggressive free marker economies.
While we began to feel the effects of market meltdown with the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the USA, the authors suggest that events surrounding crises such as the curent economic crisis, 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina are stark examples of market failure. This book is a timely investigation of the dangers of unfettered markets and the high-profile markers failures and crises brought about by the privatisation of core public services. In many ways this book says "DON'T TRUST BIG BANKS AND BIG BUSINESS" - we at Smiths Bookshop agree totally!

EVENT- On Wednesday 4 March we will have the author of Princesses and Pornstars, Emily Maguire, in the shop for a short discussion on what has happened to women's rights in this era of porn, botox and the celebrity diet. In her book Emily confronts a whole range of subjects that are concerning* to a lot of modern women, and to the feminist warriors of old as well as to parents of teenage and near teenage girls. She will discuss these issues and answer questions (and she is very engaging and witty so it should be entertaining as well as informative).

Emily will be in the shop from 12.30 to 1.30 so that you can enjoy your lunch time with a little discussion on modern concerns, bring your sangas. Please let us know if you are coming and send this email to any friends who are still feminists at heart or have daughters.

Emily will also be lecturing at the ANU on the evening of Wednesday - 4 March, 8-9pm Lecture Theatre 1, Manning Clark Centre, Building 26a, Union Court, ANU.
Click on the events tab up above here somewhere for more information.

BOOK EVENT - LAUNCH OF Bureaucrats and Bleeding Hearts by Tess Lea. Come and hear about the book "Bureaucrats and Bleeding Hearts: Indigenous Health in Northern Australia", guest speaker will be author of the book, Tess Lea, from Charles Darwin University.

***5:30pm for 6:00pm - 7:00pm TUESDAY 24th February***

Tess Lea is a Darwin-born academic and anthropologist with a longstanding interest in the cultural life of organisations, and in particular, the ways in which social service bureaucracies help and also hinder the people they are meant to serve.

"Bureaucrats and Bleeding Hearts" is a close examination of the culture of public health professionals in Territory Health Services. It describes the endless circularity of bureaucratic logic, and how it comes to pass that people working inside the service come to see the world as needing more of their efforts, whether or not those efforts are particularly effective. The culture of goodwill and ideas about benefit are the subject.

Smiths Bookshop says: The recent intervention in the Northern Territory has caused some angst, and joy, and trouble, and solutions, and fear, and anger, and relief ....and... and ..... and ...........what is really going on? This author and her book might help answer some of these questions. See you here and please let us know you are coming by ringing 6247 4459.

BOOK EVENT - LAUNCH OF The Glass Violin by local celebrity poet Geoff Page. The Glass Violin contains poems about dogs, gods, Australia's military operations, injustice, politics, music, teeth, ageing, childhood and those little pieces of plastic that hold bread-bags together. It is, in other words, a diverse collection, marked by vivid imagery, inventive use of language and humour. It was recently reviewed by US critic Jendi Reiter on the web-site Winning Writers (24 December) http://www.winningwriters.com/new/ wn_new.php: A shorter version of a review published in her blog, is below (http://www.jendireiter.com/) The Glass Violin By P.S. Cottier. This Australian poet truly does see the universe in a grain of sand--as well as in a tram ticket, a Caesarian scar, the names of Australian military operations, a shabby bear in the Soviet zoo, a wren visiting a dead friend's garden, and myriad other small details of modern life that she turns into windows on the human condition, in verses both whimsical and profound.


COFFEE ESPRESSO Cappuccino Flat White HOORAY COOFFEE IS NOW IN THE SHOP. And if you buy $50 worth of books you get a free cup of coffee, and if you buy $100 worth of books you get 2 cups of coffee - up to 40 cups of coffee for $2000 worth of books (plus a big hug from the owner)

BOOK EVENT - ACT LAUNCH OF CLIMATE CODE RED BY 'John Howard'.

The highly acclaimed book Climate Code Red which warns of the severe dangers posed by Global Warming is to be launched in Canberra by 'John Howard' at Smiths Alternative Bookshop in Canberra on Friday, Jan 30 at 5pm.
Its authors, David Spratt and Phillip Sutton have emerged, according to the Melbourne AGE, as amongst the most important analysts of the global warming issue, following its highly successful Melbourne launch by the Victorian State Governor, David De Kresta, late last year. According to NASA Chief Research Scientist, James Hanson, Climate Code Red is a compelling case for recognizing that we face a climate emergency. It provides a clear, well informed sober consideration of the evidence on the imminent and potentially cataclysmic impact of climate change. Its analysis of global warming and call for urgent and comprehensive change to avert a global disaster is at great variance to the woefully inadequate understanding of the problem displayed by the Rudd Government.
Professor Robert Manne calls Climate Code Red an important book on climate change because it honestly confronts the scale and magnitude of both the danger and the response that is required.

'John Howard' has promised to confess all over why his Government failed to act on Global Warming when he launches the book. Just who he will blame will be revealed at the launch.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Smiths Alternative Bookshop on 6247 4459 or Geoff Lazarus 0419 369 206

21/1/2009 Coffee machine is.........installed!! But we don't have any coffee yet, but we will soon and then we'll start practicing and getting it right. We also received a new store mannequin, haven't named her yet but she will provide psychological support to our employees - the same as the public service has a staff support process. She won't say much but she will listen (or appear to be listening) and she won't interrupt, or suggest false solutions, or make matters worse. Then we shall organise for her election to the government where she could not do a worse job. Could she?

20/1/2009 Coffee machine gets installed today!! So we won't be able to sell the coffee but you can come and try it if you like.

17/1/2009 Coffee gets closer!! The coffee machine will be installed on Tuesday 21/1 and then we may start selling it by the end of January - we have to get health approval and stuff like that.

To get your custom (aka get your money) we will offer a free cup of coffee (or tea or chocolate etc etc) with every $50 worth of books purchased, and 2 cups of coffee for every $100 etc etc up to 500 cups for $25,000 of books (plus a free book on kidney transplants). We will also offer a free book with every 500 cups of coffee! Sheeeesh - how good is that.........

11/1/2009 - What to do in summer? Well it just might be walking and going to the beach and reading about Canberra and the nearby (relatively when compared to, say, Hawaii) beaches. These might help make a decision on where to walk and on which beach or hill and about some of the things you may see on the way.
Beaches of Batemans Bay and the Eurobodalla Coast,
Beaches of Jervis Bay Kiama and the Shoalhaven,
Beaches of Merimbula and the Sapphire Coast,
Walking Canberra's Hills and Rivers,
Terror and the Scenic Coast,
The Prime Minister's Lodge: Canberra's Unfinished Business.


1/1/2009 Happy New Year !!! Hooray!!! and we believe in these times of economic downturn (caused by the excesses of big business and the failure of self regulation and the poor decisions of governments at all levels*), that a cheap but deep way to spend time is by reading. We recommend a lot of things - a history book, a novel, a classic, some information on how things work, an opinion from an opinionated but deeply clever person, some humour, an art book, something on self help or growing your own vegetables etc

*Please note we claim the first diatribe of 2009 against bad big businesses and appalling decisions by government - we believe this is the first attack of 2009 and we want a prize!

16/12/2008 Three new versions of the Twelve Days of Xmas - Enjoy

Authors

On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Twelve of Shakespeare's dramas,
Eleven Carre thrillers,
Ten Steinbeck classics,
Nine Tolkien sagas
Eight Mem Fox tales,
Seven Pilger Tirades,
Six Fulton Cookbooks,
Five Christie Mysteries,
Four John Donne poems,
Three of Oscar Wilde's,
Two Bronte Novels
And a book by Murakami!

Canberra Writers

On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Twelve Canberra Writers,
Eleven Kituai Tankas,
Ten Geoff Page classics,
Nine Tully Tirades,
Eight Les Murray poems
Seven John Murray tales,
Six Hal Judge things,
Five books by Halligan,
Four Cain exposes,
Three of Sara Dowse's,
Two Johnston Novels,
And a book from Smiths Alternate-eeeeee (Bookshop!)

Genres

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Twelve emerging authors,
Eleven manga comics,
Ten foreign classics,
Nine sci-fi sagas
Eight travel tales,
Seven Asian cookbooks,
Six horror stories,
Five mysteries,
Four of Shakespeare's Sonnets,
Three dictionaries,
Two graphic Novels
And a book about Roman history

08/12/2008 A book launch - This Thursday at 5 PM is the launch of an important book about Terrorism & Intelligence in Australia: A History of ASIO & National Surveillance"" by local expert Frank Cain. It will be launched by the recently retired but still active Wayne Berry.

Did John Howard really politicize ASIO, that couldn't have happened? Could it? Would John Howard have done such a thing? See blurb below and we will see you at the shop on Thursday - Refreshments and wine will be provided and if anyone wishes to politicize this event then we will check with John Howard first (or maybe we'll check with his replacement, Maxine McKew.)

"Australia is actively engaged in the War on Terror. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and the Australian Federal Police have expanded rapidly in size, and their powers have been enhanced by counter-terrorism legislation. Frank Cain argues that these agencies were significantly politicized under the Howard government, though not for the first time.

This book also traces the history of the intelligence agencies in Australia and their use by anti-labour governments against the broad left. In World War I, the nationalist leader Billy Hughes deployed military intelligence against opponents of his war policy. Before and after World War II, Robert Menzies did so in taking steps to counter the activities of the Communist Party. Cain explores the contentious notion that Australias surveillance agencies have today become adoptive allies of the Liberal Party."

See you at 5 pm on Thursday and afterwards you can go to one of the very fabulous restaurants in the Melbourne Building and opposite our shop.

3/12/2008 Xmas is nearly here - you can tell by all the carry on down at the mall (such pathetic retail hype) so here is our retail hype (and we shall do a Xmas Catalogue as well).

We wish you a merry book-mas, we wish you a merry book-mas, we wish you a merry book-mas and a happy new read.


26/11/2008 Another Book launch - you Tanka!
Smiths Alternative Bookshop is happy to invite you along to the launch of Kathy Kituai's new poetry CD 'The Heart Takes Wings'. This collection features poems from her very popular poetry collection Straggling into Winter, accompanied by the beautiful music of Nitya Bernard Parker. Kathy is well-versed in the ancient art of Japanese tanka, (if you don't know what that is come along and find out) and this is sure to be a very special evening.

Also being launched are two new titles from David P Reiter, 'Primary Instinct', which is a witty take on the world of State Primary schools, plus one for the kids, 'Global Cooling'. This is a sequel to 'The Greenhouse Effect' and is a very fun book with a great environmental message.

When: WEDNESDAY Nov. 26th at 6.30pm sharp Where: Here at the shop!! Opposite the Canberra GPO Post Office in Alinga St and if you don't know where we are "shame on you and shame on us and shame on shame and stuff" (as George Bush used to say before he became a lame).

As always, refreshments provided. We hope to see you here!

19/11/2008 Another Book launch - you beauty! - You are invited to the Canberra Launch of Straggling into Winter by our own local Kathy Kituai here - Wednesday November 26th 2008 6pm, Drinks provided, Please RSVP to books@smithsbooks.com.au - a book that is thoughtful, entertaining, cultural and not likely to be sold in those shocking, souless, mind-numbing malls.

9/11/2008 Book launch - Yay - You are invited to the Canberra Launch of Live an Exceptional Life by our own local Rachael Millsom, here - Thursday November 13th 2008 6pm, Drinks provided, Please RSVP to books@smithsbooks.com.au - a book that is useful, practical and not likely to be sold in malls.

6/11/2008 Art in Alinga Street - That's right our part of town has been invaded for two weeks by some fabulous artwork from Canberra's fabulous artists. There are also two works in our shop, one in the window which is by Lucy Quinn and some in the shop by Nick Stranks. The window display is very obvious and interestingly good but the art in the shop is not so obvious (although still interestingly good) - the art isn't hidden but it might not be obvious - so 10% discount to anyone who can spot what that art is!! Also there is an art book catalogue, just go to the catalogues link above.

25/10/2008 - Astrological Calendar and Moon Planting Guide - 2009 NOW AVAILABLE. This is the calendar produced every Year by Thomas Zimmer. It is great for gardening, planning and predicting and it also looks fantastic hanging on a wall. It is $11.95 plus postage if you buy off the web because of the cost of the cardboard cylinder to protect your purchase, or $8.95 if you come into the shop and buy it and even talk to us for a bit.

Reminder about the CD by that fabulous Rafe bloke called "It's not as shit as it looks " (which it isn't) Remember we are the only proper place in the world that has this CD (maybe). An album of humorous songs that will make you smile and even LOL. Check it out right HERE

23 October 2008 Launch, launch, launch, launch - come and check out what the emerging poets, writers, artists, prose-ists, thinkers and doers have produced in the latest version (#7) of the ANU Writer's Block Block #7 - Thursday 23rd October at 6.00pm, and Frank Moorehouse will be there to make sure all is launched effectively and with the right amount of style and panache.

What has caused all the financial problems? Poor government? Yes. Greed? Definitely. Greedy incompentent American Banks and American Presidents? Oh yeah! Check out our catalogues list to see what might explain what is happening.

Should CEOs pay back all the bonuses they earned over the last decade? To vote or make comment send an email to books@smithsbooks.com.au or contact your local MP! Down with hopeless, greedy, stupid CEOs who can only focus on their personal long term wealth and not on the needs of everybody else!! (We include ALL of the large shopping mall landlords in this diatribe)

EVENT Thursday 9th October 6PM, Independence and the Death of Employment, by Australia's Guru on new employment trends and activities Ken Phillips (see Ken's recent article from The Age Newspaper here)
- To be launched by Christian kerr, well known and very human journo from up on the hill, go to the events part of this page for more information. This event launches two significant publications about the modern world of work involving independent contractors/independent professionals (IPros). Currently representing around 20 per cent of Australia's workforce, equating to 1.9 million people, this significant sector of the workforce is still not well understood. Indeed, to this day, virtually no research has been conducted about them and the organizations that engage them. These two publications provide important steps towards developing a much needed, in-depth understanding of this important group.

Independence and the Death of Employment shakes ideas by exposing concepts that people may not even realize they hold. Every day, when people "go to work", they are involved in legal and human relationships that define who they are or who they are allowed to be. Ken Phillips challenges ideas of the firm, careers, management and regulation from] the perspective of independent contractors. The Forgotten Workforce reports on research findings about the attitudes to work of independent contractors/independent professionals (IPros) and those that engage them. The research has focused on face-to-face interviews with information technology contractors and an online survey of engager businesses.

EVENT Monday (today) 29th September Today (5.30pm) is the launch of a new book on sustainability (which we consider to be one of the better books on the subject) Positive Development: From Vicious Circles to Virtuous Cycles through Built Environment Design by Janis Birkeland will be launched by Deb Foskey.

Refreshments provided and all welcome. Remember that afterwards you can have dinner at La Pasa, straight across the road from the bookshop, they will give you a 10% discount on food (not alcohol) if you mention the book launch. More information in the events part of this website.

And by the way I cannot help but make comment on George Bush's offer to rescue the world from financial ruin - he is so kind and thoughtful to save us all from the mess he created, but it does not fill me with confidence and I wish he would just stick with his area of expertise - making unnecessary war. I think the book we are launching is something he should read and take to bed with him every night. Sorry.

EVENT Saturday 27th Very nice poetry event. Liam is a chef in a local Japanese restaurant (the Iori - great Japanese restaurant with the best dragon rolls EVER (no dragon was killed in the making of those rolls)). Thanks Liam and we hope to see another book soon.

EVENTS Saturday 27th and Monday 29th September

Saturday 27th 4PM - Launch of a new book of poetry by local poet Liam Bourke Tranquility of Crimson Flow - Refreshments provided and all welcome. This is one for you if you especially dislike football grand finals and want a bit of culture in your life!

Monday 29th 5.30PM - A new book on sustainability (which we consider to be one of the better books on the subject) Positive Development: From Vicious Circles to Virtuous Cycles through Built Environment Design by Janis Birkeland will be launched by Deb Foskey. Refreshments provided and all welcome. Afterwards have dinner at La Pasa, straight across the road from the bookshop, they will give you a 10% discount on food (not alcohol) if you mention the book launch. More information in the events part of this website. See you here.


23 September Recently a new book came our way that is a fascinating biography on an interesting man, Griffith Taylor. He was a geographer who explored the Antarctic (on Scott's 1910-1913 expedition) and founded departments of geography at the University of Sydney and the University of Toronto. His global travels paralleled the global scope of his writings that covered issues ranging from environment, climate and settlement, to race, migration, conflict and peace. Check it out.

22 September Sorry everybody, we haven't changed the website for about a fortnight! We blame the Rudd government and the previous Howard government for creating and maintaining too much red tape. Also we may be slightly focused on books (shop) and not as much on books(web) as we should be.

7 September Wooaahh - what weeks last week and the week before were (was). Kel Robertson is just a hoot and his book, Smoke and Mirrors, is receiving excellent reviews (one customer said she was captured from the first page and couldn't put it down after that) and the poetry was excellent and we can see why poetry is once again becoming popular. (pause, big breath). Thanks to Kel and Lizz Murphy and Emily and EVERYONE.

Please visit the shop often and buy oodles of books - as a matter of fact let me test how many people actually visit this website by saying that anyone who purchases a book between now and, say, the 15th of September will receive a magical 25% discount if they say (or write in their order) "25% website dicount please" - or just mention you saw it on the website. Hang on conditions of some type will have to apply - how about - the book must be in stock for you to get the discount.

EVENT Thursday 4th September Performance poetry and a competition to create a great poem about Smiths Alternative Bookshop - that's right about us! The prize for the winning entry is a $100 gift voucher and we will make the poem into a poster and stick it in the window of the shop! Instant fame. This is being organised by Emily Stewart from ANU Block (and this shop) and Lizz Murphy, THE poet from Binalong. It (the poetry night) is to celebrate national poetry week. Should be a great, cultural, entertaining and thought provoking night. Be here or be nowhere......

EVENT - Thursday 28th August - The launch of local crime writer Kel Robertson's new book Smoke and Mirrors,. Kel's previous book, 'Dead Set', received excellent reviews and sold well in Canberra and also in Sydney and Melbourne. Kel will soon become a well-known name in the genre of Australian crime fiction and we knew him first!

25 August 2008 - so much to talk about
We've conducted an intensive survey of everybody we know and we all agree - last night's Tableaux Vellum was fabulous! Thanks Min Mae and muses, and thanks to all the fine, cultured Canberra folk who came along.

Next up on our super busy and exciting run of events is Andrew Galan who is our Writer-In-Residence from 4pm each day this week. Come on in and offer some sage word advice. And pick up a copy of Kel Robertson's latest 'Smoke and Mirrors'. Then go and see what Pablo is getting up to across the road as CLAW's premier spectacle, 'Cabin Fever'. It's all happening on Alinga St!

Almost finally, don't forget to grab your copy of Macabre Canberra before it's all sold out. This is a directory to all the spooky sites (and there are many!) in our region. Comes with a handy map, so you can DIE I mean DIY tour. ONLY $12 BUCKS!!!!!!!!!

Ciao for now

18 August 2008 - special events We are very pleased to be part of Canberra Living Artists Week (CLAW). We have two amazing unmissable events happening as well as book launch on Thursday 28th by Kel Robertson.

Event 1 - Sunday 24 August: 'Tableaux Vellum - words on skin' by the fabulous Min Mae. $15.00 ($10 Concession card holders). Strictly no cameras and you MUST book a time. (Contains nudity)

Min Mae's Tableaux is a performance involving a collaboration between artists, writers and muses. Min brings various forms of art into direct contact with the human body to create interactions between art, muses and the audience. The writers will respond to the setting of the bookshop, creating works which reference the themes of art, text and books.

The Tableaux artists and writers capture concepts conveyed by the muses, the perceptions of their bodies and selves. The placement of the resulting text and the poses are the vision of the tableaux artist in collaboration with the visual artists applying text to bodies.

Tableaux Vellum is a collaboration between Min Mae and Adam Hadley, Andrew Galan, Dan Kempers, Eileen Tuite, Hal Judge, Jo Telfer, Joan Cornish, Karin Ferguson, Luke Cornish @ E.L.K Stencils , Michael Ellis, Naomi Milthorpe, Skye Gallagher, Sullivan OConnell and Yasmin Element.

You must book as Min Mae's shows are always oversubscribed. There will be two shows, one at 6.30pm amd one at 7.30pm. If there are enough people interested there will be a third show at 8.30pm. Bookings through Smiths Bookshop on 6247 4459 or reply to this email.

Event 2 is an on-going event of Word Smithing that starts at the Tableaux on Sunday the 24th and finishes on the evening of Friday the 29th of August. Andrew Gallen, a local emerging writer will be writing a book in the shop from 4pm to 6pm each day (and probably later on Friday). He wants to be influenced by the customers, the shop, the staff and the books. He wants people to see what he is writing and make comment and make contributions. Make sure you visit the shop and see Andrew in action and be a part of Canberra Living Artists Week!!!

12 August 2008 - events coming soon We have some fabulous events coming soon. For example we are having a special event at 6.00pm on Thursday 4 September 2008 based around performance poetry and a competition to create a great poem about Smiths Alternative Bookshop - that's right about us! The prize for the winning entry is a $100 gift voucher and we will make the poem into a poster and stick it in the window of the shop! Instant fame. This is being organised by Emily Stewart from ANU Block (and this shop) and Lizz Murphy, THE poet from Binalong. It (the poetry night) is to celebrate national poetry week. Should be a great, cultural, entertaining and thought provoking night.

Then on Sunday 24 August 2008 we will have an event called - Tableaux Vellum which will be part of Canberra Living Artists week, we will have two shows featuring the unique and thought provoking work of Min Mae, these will be in the evening (first one starts at 6.00pm). You will have to book for this one as it will be popular (Min's shows always book out). $15 entry ($10 concession cards). RSVP to 6247 4459. More information will be sent soon. (click here for an example of what Min Mae has done)

28 August - Thursday The launch of local crime writer Kel Robertson's new book 'Smoke and Mirrors'. Kel's previous book, 'Dead Set', received excellent reviews and sold well in Canberra and also in Sydney and Melbourne. Kel will soon become a well-known name in the genre of Australian crime fiction and we knew him first!

24 August to 29 August Andrew Galan is going to be our Writer-in-Residence. What this means is that he will be in the shop everyday from 4pm to 6pm writing a book. He is doing this because he wants to be influenced by the passing world, the passing people and the people that don't just pass but hang around for a while. What a great thing!!! This is part of Canberra Living Artists week.



31 July 2008 - new catalogues ~ Managing people and change is a catalogue of some of the books purchased by Rod Morrison, a locally based and internationnally recognised guru on managing people and change (and he didn't pay for this unsolicited compliment - but maybe he should?) and Catalogue of books for a women's support group is a list of some of the books purchased and maintained by a local group that provides support to women who are experiencing some difficulty in their lives. Excellent group of women supporters and excellent books.

18 July 2008 - some books that are a lot different and, perhaps, not PC! Naked Girls Smoking Weed, this book has, as you may have already guessed, photos of naked women smoking, what appears to be but is probably not, weed. Is this good or bad? Is it an art book, a pot culture book, a political statement by some weed smoking feminists or just a rude book? Only one way to find out. The next book, Foul Play, may not be PC or perhaps it is culturally incorrect as it appears to condemn organised sport. Very unAustralian and very unOlympic as well! In this book Bill Shankly argues that sport can be bad for your health, damaging to your character and is the last refuge of sexism, racism, homophobia and animal cruelty - hang on I love my games of snooker and I try not to hit the balls too hard. But maybe he means those organised monaterally obscene sports based around money, greed and TV ratings? You know like the Druglympics or the Tour de Farce?
Next is a book that will get all of the employees from this shop black listed in Consummunist China. No it isn't about the Fallen Gongs it is a book about Origins of Tibetan Culture, It mentions China as well as Kashmir and India and Buddhism in comic book form, very easy to read and informative.

4 July 2008 - excellent book launch with a song as well! Being in Love by Judith Pickering was launched last night at a meeting of the Canberra Jung Society. It was an extra interesting launch and I took great joy in completing the receipts for sales of the books with '$60 for Being in Love'!
And now I understand that the blurb for this book - Developing Therapeutic Pathways Through Psychological Obstacles to Love - is about helping practitioners help us understand ourselves and our need for Love, the most important of desires (Followed closely by the need to read, then the need for sex, then eating and then for a good gossip. TRUE!!! (maybe the second bit isn't so true but it might be)) This group of Jungians also broke into a bit of impromtu singing and it was truly beautiful singing and astounding harmony - to be a Jungian must also mean being able to sing?

3 July 2008 Book launch, 4 July 8.00pm at Lyneham (Not here in the shop). The new book is Being in Love by Judith Pickering, which is about Therapeutic Pathways Through Psychological Obstacles to Love . The launch is (again in case you missed it) tomorrow, Friday 4th JULY at 8 pm in the MacKillop Conference Centre,50 Archibald Street,Lyneham ACT. See you there. (having experienced love myself I am looking forward to it all being fully and completely explained - maybe).


27 June 2008 We are often asked what is selling well? Well, our best selling titles in the last 4 months are (drum role): The Apricot Coast by our own fabulous Marion Halligan, who launched one of our other best sellers, The ANU Writer's Block #6.

Next is various versions of The Quarterly Essay including Love & Money. We also sold lots of People of the book. We sold a lot of other books as well, but this will do for the moment.

14 June 2008 A different couple of books, one from a local author/artists at Braidwood and the other from far away USA. The first is The Big Think which is about the big bang as viewed from, perhaps, the way different cultures would have viewed it - excellent, different, enlightening and thought provoking.

The second book is the interestingly named How to Raise Your I.Q. by Eating Gifted Children which is from a very independent, 'publish on demand' (and obviously we demanded!), publisher. It is penned by one of America's very best satirists.

7 June 2008 The latest copy of Canberra's own literary and political comment journal, The Voice #26, is out now. (It complements Block #6 very nicely). Also we note that Angus & Roberston has taken over Borders Books - we are happy with that as A&R are lame, and independent bookshops will always be a better place to visit. The problem is that the government continues to force people into the mall, by closing non-mall based carparks, why are they so fixated with helping the big businesses and franchises in the mall and letting local businesses, who make up the difference between our community and other communities, struggle? Huh? Why?

2 June 2008 We note that the Shopping Mall in Civic in Canberra is now the official censor for our community - having banned and banished some nude (god bless my soul) drawings by year 11 and year 12 students (those disgusting young people just make me want to cry with - well - disgust!). Thank heavens we can all go into big shopping malls and see just what they want us to see (things for sale) and nothing of interest that may delight us or perhaps offend our senses. (Please believe me when I say I am being ironic - I hate those shopping mall places). To be offended or probably delighted see Block #6 (beware - there maybe rude words and drawings of breasts and Penii, and perhaps even some bottoms. (Sorry none of those are actually in Block #6 but they were in other earlier editions.))

31 May 2008 Successful Launch, launch, launch, launch - of ANU Writer's Block Block #6. Wow, so many people who are so knowledgeable of literature and the arts and what is emerging in those areas. Marion Halligan added her normal depth to the event and the people, together, drank over 14 bottles of wine but there was not one bit of binge drinking! More power to our emerging clever people. (Sadly the more large shopping malls that are built the less opportunity there will be for cleverness - mainly because shopping mall owners try to 'average' everyone so that marketing of their rubbishy goods is easier, and being average means less attitude, opinions, risks and change - DOWN WITH SHOPPING MALLS!!!).

27 May 2008 Launch, launch, launch, launch - come and check out what the emerging poets, writers, artists, prose-ists, thinkers and doers have produced in the latest version (#6) of the ANU Writer's Block Block #6 - Thursday 29th May at 6.00pm, and Marion Halligan will be there to make sure all is launched effectively and with the right amount of style and panache.

3 May 2008 We have just stocked some interesting bilingual books and we will keep looking for more, particularly Dinka books for the Sudanese community. Anyway check out a thematic series of books by typing in the word 'lamington' in the "quick book search" space on your right hand side of this page.

25/4/2008 - Anzac Day A day when we remember those who have served for freedom and particularly those that died and suffered. We also remember the families of servicemen and women, it must be a strange and stressful existence to have a loved one in a foreign field of conflict, fearful of that awful knock on the door that may come with the news you never want to hear.

We should also remember the politicians that led us bravely against dictators and aggressors,and those that foolishly led us into unneccessary wars that put our troops, sailors and air personnel in danger. Maybe we should also have a special day when we recall the good and bad things that our politicians have done over the years. It would be nice to look back in history and acknowledge the leaders that didn't take us to war when lesser leaders would have succumbed to need for a battle somewhere. Perhaps we could call it "Accountability Day", it would be such fun!

Read all about the various wars that have decimated France, and what caused them (mainly politicians and mad kings)
A Short History of the Twentieth Century by Geoffrey Blainey Good old Geoffrey tells it as he sees it.
Vietnam: The Australian War by Paul Ham A book well regarded by experts on that controversial and destructive war.
Acts of War by Richard Holmes - describes what it is like to be a soldier
A Rose for the ANZAC Boys by Jackie French, about the 'war to end all wars', as seen through the eyes of three young women.

18/4/2008 - BOOK LAUNCH held last night (17th April) A very nice event, thank you to Graeme Dobell and to Ron Crocombe and to all that turned up. The shop is now even more of a nice place to visit because of the atmosphere from last night's event that has permeated the walls and the books in the shop. We shouldn't say this but the K-Rudd's 2020 event should be held in our shop so that the participants will somehow or other benefit from the vibe of the book launch. K-Rudd should also get Ron Crocombe to address the meeting and let them know how the Pacific Islands can be better supported.

13/4/2008 - BOOK LAUNCH on 17th April -----Asia in the Pacific Islands by Pacific culture and history guru Ron Crocombe. Grame Dobell, from the fabulous ABC, will be launching this book on Thursday 17th April, Ron Crocombe will be there in person all the way from Raratonga. Ron is THE expert on the Pacific and his latest book raises and answers a lot of questions. Is China going to be the predominant nation in the Pacific region? Come to the launch and find out. Synopsis A spectacular transition is underway in the Pacific Islands, as a result of which all our lives will be radically different. In the last fifty years or so, Asia has begun to play a bigger and bigger role in all aspects of Islands life migration, trade and investment, aid and development, politics, strategic relations, crime, education and employment, information and media, religion, culture and sports. It is replacing the West. The process is irreversible. With his trademark breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding of the region, based on over half a century of experience, study and deliberation, Ron Crocombe documents the early connections between Asia and the Pacific, details recent and continuing changes, and poses challenging theories about the future.

10 April 2008 Check out these favourites of ours. The Voice Canberra's own journal of comment and review (which this edition has a particularly incisive expose of the evils of shopping malls), RAFE by Rafe funny songs that make you laugh and feel good, and this series of books on tales from Ngambri History with contributions from older and younger members of our local Ngambri community - Onyong and Noolup, Ngoobra the Ngambri Cleverman; Ngoobra and the Hairy Man at Yankee Hat; Kymin and Kangaroo - a Ngambri love story;
           
76 Alinga St Canberra City - in the Melbourne Building | ph (02) 6247 4459 or fax (02) 6249 7790 | books@smithsbooks.com.au
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