My name’s Louise - I’m a bookseller at Red Kangaroo Books! This series is inspired by Shaun Blythell’s books, and Blarney Books & Art’s tweets. Read on for notes from the only bricks and mortar bookstore for 1500kms!
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A local comes in and gets a copy of Mullimbimby by Melissa Lucashenko, and a copy of the latest Meanjin journal. The latest edition is exciting because Theresa Penangke Alice - an Arrernte elder, PhD candidate, and poet in Running Water Community Press’s book of poetry, Arelhekenhe Angkentye: Women’s Talk - has had an essay published in the journal: The Meanjin Paper, an agenda-setting piece by an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Elder (or an Elder interviewed by a First Nations writer) offering a story of place.
Theresa’s Meanjin Paper, Ilkakelheme akngakelheme—resisting assimilation, is based on her Master’s thesis about Arrernte Pedagogy. It’s a brilliant work that explores how teaching in the traditional way is based on kinship relations, which is deeply linked to the land. Theresa has generously shared this cultural knowledge with Australian readers and we’ve already sold out and are ordering more!
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You might have noticed that all the bookshelves in our new store (45 Todd Mall) have been put up! After lots of hard work from Bronwyn, John, Marcus and Sam (and a lo-o-ong saga with deliveries), our lovely new shelves now line the walls.
The place is looking great - and much of this is because Charmaine Kik and Kate Merry have entered our shop like a beautiful whirlwind. If you’ve been instore recently, you might have noticed the decorations around the place. Vintage furniture, fun knickknacks, and a gorgeous front window display. It’s a delight to partner with women who bring such passion, vision and positive energy. Things are constantly changing and evolving. They’ve also got big plans for our mezzanine level - stay tuned!
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I’m unboxing, stickering and shelving new books (Always Will Be by Mikaela Saunders, One Another by Gail Jones, and Until August by Gabriel Garcia Marquez) when a young man asks me about a “little red book” called Learning Warumungu. “I live in Tennant Creek and someone asked me to pick one up - you can only find those books in the library”.
Warumungu is spoken around Tennant Creek area, and belongs to about 700 people who speak it.
Looks like the little book he’s looking for might be quite old or hard to find, so we look at the Warumungu Picture Dictionary together and I put The Learner’s Guide to Warumungu on order from IAD Press.
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A lovely older woman and committed regular buys Held by Anne Michaels and Balcony Over Jerusalem: A Middle East Memoir - Israel, Palestine and Beyond by John Lyons. We talk about the Palestinian struggle and how we both wish we lived in a world where there was peace. Conversation went to Paul Lynch’s Booker Prizewinner, Prophet Song, which details a family in Dublin as society dissolves around them into an autocratic state, committing atrocities against its own people.
“It was relentless - anything bad that could happen did!” I said. “I was like, really Paul Lynch? Can’t we just have one funny scene for catharsis?”
She chuckled, and replied “I realised, in that last quarter of the book, that he was doing something extraordinary - making it real: the need to escape one country and travel to another for safety.”
And my friends, I must tell you: the last line of the entire book made me burst into tears. I won’t share it here - you’ll just have to read it!
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Some very kind acquaintances of the bookshop dropped in and gave Bronwyn and I a couple of Lindt chocolate bunnies! We love that our shop isn’t just a store, but a community, and appreciate all the love and care that circles in this place (especially when there’s chocolate involved!)
