Banned

The National Archives of Australia have now opened a cafe with a twist... it's an exhibition on the 'banned' books of Australia in the 20th Century!

From the Banned Blog:

"The National Archives in Canberra has updated its café with a new display on banned books. Read about the secret history of Australian censorship as you sip your coffee. You can also examine a censor’s report or flip through a copy of a book or magazine once prohibited in Australia."

Although it is in Canberra, it is definitely on my to-do list for the holidays. To satisfy my curiosity,  they actually have a blog which they are updating each month to highlight a certain book. It is really interesting to get an insight into what was happening in Australia through the banning of these texts. Even being able to have the opportunity to read the criteria for a suitable book in each time period sounds incredible!

There is a fantastic article on "The Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger on the blog at the moment. I was not aware of the degree of literary censorship in Australia- especially on such an influential novel. I wonder if there are any books still on the list? I can not wait to get down there and enjoy a coffee (or two!) and explore all these banned books :).

Blussh!

Hello, hello! Yes, I am crawling back into the world of blog land slowly... So much so, that I am really excited to announce that I am now an official contributor for Blussh!

The Blussh girls: Heidi, myself and Katie at a PR event for amele.

Here's a sneak peak of what I have been writing on the blog, from my post "Why, hello there!":

"Writing has always played a significant role in my life as a means of self expression, articulation and sometimes just to capture something on paper. I have always kept notebooks or journals and it is only recently after moving house I have realised how valuable they are to me. I can open a notebook from 2004 and read what I was thinking- the very thoughts and opinions that were buzzing in my head at that time. Although this is exciting, what is even more thrilling is that I can see how far that I have grown from that point. It is almost like I could make a graph charting the highs and lows and plot what has made me 'me'. "

I would love to hear what you think about Blussh- it's all about promoting healthy & whole body image for women of all ages. I am thrilled that I am on board with such an amazing team to write and share some of my experiences.

More from me soon! xxx