Punchup Press

Jan 22 2010 ∞

Oct 23 2008 ∞

Espresso Publishing - Printing Books in a Digital World

“The Sydney Morning Herald recently reported on the unveiling of a POD (print on demand) machine in a Melbourne Angus and Robertson bookshop, with other stores to get the machines soon. The machine is called an Espresso Book Machine, and was dubbed by Time Magazine “an ATM for books”. Now many out-of-print books and out-of-stock books can be printed and bound on the spot in store.

All well and good, but what about the implications of POD for niche publishing? They’re significant and, I think, just as interesting as what it means for large publishing houses and bookstore chains.”

Punchup Press’ Jo Lennan guest blogs for CuriousWorks, a centre for innovation in arts, technology and education. Click on the headline above to go to the full article on the CuriousWorks website.

Aug 12 2008 ∞

“ When I was writing Unpolished Gem I wasn’t writing a story that would sell. I wrote a story—instead of about success, it was a story about small and rather large failures in life. My mother doesn’t end up learning English. My grandmother ends up dying, you know. My father ends up coming out of the killing fields. I have a nervous breakdown at school. And these stories are also pivotal to the migrant experience. They’re the ones that accentuate the smaller joys. If you’ve come from the killing fields to a new country, hot water is fascinating, elevators are fascinating. Pet food…!

— Melbourne writer Alice Pung, speaking to Punchup Press on 11 August. The full article is in the works. Growing Up Asian in Australia, a new anthology of personal accounts, essays, short stories and poetry edited by Alice, is available from Black Inc.

Aug 11 2008 ∞

The revolution is upon us: Generation X has taken over contemporary art.

The spoils are on show at the Sydney Biennale 2008 and it’s not too late to see them. The free ferries to Cockatoo Island are running throughout August. If you can’t get there to see Shaun Gladwell and his upturned bicycles, check out the online venue at http://www.bos2008.com/revolutionsonline/.

In the words of the Polish outfit Mikro Orchestra (who like to make sweet, sweet music with hand-held game consoles), it doesn’t get more blip-pop than this.

Jul 25 2008 ∞