BethSpencer.com

Happy birthday to The Age of Fibs.

Big thanks to all who have read, bought a copy, ordered at a library, reviewed, sent lovely messages, liked or shared posts & tweets, commented or recommended it to others, given it stars on goodreads or amazon, and supported me and my little book in one way or another during this rather intense year. Hugely appreciated. And thank you Bronwyn Mehan and the team at Spineless Wonders, and to CreateNSW for the grant to get it done and out into the world.

Ask for it at your bookshop or library,
or you can order it direct from me,

and I’ll sign it and post it to you
(within Australia*) for just $25.

*What others have said about The Age of Fibs:

‘Why isn’t the name Beth Spencer on every Australian reader’s lips?… Lit from within and without with a fractured magic that has given me great pleasure, shouts of recognition and laughter before pushing me over a cliff into new thought and understanding of what it is to be female, to be simultaneously stupid and smart and trying to take a sounding of life.’
— Best Books of 2023, The Australian

‘Award-winning author Beth Spencer ranges across popular culture, the environment, and the body in her new collection. Forthright, feminist, full of wry wit and insight whether dissecting relations between men and women or contemplating the fragility of nature, The Age of Fibs is a collection of short stories, microlit and memoir that repays rereading.’
— Newtown Review of Books

‘Her writing startles with life, which she slyly turns inside out, dismantling the conventional in one immaculate flick… [writing] a thesaurus of the self that launches past the quicksand of narcissism… The adage that the personal is political is now intimately empirical… Who we were and how we got here is critical, and we yearn to make sense of it. Beth Spencer… montages her life – our lives – with depth and precision. The result is the radiance of the ordinary. Now is her time.’
— Helen Elliott, The Monthly

‘A montage of stories, memoir and microlit that, if you’re a reader like me, will surprise, amuse and hold you until the last page is turned.’
—Jane Frank, Stylus Lit

‘I resist the problematic term “a writer’s writer” but I think anyone who tries to write might have a special appreciation for what Beth Spencer does.’
— Michael Winkler, @MicWink, author of Grimmish

‘A fantastic collection of stories, memoir, vignettes, micro fiction and semi autobiographical works… It’s such a beautiful book I really loved it.’
— Stella Glorie, Thirty Books

‘A wonderful interplay of memoir, fiction, lyricism, narrative and pop culture.’
— Jenny Hocking, @PalaceLetters

‘Often playful, albeit serious, The Age of Fibs gives vivid insights into the small and large moments of the human story. It was a great pleasure to encounter this gem.’
— Carmel Bird, author and judge for the CBdL Award

‘Spencer’s work brims with energetic, provocative, and idiosyncratically stylish writing.’
— Felicity Plunkett, @FelicPlunkett, poet and critic

‘The stories that are ostensibly fictional seem informed by experience, while the nonfiction pieces are complicated by a scepticism towards memory… Spencer isn’t so much concerned with “white lies”, but with the ways in which stories, once told, take on lives of their own… the sudden, lyrical shifts of focus… highlight the complex web of patriarchal and familial mythology.’
— Andy Jackson, The Saturday Paper

‘I have been engaging again with The Age of Fibs and absolutely loving it. It’s such a terrific book. It’s difficult to be technically so adroit and experimental, and at the same time be so entertaining and racy, but you pull it off. And such deft entanglement of fantasy and reality… It would certainly be great teaching material.’
— Hazel Smith, poet, multi-media artist & Emeritus Professor

‘I love the Age of Fibs, it’s witty, sharp, imaginative and supple writing.’
— Michelle Cahill @theherringlass, author of Daisy and Woolf

‘Though the title might hint otherwise, The Age of Fibs is an exploration of truth, and the power of the stories we tell to create history and shape the world. It’s consistently compelling and thought-provoking, rich with humour, complexity, and a deep understanding of the frailties that make us who we are.’
— Magdalena Ball, Compulsive Reader

‘Want to let you know how much I’ve enjoyed reading The Age of Fibs – not only the fantastic writing, but the way you write about the complexities, ambivalences, power struggles, families. I loved all the pieces but especially ‘Fatal Attraction in Newtown’. ‘The True Story of an Escape Artist’ is another highlight for me. Such clever, quite brilliant writing…This book works so well!”
— Marcelle Freiman, poet & Associate Professor, Macquarie University

‘One thing I appreciate so much about your work is your economy of language, the tautness of your writing and your cool but empathic gaze. I reckon your footy piece is one of the best things I ever produced thanks to your exquisite writing.’
— Claudia Taranto, producer, Radio National

‘The 80,000-year-old, discarded one armed Barbie waving at Martians arriving on earth was a highlight, so was the lethally smart remix of Fatal Attraction. A most prescient title for this excellent book.’
—Kath Kenny @kathkenny_ , author of Staging a Revolution: When Betty Rocked the Pram

Loving your book. It’s so wonderful – both immediate and relatable and also taking me whole new places. I LOVE how you weave pop culture through it all. Magic.’
— Emilie Collyer, poet

‘I started reading this book by @bethspen last night and was enjoying it so much I didn’t want to go to sleep. Braided narrative brilliance… Going to use it in my teaching. As I said about beth’s memoir in poetry “Vagabondage” – I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH’
— Sian Prior @sianprior, author Shy and Childless‘

Here’s some interviews about The Age of Fibs
with Magdalena Ball at Compulsive Reader
& with Belinda Castles for
University of Sydney’s Writers At Work series.

Grab a copy — $25 postage included (within Australia*),
and let me know if you’d like it signed to anyone in particular.

If you’d like a copy for review, get in touch
and I’ll arrange for a copy to be sent to you.

And please check out and subscribe
to my Substack newsletter
so we can keep in touch.

*nb if you would like to order Fibs from outside Australia,
send me a message.
(usually around $10AUD extra for overseas shipping)
or you can order it from an online bookshop in your country.

Vagabondage — video-footnotes — a companion Youtube playlist

For readers of my poetry memoir, Vagabondage (UWAPublishng, 2014), about the year I lived in a campervan and ideas about ‘home’ — here’s a playlist of video ‘footnotes’.

So if you were wondering where the phrase ‘leave no trace’ came from, want to play some of the 80s music mentioned in ‘The Party of Life’, or see a sand mandala being made, don’t know who Lucy and Desi Arnaz are or just want to enjoy the trailer of their old motorhome movie, watch Goofy and Micky on their caravan trip, see the Great Ocean Road, or Bill’s Shed, or experience the craziness of a bunch of hungry seagulls, sing along to the Littlest Hobo theme song (keep those paws a-moving), or the wonders of
the 1960s children’s tv series Adventure Island (with Clown and Flowerpots and their carraravans), watch Milton the Monster being made (‘six drops of essence of terror…’), or learn how to make kefir. and much more…. check out this playlist.

And here’s one of my favourites – mentioned in the poem ‘Free fall (trust)’ —

Never Too Late: new chapbook of poems from PressPress

PP front cover It was my birthday last month, and I had a party in Sydney with old friends and a new chapbook of poems from PressPress called Never Too Late.

Chris Mansell is the force behind PressPress — small beautiful handmade books that fit in your pocket or purse and can be bought by the bunch. Check out the extensive backlist at the PressPress website with info and sample poems from each poet. Poets in this series include Kit Kelen, Robbie Coburn & Michele Seminara (working off each other’s poems in this little volume), Lizz Murphy, Richard Tipping, Jennifer Compton writing about Rome, John Jenkins & Ken Bolton, Jeanine Leane, Les Wicks, Ouyang Yu and many more.

Chris writes: “The aim of PressPress is to have good, accessible chapbooks at a reasonable price. It’s a bit idealistic, but then, so is writing poetry in a time of fire.”

Indeed, “poetry in a time of fire,” she says, “is the unofficial motto of PressPress.”

If you would like a copy, you can order direct from Chris at PressPress, or from me and I’ll sign it for you ($10 via paypal with postage included for within Australia – just paypal the money to my email address at beth [at] bethspencer [dot] com, or send me a message via the contact form).

Or if you see me at an event you might be able to pick up a copy there while they last. And if you’d like a review copy, let me know or contact Chris directly.

Poems in Never Too Late were originally published in the following newspapers and magazines — Canberra Times, The Australian, The Rain Poem Project (Adelaide), Pink Cover Zine (Memento), Postcolonial Text, Southerly, Neos, Verity La, Grieve Vol 6 (Hunter Writers Centre, 2018), LinQ, The Fractured Self: Poetry of Chronic Pain and Illness (UWAP, 2017) and Brew: 30 Years of Poetry at the Pub Newcastle, 1988-2017 (PATP, 2018). ‘Explant’ was also shortlisted for the University of Canberra Health Poetry Prize, 2017. My big thanks to these editors and to Chris Mansell

…and to all who came to my 60th birthday party and helped celebrate Kanreki — the 60th birthday rebirth! And wishing you all a happy new year full of creativity, choice, boldness, and wonder. (Never too late!)

[*cover design by Chris Mansell]