Books to Swoon Over

Protest Graffiti Mexico: Oaxaca

On October 27, 2006, when Mexican police opened fire on a crowd of protesters in the city of Oaxaca, killing three people, including American journalist Brad Roland Will, the world became aware of a social conflict that at its core is about the right to an education. Since 1981, teachers in the Mexican state have held annual strikes, but 2006 was the first time that violence erupted. That June, the governor ordered police to remove the protesting teachers and their supporters, using gas bombs and rubber bullets. Across the country, the media broadcasted the melee. Rallying around the teachers cause, the protests continued, resulting in the October deaths. Within hours of these shootings, graffiti calling the regions governor a murderer was sprayed throughout the city. The graffiti that has since overwhelmed the historic city center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, constitutes the protest art of a community rising up to defend teachers, and our collective fundamental right as human beings to have access to education. Unlike in other cities where graffiti is recognized by many as a form of public art, in Oaxaca, graffiti became a way of achieving social justice through community organization, creating and facilitating an ongoing dialogue of rage, informing the public about meetings, and defying government officials. And because teachers in Mexico are primarily women, the graffiti is very much inspired by and made by women. $45.00

Beautiful Waste: Poems by David McComb

Edited by Chris Coughran & Lucy Niall.

When David McComb died in 1999 at the age of 36, he left behind an extraordinary body of work, notably the songs and albums he recorded with Australian post-punk group The Triffids. The fact that McComb also wrote poetry from an early age – much of it collected here for the first time – will come as no surprise to admirers of the songwriter's powerfully evocative lyrics

Introduced by fellow Western Australian writer John Kinsella, the poems in this book will delight fans of popular music and contemporary poetry alike. Beautiful Waste illuminates a hitherto neglected aspect of McComb's brilliance. $24.95

Red Tree

A small child awakes to find blackened leaves falling from her bedroom ceiling, threatening to quietly overwhelm her. As she wanders around a world that is complex, puzzling and alienating, she is overtaken by a myriad of feelings. Ages 5+

To Kill a Mockingbird

'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird'. Atticus Finch gives this advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of this classic novel - a black man charged with attacking a white girl. Through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Lee explores the issues of race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s with compassion and humour. She also creates one of the great heroes of literature in their father, whose lone struggle for justice pricks the conscience of a town steeped in prejudice and hypocrisy.

This is a special hard-cover edition to celebrate 50 years since the first publication of this unforgettable classic. $49.95

101 Things I Learned in Fashion School

The world of the fashionista is brought to vivid life with 101 introductory lessons on such topics as how a designer anticipates cultural trends and 'sees' the fashion consumer, the workings of the fashion calendar, the ways a designer collection is conceived, the manufacture of fabric, fashion illustration and more. Illustrated in the distinctly unique packaged style of the bestselling 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School, this new book on fashion design will be a perfect book for any fashion school wannabe, a recent graduate, or even a seasoned professional. $24.00

One Magic Square : Grow Your Own Food on One Square Metre

One Magic Square shows how, with a ten-minute effort, you can start your own productive food garden on a single square metre. By following these plot designs you can keep your labour pleasurable as your self-sufficiency increases. Take control of your own fresh food supply! Food gardening is the most intelligent adult endeavour on earth – Lolo Houbein shows you how to do it, and why you should.

RRP $45.00