There’s nothing we hate more at JDP than controversy. (Well, maybe Nazis.)
So we don’t want to get ourselves embroiled in another country’s cultural and historical imbroglio by celebrating Australia Day, which, it turns out, a lot of folks seem to regard as a bit like our own Columbus Day, what with the inadvertent celebrating of colonialism and destruction of the indigenous.
But we do really like Australians (they’re like plucky Canadians) and we did want to do something non-controversial for their national holiday.
Our solution? Happy y.t. sumner Day!
(Or should that be, happy y.t. sumner day?)
Why? Because, well, she’s one of our favorite writers and comes (as far as we know) without any colonial baggage or awkward historical interpretations. And she should really be considered a national treasure by her fellow Australians (or “mates”) right up there with the Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Bloomin’ Onion.
So find your old Betamax tapes of The Paul Hogan Show, crack open a Coopers oil can, and throw some decaped crustaceans on the barbecue. We’re going to bask in God’s-gift-to-flash-fiction and take a tour of some of yasmin’s best work to enjoy while setting off your special Australian fireworks.
First stop: her website. It’s chock-o-block full of good stuff including her 100 postcards project (which by the way, she really needs to finish).
Next is the story that started it all (well at least for us anyway), the Pushcart-nominated “big girl” from JDP’s 2010 Anthology.
Onwards to Housefire, where we have it on reliable authority that yasmin’s written a bunch of amazing stuff (maybe even a novella) even though we’ll be damned if we can find it on their new site. But head over there and knock; I’m sure they can direct you. (And let us know if you find a preview of her new story inspired by Stephen King’s IT, because we’re kinda looking forward to that.)
Next? How about a double-shot of JDP faves as yasmin teams with Chloe Caldwell (better than when Superman shows up in Detective Comics!) over at Bluestem Magazine with the deeply unsettling, “The Vegetable Game.”
Afterwards, take a spin by Connotation Press for the surprisingly upbeat U-turn. It’ll make you feel better.
Finally, wrap things up with a personal favorite of mine, “Hole in the Garden,” from JDP’s first-ever All-Star Invitational Issue. (Hmmm…we should really do another one of those soon.)
And there you have it! There’s even more stuff we’ve missed (not to mention pictures with octopi) but that should be plenty for your celebration of the only nation-state that’s also its own continent.
Happy y.t. sumner day!
