PCWC congratulates our member, Josephine Taylor, on the release of her debut novel, Eye of a Rook, published by Fremantle Press. Josephine has been a PCWC participant in the two-year Four Centres’ Emerging Writers’ Pilot Publishing Program, funded by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.
Eye of a Rook:
In Victorian England, Arthur Rochdale seeks help for his suffering wife, Emily, contemplating real-life surgeon Isaac Baker Brown’s radical treatment for hysterical women. In contemporary Perth, writer and academic Alice Tennant researches the history of hysteria to make sense of her mystifying gynaecological pain, drawing away from her husband, Duncan. In interweaving narratives, the characters discover how little is known of women’s bodies, while exploring the limits of love and the possibilities of creativity.
In recent weeks Jo has been busy promoting her novel at:
- online ‘in conversation’ events with Lee Kofman at Avid Reader on 9 February, and with Tegan Bennett Daylight on 23 February for Readings, and
- at a panel session at the Perth Literature & Ideas week with Susan Midalia, Lucy Peach, Bron Bateman and host Emily Paull for a conversation about how books open up spaces for discussing women’s perspectives, bodies, experiences and lives (20 February).
Free Upcoming Event:
Jo will also be discussing her novel in a free online Zoom conversation with Cassandra Atherton at Better Read Than Dead on 8 March 2021 (International Women’s Day) at 6.30pm AEDT (3.30pm Perth time). Register at Better Read Than Dead Events
Our members can purchase Josephine’s novel for a 10% discount on the RRP at Dymocks in Joondalup – please show your 2021 PCWC membership card. The book is also available from Fremantle Press or at local independent and major bookstores, and online book retailers.