The writer's life ... it's not an easy one. In the autumn issue of Meanjin Australian literary giant Frank Moorhouse describes the often-difficult path followed by those hardy souls who take 'the writer's oath'. For the man behind Days of Wine and Rage, Forty Seventeen, Dark Palace and the rest of the soon-to-be televised 'Edith Trilogy', it has been a lifelong journey studded with many books, prizes and much acclaim. Material rewards were never sought and perhaps that's for the best, for the writer's life is not a richly rewarded one. Moorhouse has some thoughts on how that might change.

Our moment in politics is nothing if not fascinating and regular Meanjin essayist Katharine Murphy wonders just where politics might take us next (and here's a clue: she's not really sure). Tasmanian writer Ben Walter walks through the singed and sodden Tarkine and finds an ancient eco-system in eerie flux. Dan Cass details the increasing democratisation of the power that fuels our homes ... cheap solar is here, and nothing will ever be the same. There's fresh fiction from Jennifer Mills, Laura McPhee-Browne and more, a fine crop of new poetry and memoir that moves from bruising violence to wistful stargazing.