The thirteen essays in Southwords, written by and about some of the country’s top writers, celebrate the diversity of South Australia’s literary past and present, confront uneasy questions, and entertain and delight in their explorations of South Australia’s contributions to Australian and global literature.

Contributors include Kerryn Goldsworthy on Barbara Hanrahan, Brian Matthews on Peter Goldsworthy, Lyn Jacobs on Nicholas Jose, Rob Sellick on the Jindyworobaks and Aboriginality, Sue Hosking on David Unaipon, Susan Magarey on Catherine Helen Spence, David Smith on Charlotte Jay, Michael Tolley on crime fiction and Barbara Wall on writing for children.