Lesley's Books
Books and what the critics say.
NON-FICTION
Editor of Essence of Mind (Queensland Zen Centre 2008). This is a collection of talks by the resident teacher Zen Master Sen Shin and is available from www.queenslandzencentre.com. ... a welcome return to spirituality in a world increasingly obsessed with wealth and materialism. Writing Queensland, March 2009.
Editor of Nine Lives: Personal Stories of Mental Illness (Open Minds 2004). This anthology is achieving its aim to build understanding about the personal experience of living with a mental illness. ‘Totally proud,’ is the reaction of many of these first-time published writers. Stunning artwork. Free from Open Minds, Brisbane.
FICTION
Cry Ma Ma to the Moon (Interactive Publications 2002). A love triangle set in the forests of southeast Queensland. A hot favourite with women readers. ‘Couldn’t put it down!’ they say. I made Ma Ma Creek near Gatton the setting for rural storytelling with an alternative edge. The cover’s vibrant painting is by Kathryn Brimblecombe-Fox. See Links . This novel is available only from the author.
and the reviews …
... a book [of] changes and transformations … cleverly structured and well written, containing passages of evocative prose poetry … [Synge] know[s] how to tell a good story. Social Alternatives Vol 25 No 1, First Quarter 2006.
A stylistic similarity with [D.H.] Lawrence … The novel depicts the universe as an entity to which we are connected … and whose rhythms and necessity we must understand if we are to grow. It describes a sense of interconnectedness of lives and destinies that drive us mysteriously … Cry Ma Ma to the Moon is not just a charming fable about sensuality, but raises resonant questions about the turning points in our lives, and the way they are interwoven with community. Australian Womens Book Review/Hecate No 2 136 2003.
... a well-crafted, softly spoken example of the best kind of rural storytelling … What Lesley [Synge] is concerned with, and skilfully captures, is the upheaval that ensues when people realize that the only life they can have is their own, and what happens when they set about making it one they truly want to live. ... rewarded me on second and third readings, whereby I appreciated more of the subtlety, more of the quiet confidence in the narrative … the author has much more to offer in the future. Coppertales No 10 2006.
POETRY
Mountains Belong to the People Who Love Them: Slow Days in South Korea and Eastern Australia (Post Pressed 2011). Korea is known as the Land of the Morning Calm and my sojourn there inspired my first poetry collection. In 2010, a week in the Gondwana forests of the northern rim of the Tweed Caldera inspired more writing in the tradition of Asian spiritual wanderers. This new edition includes black and white photographs. This is striking poetic travel writing for thoughtful readers. ‘Serene,’ is the usual verdict. www.postpressed.com.au
and the reviews …
She describes the mountains of southern Korea with beautiful acuteness … The whole book is an intense meditation on her private world and her spiritual quest … we are privileged as readers to take part in this discovery … [and to] embrace her humility and joy at being part of another culture, however briefly. Stylus Poetry Journal Issue 6: May/June 2003.
... a compelling book … I enjoyed the storytelling … The poems tell of the life of a westerner becoming part of an eastern community – noting on both sides awkwardness, kindness and amazement. Other poems paint a vivid picture of spring among the barley crops and finding wild strawberries … A great strength of the collection is that the outer journey is not a metaphor for the inner journey or the other way around. Each exists in its own right and each enhances the other. The best of the poems combine the two journeys with a special richness … I was very moved by this collection … [which] adds to the tradition of journeys of wonder. Social Alternatives Vol 24 No 1, First Quarter, 2005.
... the magic in these poems consists in the way the well-learned east-Asia aesthetic overrides the language barrier and allows the poet to communicate with her Korean mountain and its people. ... Keep this one on your bedside table. Dharma Vision Vol 5 No 4 Feb-Mar 2004.
Organic Sister (Post Pressed 2005). In the ‘life-was-not-meant-to-be-easy’ tradition, my second collection is full of brave and foolish self-revelations about love, friendship, mothering, work and the inner life. Donald Greenfield’s whimsical black & white drawings add pizzazz. ‘Original and never boring,’ people say. Only a few copies left. www.postpressed.com.au
and the reviews …
The quiet lyricism at work … has remained a constant over her career as a poet. It is a voice that celebrates nature, the Muse in her various incarnations, the erotic as it enhances imagination, and the everyday world as it is heightened by contact with the transforming medium of poetry. ... delightfully condensed poems … a wild imaginative energy … [Synge] pummels an immense amount … into just a few lines … even the darkest of her poems has an energy and beauty. Stylus Poetry Journal May/June 2006.
... a refreshing sparsity of language … her poems are the linguistic equivalent of a minimalist work of art. Australian Womens’ Book Review 140 2005.
Writer’s Prayer: Oh Lord! Please don’t let me be misunderstood.
Like a signed copy direct from the author? Zing Price List.
Wot’s in a Name? You’ve noticed I have changed the spelling of my name from Sungh to Synge? See my Letter to the Editor of Writing Queensland in Writing Samples. You’ll also find:
- 'The Nine Lives Project', written to introduce Nine Lives: Personal Stories of Mental Illness.
- An excerpt from Cry Ma Ma to the Moon.
- I, a Passing Stranger from Mountains Belong to the People Who Love Them.
- Life Roles from Organic Sister.