'This collection is a treasure.' Christos Tsiolkas

Apologia is a collection of stories threaded by the themes of loss and displacement. Each piece captures a tumultuous moment in time, and is grounded in the psychological journey of how people deal with their own traumas and fears. Though this collection is host to an array of completely different and individually captivating stories, Arathimos has succeeded in binding them through the depth of human connection and portrayal of raw human pain, both mental and physical. A truly inspiring collection of work, each piece will leave you with a better understanding of the hidden sufferings humans endure in their daily lives.

Winner, 2020 Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award

'Swift, funny, deft, culturally alert and emotionally open stories.' Damien Wilkins

'Tender, generous and unafraid.' Jennifer Mills, Dyschronia

Michalia Arathimos is a Greek writer. She has published work in The Lifted Brow, Westerly, Overland, Landfall and elsewhere, and is Overland's fiction reviewer. Her novel, Aukati, was published by Mākaro Press. She is the Writer in Residence at Randell Cottage and will hold the Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship in 2021.