‘This book is a collective effort. In 1980 some of the writers met for the first time to form a writers’ group. The group, “Seven Writers”, now flourishes and gives each member the necessary support and critical encouragement to develop her own and the others’ work. When the group formed no one had published more than a few short stories or poems.’ — From the Introduction to Canberra Tales, first published in 1988 and reissued in 1995 as The Division of Love.