april'11
lee kofman georgia richter david carlin
chris flynn Julie mac Mark rubbo
katie walsh jacqui hagen tom trumble
VWC benefits for members at The
The victorian writer magazine The Victorian Writer is printed on recycled stock and published nine times a year. If you have an idea for an article you'd like to pitch to the magazine email editor@vwc.org.au.
Manuscript Assessment Service For many writers, manuscript assessment is an important first step before seeking a publisher. It brings a fresh eye to your manuscript and provides you with an objective analysis that enables you to further develop your work. The VWC offers Manuscript Assessments, Publisher Submission Appraisals and, as a follow up to both of these for selected writers, Post Assessment Consultations.
Writers’ Residences Glenfern Writers’ Studios are non-residential spaces within the historic Glenfern estate in East St Kilda. In partnership with the National Trust, VWC offers nine studios at very reasonable rates for periods of one to six months. Rates start at $155 per month. Rosebank is a self-contained rural retreat on a farm in the Macedon Ranges. Stays at Rosebank are in one-week blocks, available now. Standard rate is $490/week.
Writers’ Fellowships A limited number of fellowships are on offer in 2011, providing space in our writers’ residences. Glenfern Fellowships provide three months' studio time at Glenfern and Writing @ Rosebank Fellowships covers three weeks' accommodation at Rosebank, as well as a small stipend. VWC fellowships are open to members only.
VWC regional partnerships program 2011 The VWC is committed to supporting writers throughout Victoria and is keenly aware of the geographical limitations experienced by its regional members. To extend our professional development program for regionally based writers, the VWC is launching a new initiative to offer subsidised literary activities throughout Victoria. This new program will directly target regional writers with a focus on providing high standard professional development opportunities for all of its members. The program offers regional writing groups and festivals the opportunity to present customised professional development events for their members and audiences. The VWC encourages applications in a broad range of topics and genres. See vwc.org.au/services/regional-partnerships.
Membership Rates in 2011 ONE YEAR Full
$65
Household
$88
Concession
$48
Household (Concession)
$65
Regional Victoria
$42
Household (Regional)
$60
Organisation
$195
Overseas
$85
Organisation $120 (not-for-profit) TWO YEAR Full
$115
Organisation
$365
Organisation (not-for-profit)
$205
As always, check our website regularly for the latest news: vwc.org.au.
Details are available on our website for news: vwc.org.au.
The VWC gratefully acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria – Department of Premier and Cabinet, and the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts and funding advisory body.
Grace Marion Wilson Trust Supporting Emerging Writers
WHAT'S INSIDE
Creative non-fiction
11 Cover image courtesy of Cat MacInnes, a Melbourne-based illustrator whose award-winning images are used by various advertising and publishing clients in Australia and abroad. Her work is characteristically whimsical, bright and conceptual. See more of her work at www.catmacinnes.com and at the ANIMAL COLLECTIVE NOUNS exhibition, 7–19 April at Gaffa Gallery, 281 Clarence Street, Sydney.
5 From the Director Small creative triumphs
6 NEWS
Recent literary happenings
7 REGIONAL ROUND-UP Around the state
opinion
Mark rubbo
Reflections on Borders, A&R and REDgroup
14–16
feature
lee kofman
Putting the "I" in creative non-fiction
17
ReVIEW
chris flynn
Spec-fic vision of Melbourne's future
18 & 19
FEATURE
david carlin
Up the Maribyrnong
20 & 21
FEATURE
georgia richter
The publisher's perspective
VWC program Lights, camera ...
11 A MONTH OF READING
22, 23 & 24 OPPS AND COMPS
24 WRITE BRAIN
25
26
judith buckrich
CALENDAR
MEMBERS
13
27
IN-HOUSE
BACK STORY BOOKENDS REVIEW
katie walsh
PEN REPORT
jacqui hagen
ADVERTISING IN THE VICTORIAN WRITER For advertising specifications and rates, contact editor@vwc.org.au or see our website vwc.org.au/services/ victorian-writer/advertising. Booking deadline: 10th of the month prior (eg 10th July for the August issue). THE VICTORIAN WRITER // april 2011
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books for sale at the VWC Writing is a magical, exhilarating and satisfying craft. But it can also be fraught with frustrations, roadblocks and disappointments. Sometimes, the best thing you can possibly do for yourself is to take a small break and absorb some wisdom from other writers. There are a whole host of inspiring and helpful books out there that focus exclusively on writing itself. The VWC has combed through this not insubstantial sub-genre to pick out what we consider to be a selection of the very best of the best. These titles can be purchased through the VWC. There are over 20 books for sale, covering topics from journalism to fiction writing to the joys of self-publishing, editing and memoir. VWC members get 10% off the purchase price. You can order books online, by phone, email or in person. Online: see www.vwc.org.au/ services/books-for-sale. Phone: Please have book title/s and credit card handy. Email: info@vwc.org.au. Put "VWC Books by Mail" in the subject line. Note the title and price of book/s, as well as your name, address and phone number. Our administrator will respond to confirm receipt and organise payment.
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THE VICTORIAN WRITER // april 2011
Dear Members,
FROM THE DIRECTOR
As we launch into an edition devoted to creative non-fiction, I am indebted to Lee Kofman for finally clarifying for me what this genre is all about. It’s relatively new, having been defined only in the last few decades, so the boundaries are alluringly vague.
While class actions were launched and much hand-wringing took place throughout Victoria’s corridors of power, three ambitious young theatre makers were left with a problem: a commitment to a theatre production and no money.
In her article following, Lee mentions a number of early examples and their practitioners. Reading it, I was struck by the common theme of the writer appearing in their own narrative, not as a passive character, but as one battling with some of the bigger issues within it. Her mention of Joan Didion reminded me of a theatrical adventure from a number of years ago. As a young playwright, many years ago, I worked with two fellow writers, Chris Corbett and Glenn Perry, on an idea to adapt Joan Didion’s novel Democracy. Our ideas were grand and we had visions of a large-scale production taking place in a well-known city nightclub, using a live band, film footage and a narrative that looped through the behind-the-scenes worlds of pop music and national politics, and the global economy.
Like some hokey old American musical, we decided that, darn it, we were going to put on a show. We created The Making of Democracy. It might have been bold, but it was certainly not large-scale. The three of us performed a show, shirtless (as we’d lost these), about what our original show was going to be and why it couldn’t be. We played some of the scenes that we had planned with the barest staging.
With a few ideas beginning to solidify, we did what all aspiring theatre makers did in the 80s and applied to the Australia Council for funding. We subsequently received a generous five figure sum for “creative development”. Those were the days.
The music industry narrative was carried by a couple of songs on acoustic guitar, the global economy sketched out using the actual box office takings and the story of our very real investments and the world of politics was touched on by each night including a live phone interview with a figure from the Pyramid collapse. On opening night the interview was with former premier John Cain. All this in the less than cavernous La Mama in Carlton.
As we couldn’t assemble our creative team immediately, we thought it wise to bank the money; and why not earn some interest while we were at it? I was delegated the task and went into a local building society to deposit our nest egg. The building society was Pyramid, but I was “advised” by a staff member to invest in the society’s parent company, Farrow Corporation, as this would earn better interest. As most Victorians would know, Pyramid collapsed some months later in spectacular fashion and effectively led to the fall of John Cain’s Victorian government. Farrow, needless to say, went with it.
It was a triumph, in its small way. Certainly, it was a much better show than the pretentious Democracy was ever going to be and it was a huge lesson to us as theatre makers. Now the clincher ... After several years of court cases, recriminations and scandal, part of the class action was won. We got the money back. (Please don’t tell the Australia Council.)
Roderick Poole, Director <director@vwc.org.au>
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // April 2011
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NEWS
Short+sweet on the lookout for entries and assessors The world’s largest ten-minute play festival – now happening all over Australia as well as in New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and India – has announced its first deadline for script entries. The festival is calling for submissions of ten-minute plays and theatre works, with entries open internationally. The requirements? Keep your script to ten minutes or less. Submission details and full terms at www.shortandsweet.org/shortsweettheatre/submit-script. Short+Sweet is also on the lookout for experienced theatre professionals to become Short+Sweet script assessors. If you have a strong background in theatre, communications or teaching the Festival would love to have you involved. www.shortandsweet.org/shortsweet-theatre/submit-script/ become-script-assessor, or contact pete@shortandsweet.org.
2011 indie book awards Victorian authors have stolen the show in the 2011 Indie Bookseller Awards, in which independent booksellers from across the country nominate their favourite books from 2010. Best Fiction went to Melbourne author Chris Womersley for his book Bereft (Scribe), and Best Debut Fiction was awarded to Melbourne's Jon Bauer for Rocks in the Belly (Scribe). Anh Do’s The Happiest Refugee (Allen and Unwin) won the 2011 Indie Book of the Year Award. Find out more at www.indies.com.au.
willy lit fest 2011 Shaun Micallef, Corinne Grant, Paul Howes, Judy Horacek, Morris Gleitzman, Samantha Lane, Shane Maloney and Mike Sheahan are some of the stars appearing at the 2011 Williamstown Literary Festival. The Festival runs from 27 April – 1 May and is the biggest literary festival in the western suburbs. Presenters are embracing this year’s theme, “Taking a Line for a Walk”. There are over 60 writers, playwrights, actors, cartoonists, comics and personalities converging on Williamstown, including Gideon Haigh, Barry Hill, Cal Wilson, Leigh Hobbs, PD Martin, Tony Wheeler and novelist Jon Bauer. Politics takes centre stage this year with self-confessed “Faceless Man” Paul Howes, cartoonists Judy Horacek, Mark Knight and First Dog On The Moon (aka Andrew Marlton). Home town star Shaun Micallef joins Festival newcomers Corinne Grant, Cal Wilson and Tracy Bartram. www.willylitfest.org.au.
Australian poetry iphone app Our neighbours at Australian Poetry have launched an iPhone Application giving easy access to Australia’s leading poets, poetry organisations, publishers of poetry, literary festivals and writers’ centres. Find out about competitions, prizes and venues to read in near you. Check out the app and how you can buy it (for $2.99) at http://sutromedia.com/ apps/Australian_Poetry. 6
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // april 2011
indigenous author wins commonwealth writers prize Kim Scott has become the first Aboriginal author to win the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for the best book in south-east Asia and the Pacific. His book That Deadman Dance centres on the harmonious relations between his Noongar people of south-west Western Australia and early settlers. The title refers to a Noongar dance based on a military drill by Matthew Flinders’ marines and recorded 100 years later by the anthropologist Daisy Bates. Of his being the first Indigenous Australian to win the prize, Scott told The Age, “It bothers me a bit because it says what a history of disadvantage we’ve had when Indigenous Australians have always been storytellers. It’s really sad.”
shaun tan takes homes the oscar Melbourne’s very own Shaun Tan has been awarded the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the 83rd Academy Awards. The 15-minute film is based on Tan's beautiful book, The Lost Thing (first published in 1999), about a boy who finds a strange creature on a beach and decides to find a home for it in a world where everyone believes there are more important things to worry about. Tan, who has said turning the book into an animated film was a labour of love spanning nine years, was the writer and co-director. He said (modestly) in his acceptance speech that the success was thanks to the support of family, friends and colleagues: “I recently heard someone say that if you are doing as an adult whatever you wanted to do at the age of eleven, then that’s a decent measure of personal success. In my case, that's certainly true”. Tan has garnered an international reputation for his illustrated works, including The Red Tree, The Arrival and Tales From Outer Suburbia. The Victorian Writers’ Centre was lucky enough to feature his artwork on the cover of the March Victorian Writer magazine. And what a cover it was. You can catch Shaun Tan’s work in the flesh at the SLV’s Look! The Art of Australian Picture Books Today exhibition, running until 29 May. www.slv.vic.gov.au/look.
REGIONAL ROUND-UP
clunes back to booktown Booktown (14–15 May) is a weekend of book browsing amid the historic streetscape of Clunes, which is a 90-minute drive from Melbourne CBD. There will be thousands of rare second-hand and collectable books on sale, free writers’ talks, street theatre, the Australia Fair Grand Concert Street Organ, wine, food and live music. What’s more, there will be a special children's Booktown section and opportunities to engage with guest writers in small groups. The following is more of a taste of what visitors can look forward to: Friday 13 May: WriteBreak A few steps from the hustle and bustle of book traders set up for the weekend is the calm of the retro Clunes Bowling Club and its oneday workshop on writing. A small
group, lots of time to ask questions and top tutors including Anne Deveson, Michael Wilding, Patrick Allington and Jean Bedford. This very popular workshop covers fiction, non-fiction and publishing. Saturday and Sunday mornings, 14– 15 May: writing master classes In a group of no more than 10, step away from the crowd with an awardwinning writer. Masterclasses will be run by writers, critics and publishers including Peter Corris, Jean Bedford, Anne Deveson (on non-fiction), Peter Rose (one on reviewing and one on poetry), Patrick Allington (on getting published), Tara June Winch, Nigel Krauth and Michael Wilding (on short story).
Saturday and Sunday mornings, 14– 15 May: book collecting masterclasses Find out about book collecting and how to begin your own collection with two renowned authorities on Australian books, John Arnold and Stuart Kells. Saturday and Sunday afternoons, 14– 15 May: free writers talks Blanche d’Alpuget and international climate change scientist Curt Stager feature in a panel with Darryn McEvory and Jeremy Moss. Also speaking are Anne Deveson, Peter Rose, Tara June Winch, Patrick Allington, Peter Corris, Jean Bedford and Michael Wilding. For more information and event bookings see www.booktown.clunes. org or email booktown@clunes.org. – Dr Tess Brady, artistic director.
New Leaves: read and wonder Imagine a home stuffed with the latest and greatest titles, from fiction to history, gardening, travel and cooking; a whole room bulging with children’s books, carefully chosen and eclectic, bilingual and quirky. Imagine old fashioned outdoor games hanging from the roof, egg and spoon and sack races, quoits and skittles, craft books to pore over and architecture to dream about. Nothing is off limits and everything can be delved into and perused until you find exactly the right thing. Sit at the kitchen table and plan a recipe, or collect a gift on the way to a wedding. Coming from a theatre and events background rather than a bookselling one, owner Claire Reid was not sure how she was going to keep the doors open at New Leaves on the strength
of local business alone, selling just books with the small margin allowed by publishers to a tiny, untested store in a rural environment. She did, however, know that she didn’t want to open a standard bookstore, rather a treasure trove of carefully picked titles in a town that was crying out for a place to read and wonder. In the two-and-a-half years since New Leaves first opened its doors it has been lucky enough to host numerous authors’ events. Last year it successfully launched We Love Food, a wonderful locally written cookbook focusing on kitchen gardening and cooking for the whole family. Evening sales events where mingling with wine is almost a prerequisite, and a close association with the Woodend Winter Arts Festival held
every Queen’s Birthday weekend, mean there’s always a literary flavoured event to look forward to. While the path beaten to the door every weekend shows it truly is the locals who keep the doors open, new friends are on permanent invitation here. New Leaves, Cnr Anslow & Collier Sts. Woodend VIC 3442 Phone: 5427 3772 newleaveswoodend.blogpot.com (Closed Mondays.)
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // April 2011
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PROGRAM
YOUR YEAR OF WRITING year of the play
Mary Napier, Program Manager
Lights, camera ... Action! Whether it is a celluloid dream or turning the page to the stage, this month is catering to all budding script and screen writers out there. It's time to come out and play; Raimondo Cortese shows you how in the Year of the Play. This course provides the perfect opportunity to dust off notes, develop your idea and turn a half-baked script into a culinary masterpiece. For those preferring to savour knowledge in bite-sized pieces, our Stage and Screen session series provides the perfect menu of industry tidbits and advice from a smorgasbord of professionals working in television, film and theatre. With a penchant for the stage and screen myself, I’m so excited about what’s in store. For those who might be too cool for school, you can’t go wrong in the Write Club. But don’t forget the rules. I look forward to receiving your ingenious questions and serving the best 20 to Scott Edgar. Happy writing!
Venue details Unless otherwise stated, events are held at VWC @ The Wheeler Centre, alongside the State Library. The address is: 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Booking details To book: Book and pay via our website vwc.org.au/what-s-on or phone VWC on 03 9094 7855. Booking policy As places are limited, and to allow confirmation of VWC events, booking deadlines are imposed for all events. We strongly advise bookings be made a minimum one week prior to event start. Bookings are not confirmed until payment is made. Cancellation policy Refunds will only be given where a cancellation is made three working days prior to an event. The VWC reserves the right to cancel any event due to lack of bookings up until two days prior. Workshop/seminar rating 1 = introductory 2 = intermediate 3 = advanced A = all levels of experience Disabled access The VWC attempts to provide disabled access where possible. Please phone prior to your visit if you have any special needs. 8
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // april 2011
with Raimondo Cortese Course: This course focuses on writing dialogue and scenes for the theatre. Dramatic dialogue is dynamic – it inspires change. Through exercises, participants can address the complex reality of what is actually happening between people rather than what is literally happening. Raimondo Cortese has written over twenty plays, including Features of Blown Youth, Roulette and St Kilda Tales. His most recent plays are Holiday (Green Room Award for Best Australian Writing), The Dream Life of Butterflies for MTC, and Intimacy for Malthouse Theatre and 2010 Melbourne International Festival of Arts. When: Saturdays, 10am – 4pm 2 April, 18 June, 6 August, 1 October & 3 December Cost: $670, Members $600/$560 Rating: 1+2
APRIL STAGE & SCREEN: THE PITCH & THE PROCESS SESSION SERIES Book for all four sessions and a discount applies: $50, Members $40/$32.
WRITING FOR tv
with Jutta Goetze & Mac Gudgeon. Hosted by Roderick Poole Session: From screenplay to production, what are the screenwriter's challenges in getting a TV series up and how can you keep productive professional relationships? Jutta Goetze was one of the last Crawford’s Trainees. She writes children’s and YA, and is co-creator and co-writer of Bed of Roses. Mac Gudgeon is a freelance writer of film, television and theatre. He co-wrote the film Ground Zero with Jan Sardi. When: Wednesday 6 April, 6.30–8pm Cost: $15, Members $12/$10 Group bookings (8+): $10 Rating: A
WRITING FOR FILM
with Chris Anastassiades & Laurent Boulanger. Host TBA Session: These screenwriters discuss the “pitch”, the collaborative role of the screenwriter and what it takes to succeed. Chris Anastassiades' many credits for TV, theatre and film including Acropolis Now and Yolngu Boy. Dr Laurent Boulanger is the writer-director of the forthcoming feature film Six Lovers and teaches at Swinburne University. When: Wednesday 13 April, 6.30–8pm Cost: $15, Members $12/$10 Group bookings (8+): $10 Rating: A
IN THE THEATRE
with Elise Hearst & John Romeril. Hosted by Roderick Poole Session: These playwrights discuss the journey of the writer in developing and maintaining a career in theatre. No matter how well words dance off a page, the script succumbs to the translation of the actor, director and producer. Elise Hearst's plays include Dirtyland, (2009 National Play Festival), The Sea Project (MTC Cybec Reading series) and Delight (Griffin Theatre). John Romeril began writing for the theatre in 1968 with a credit of close to 80 works for stage and screen. When: Wednesday 20 April, 6.30–8pm Cost: $15, Members $12/$10 Group bookings (8+): $10 Rating: A
ADAPTATION
with Toni Jordan & Jan Sardi. Hosted by Roderick Poole Session: Hear two perspectives of the adaptation of book to film. Film rights to Toni Jordan’s novel Addition have been acquired. Jan Sardi’s screenplay Mao’s Last Dancer has won several film festival awards. Toni Jordan’s novel Addition was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and published in 16 countries. Jan Sardi is one of Australia’s most distinguished screenwriters. He received an Academy nomination for his screenplay for Shine. When: Wednesday 27 April, 6.30–8pm Cost: $15, Members $12/$10 Group bookings (8+): $10 Rating: A
MAY MASSAGING THE MANUSCRIPT Book for all four sessions and a discount applies: $50, Members $40/$32.
The assessor and the editor with Antoinette Eklund & Belinda Byrne Session: To get a manuscript to publishable standard it is essential to seek advice from an expert. But which expert is the best for you? Join this discussion of the benefits and different approaches to working with an assessor and editor. Antoinette Eklund is an author, teacher, writing mentor and assessor. She has spent 20 years teaching in universities and schools. Her genre thriller Steel River was published by Arcadia in 2009. Belinda Byrne is a commissioning editor at Penguin Australia specialising in commercial fiction. In her previous role as senior editor she worked closely with many successful Australian authors such as Andrea Mayes, Rachael Treasure, Katherine Scholes and Lee Tulloch. When: Wednesday 4 May, 6.30–8pm Cost: $15, Members $12/$10 Group bookings (8+): $10 Rating: A
PROGRAM The mentor
The contract
with Clare Allan-Kamil & Lee Kofman Session: You think you have a great idea and yours is a story to be read but as you stare at the mountain of words on pages do you question whether your writing is good or if anyone will want to read it? Experienced mentors, Clare Allan-Kamill and Lee Kofman, will guide you through the mentoring process and how it can help you improve your writing. For the past 25 years Clare Allan-Kamil has worked with writers, performers and artists as a mentor and facilitator. She believes that the relationship formed between a mentoring editor and a writer is a delicate balance of understanding, trust and tact. Clare has edited for numerous authors in a range of fields and loves the process of seeing a work develop to print. Lee Kofman is an Israeli-Australian author of three books (in Hebrew). Her English publications (fiction, non-fiction and poetry) have appeared in Australia, UK and USA (Griffith Review, Heat and more). She is a recipient of an Australia Council Grant for Developing Writers (2004), several writing residencies an ASA mentorship and holds an MA in Creative Writing. When: Wednesday 11 May, 6.30–8pm Cost: $15, Members $12/$10 Group bookings (8+): $10 Rating: A
with Anne Beilby Session: The day has come where your manuscript has been accepted and soon you will be signing on the dotted line. But do you know what you’re in for? Anne Beilby will guide new writers through the general process of publication and provide an overview on terms of agreement, the responsibilities of both the author and the publisher, and what expectations the writer should have when it comes to book distribution, publicity and royalties. Anne Beilby has been at Text Publishing since 2004. As rights manager, she is in charge of all head and foreign contracts. She works with authors, agents and publishers, here and internationally, negotiating the best possible foreign publishers for them. When: Wednesday 25 May, 6.30–8pm Cost: $15, Members $12/$10 Group bookings (8+): $10 Rating: A
Targeting a publisher with Zoe Dattner & Laurie Steed Session: Be guided through the basics of submission, what makes a good proposal, the benefits of approaching small press vs mainstream publishers, online opportunities and advice on how to get beyond the slush pile. You’ll learn where to submit and how best to maximise your chances of a successful submission. Zoe Dattner has worked in the publishing industry for 10 years. In 2003 she cofounded small publishing company Sleepers, one of the initiating presses that established SPUNC back in 2006. She’s passionate about the past, present and future of publishing, and believes that soon we will see the second renaissance. Laurie Steed is a writer and freelance editor. His writing has been published in page seventeen, The Sleepers Almanac and The Big Issue, and he reviews for Readings Monthly and Australian Book Review. He is communications manager for the Small Press Network (SPUNC). When: Wednesday 18 May, 6.30–8pm Cost: $15, Members $12/$10 Group bookings (8+): $10 Rating: A
REGIONAL FUNDING vwc regional partnerships program 2011 The VWC is committed to supporting writers throughout Victoria and is keenly aware of the geographical limitations experienced by its regional members. To extend our professional development program for regionally based writers, the VWC is launching a new initiative to offer subsidised literary activities throughout Victoria. This new program replaces the VWC Regional Funding Program offered in previous years and will directly target regional writers with a focus on providing high standard professional development opportunities for all of its members. The program offers regional writing groups and festivals the opportunity to present customised professional development events designed for the needs of their members and audiences. The VWC encourages applications in a broad range of topics and genres. To apply for the VWC Regional Partnerships Program 2011 see vwc.org.au/services/regionalpartnerships.
write club
with special guest scott edgar
FRIDAY 15 APRIL, 6PM The first rule of Write Club is, you don’t talk about Write Club … Not Fight Club, Write Club! Somewhere free of seminars, workshops and panels; a place to catch up with your fellow VWC members and put faces to some of those names. On the third Friday of each month starting in April, VWC will host an informal night of talk, readings, drinks and conversation. We’ll have a different literary organisation take the lead and offer up an idea, a text, a musician, an artist, a profession, a language, a culture – even a writer(!), to challenge the norm and stimulate discussion. Write Club is the place for the unusual, the challenging and the undiscovered. This month, the VWC features special guest Scott Edgar. Scott Edgar has been a member of ARIA award-winning comedy act Tripod since 1994. In 2010, Tripod held the world premiere of its comic musical Tripod Versus the Dragon at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in the US and went on to perform the show at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The second rule of Write Club is "20 in 20". In the lead up to our April event we are asking you, our members, to nominate a question you’d like our special guest to answer. A list of the top 20 will be handed over to Scott one week before the event with instructions to answer all questions in the most inventive way possible. On the night, as audience members, you have the chance to guess the 20 questions. A prize will be awarded to the person who gets the most right. It will be short and snappy – 20 questions in 20 minutes. Questions received by email only. Please submit your question to program@vwc.org.au with “Write Club 20 in 20” in the subject line. Closing date: 5pm, 7 April. Where: the Moat @ the Wheeler Centre Cost: FREE Rating: A This is a licensed event. The VWC's next Write Club, on Friday 20 May, will be hosted by the Emerging Writers' Festival. Stay tuned to vwc.org.au for details. THE VICTORIAN WRITER // April 2011
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THE VICTORIAN WRITER // april 2011
A MONTH OF READING * katie walsh I may as well come straight out with my confession: I only have a vague memory of the last time I read an engaging novel. It was The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy and it was over two years ago. I remember that I cried when reading this book. I cried a lot. Since then I have had a personal, fictional drought which I am almost embarrassed to acknowledge, and although its original cause was not for want of my trying, it seems to have become a protective fixture in my life over time. The process of decline was gradual and spurred on by a period of heightened emotion in my personal life. Perhaps I decided, albeit unconsciously, that I didn’t need to open myself to the narrative to engage with more emotions in my reading life. The love, loss, triumph and tragedy of “fictional” others was too tumultuous to add to my world. Thus, I went through a stage where I attempted to read a variety of novels, ploughed through the first twenty or so pages, but told myself that I had failed to connect with story and its voice, and let them go. In some instances the lack of connection may have been true; however, upon reflection there may have been a little protective sabotage in there too. Now as I cast my eyes over my bedside table thinking about “a month of reading”, I settle upon a pile of non-fiction books in partial states of undress and one glimmering beacon of fictional hope sitting next to them. I have been reading Music, the Brain and Ecstasy: How Music Captures our Imagination by Robert Jourdain for quite some months now. I have read vainly in the hope that this book will succinctly tell me why I love to indulge my passion for listening to live and recorded music as much as I do. With three chapters remaining, I almost don’t want to get to the end for fear that the answer I seek isn’t really contained within the pages. I’m now on a go-slow to put off this possible discovery. In the interim, I have also started reading The Element: How Finding your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson. Yes ... uurrgghh ... it is a self-help slash motivational slash creative thinking book, biased as it sounds. We all need a little pick me up every now and then, don’t we? A guilty indulgence? A little something to spur reflection and navel gazing? Truth be told, I know the answer I’m seeking, which led me to this book, is not contained within it. This read is about the process, not the outcome. Next is The Gruen Transfer by Jon Casimir, the book based on the ABC television show. It’s a self-confessed “toilet read”, which I found to be a crass term, but stands to reason with its easy, flick-through nature. This book is with me because I’m a bit of a neuroscience come human behaviour come psychology lover. Advertising and its analysis falls smack into this category for me. This book is good for a light moment with the day’s first cup of coffee, when no challenge to my brain is required.
Katie Walsh works with Australian Poetry as program manager. She holds degrees in Commerce and Business Management (HRM) and draws upon a diversity of experience gleaned across industries including Olympic broadcasting, professional services and government. Having recently made Melbourne her home she spends time being delighted by arts, music, literary events, laneways and ever emerging cafes.
BOOKS
Books read/to read Music, the Brain and Ecstasy: How Music Captures our Imagination Robert Jourdain The Element: How Finding your Passion Changes Everything Ken Robinson The Gruen Transfer Jon Casimir Sexing the Cherry Jeanette Winterson
BY judith buckrich Vice-President Melbourne PEN
Melbourne PEN Centre has been very busy during the last month with recent events in the Middle East resulting in a great increase in the number of journalists and writers imprisoned and in danger in that region. We constantly monitor these regions and others on behalf of our colleagues. Melbourne PEN works on behalf of all writers but has several honorary members in whom it takes a special interest. Two new members who we have adopted at the urging of the Writers in Prison Committee in London are Irina Khalip and Natalia Radzina who were part of a group whose members were arrested en masse in Belarus. Declared a “hero of Europe” by Time magazine and winner of the 2002 Courage in Journalism prize, 43-yearold Irina Khalip is the Minsk-based correspondent for the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. In the fifteen years that she has been working as a journalist, she has been the subject of death threats, intimidation, all-night interrogations and beatings at the hands of the police and the KGB.
Natalia Radzina is an editor for the pro-democracy news website Charter 97 (http://charter97.org/en/news). She was detained alongside all the staff and volunteers at the website on 19 December 2010. During her arrest she was badly beaten and there were distressing reports that she suffered bleeding from the ears. During her almost two months in detention, she was denied adequate medical treatment and legal advice. Currently Radzina is prohibited from visiting Minsk, where she has been living and working for the last 15 years. In this 100th anniversary of the first International Women’s Day we felt it appropriate to adopt two women writers to add to our honorary members list. We are also pleased to announce that we have received a grant from the Copyright Agency Limited to mount two events later this year, firstly showcasing some of our poets in translation and later in the year featuring some of our best indigenous writers.
Further details will be available closer to the events. Please keep an eye on the Melbourne PEN website: www. melbournepen.com.au.
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // april 2011
Finally, to that glimmering beacon of fictional hope that sits as a siren on the bedside table, hoping to lure me back into some state of emotional engagement beyond seeking answers to impossible questions and toilet reads. It is Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson and was recently loaned to me by a friend. It is like a present that I am too tentative to unwrap, perhaps for fear of failing another fictional voyage. Yet, knowing it came recommended to me as a result of a deliciously red-wine fuelled Christmas party conversation that mentioned abstract writing, poetic narrative and such adventures, perhaps, just perhaps, it is the thing to shake me out of the fictional drought? Perhaps, instead of containing one, this book is an answer.
December PEN report
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THE VICTORIAN WRITER // april 2011
opinion * mark rubbo
Reflections on Borders, A&R and REDgroup The news of the REDgroup going into voluntary administration ironically reached me (by text message) while I was standing in the Borders in Berijaya Mall in Kuala Lumpur. The REDgroup comprises Borders Australia and Singapore, Angus & Robertson, Readers' Feast and Whitcoulls in New Zealand; it accounts for around 20 per cent of book sales in those markets. The REDgroup isn’t alone in finding current trading conditions tough – most who’ve had long experience of bookselling say it’s unprecedented. Scribe’s Henry Rosenbloom told me recently that he’d never felt so stressed or distressed about the industry. Given the industry’s state, it’s unlikely that the administrators will be able to turn the group around or find buyers for the businesses, so we may see closures of scores of bookshops across Australia and New Zealand. Although other sectors are hoping they’ll be able to pick up some of the REDgroup’s business, it’s likely some of those sales will be lost to the Australian book trade. For many publishers – already losing sales to offshore online retailers and other competing media channels – this will make life very difficult. Some commentators (and the REDgroup’s owners, Pacific Equity Partners) have blamed the growth of offshore internet retailers, with their double competitive advantage (due to the strong Australian dollar and the fact that those retailers can sell their products free of GST). We may never know what the reasons are, and as an outside observer, I’m sure that this was an important contributory factor. But, ultimately, the REDgroup should never have bought Borders – it was a sick company that had a sick model. Once the REDgroup bought in, they needed to get margins up and reduce costs and inventory, and this led to silly decisions – among other things, they started to price most books above the RRP. That enabled them to sell other books at half-price, but ultimately, I’m sure many book lovers saw through
that con. They rationalised their staff, getting rid of experienced people and bringing on retail buyers whose only experience was how to screw suppliers. (Their non-fiction buyer had been a wine buyer for Tesco’s, for god’s sake!) As the impact of the GFC hit, they desperately tried to find other ways of stopping the haemorrhaging of sales and introduced cookware to their stores – they put it right up the front of the Borders in Carlton, so it didn’t look like a bookshop anymore. Personally, I don’t think Borders should ever have come to Australia; it was a ruthless, tasteless and arrogant display of cultural and commercial imperialism. Like Starbucks who followed them, they were useless and brought nothing to our communities. But the real tragedy is that Borders’ ill-conceived invasion, continued by the venality of Pacific Equity Partners and their REDgroup, has probably led to the demise of three venerable Australian and New Zealand commercial institutions – Angus & Robertson, Readers' Feast and Whitcoulls – and the losses of thousands of jobs. More importantly perhaps, it was the Angus & Robertson shops that took books to the shopping centres and regional Australia. Who will do that now? Mark Rubbo is the managing director of Readings.
This article was first published at the Readings blog, at readings.com.au. The Victorian Writers' Centre thanks Mark Rubbo and Readings for permission to reproduce it here. what's your view? share your opinion by emailing editor@vwc.org.au with "letter to the ed" in the subject heading.
In-house
a monthly word from VWC friends and neighbours
Jacqui Hagen, the Wheeler Centre's (outgoing) receptionist extraordinaire fills us in about her art, herself and questions about couches, before she departs 176 Little Lonsdale ... The question I'm asked most at the Wheeler Centre is: a tie, between "Is this the State Library?" and "Is that a couch?" (both several times daily). My media company Little My could be described in three words as: humble, resourceful and (extremely) busy. I make jewellery that is: reliant on the seasons of the Australian high country. My favourite film is: Oh yikes! The dreaded question for all aspiring filmmakers. I watched The Darjeeling Limited again last week, that was pretty brill. One day I'll: get to bed before 1am ... refer to question two! Working with children in the Fitzroy flats is: Unpredictable, challenging and incredibly rewarding! I've been scissor kicked in the back of the head, bitten by a goose and invited into a cosy apartment for delicious African curry – all within the space of a few hours. Having a market stall requires: patience, good coffee and a big grin. Jacqui Hagen began work at the Wheeler Centre alongside her Bachelor of Applied Communication at RMIT, where she majored in cinematography and lived behind a lens. She has established her own freelance media company that specialises in graphic design, web design and videography. Jacqui also works at a community playground in Fitzroy as a youth worker/cubby builder, occasionally hauls gear around on film sets and designs a jewellery label (www. theotterandthefox.com) that keeps her busy at local weekend markets.
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // April 2011
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f I were to define what creative non-fiction (CNF) is, I would say – and others have said this too – that it’s the documentary of the literature world. Basically, it’s anything based on fact that is told through literary fictional devices, like setting the scene or dialogue, where language is as important as the content and the writer has some kind of presence. There is more poetic licence than in general non-fiction. For example if someone writes about their childhood and they don’t remember what colour the wallpaper was, it doesn’t matter; they can invent. Another good example is with dialogue. Often CNF writers will recreate dialogue that they do not remember word-for-word, but they recreate something plausible. The emotional truth of that dialogue is what’s most important.
In CNF the author is always present. This is one of the characteristics that distinguishes it from general non-fiction or traditional journalism: the author becomes a very important part of the book – as a character in the book, sometimes the central character, or as the voice, the organising consciousness of the work. There’s a continuum of how the author can place themselves in the story and one extreme end of it is the memoir. The other extreme end would be a book like The Book of the Courtesans: a Catalogue of Their Virtues (by Susan Griffin). It’s really a historical study of courtesans, but the author engages with the history through poetic language, sometimes imagining what the life of the courtesans would be, like a novelist would imagine. She doesn’t actually put the “I” in the story, but she’s present through her voice and her peculiar historical take.
“Creative non-fiction” is a term that was coined recently, in the early 1980s, and it is an umbrella term that includes lots of different sub-genres. It’s a genre that is selling really well at the moment, for a couple of reasons. One is that it’s easier to market. We live in the internet era, the blogging era, the big brother era. We are interested in what we think of as “real” or “true”. 14
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Reading list To sink your teeth into some great creative non-fiction, Lee recommends: Griffith Review, for essay – any edition will give you a broad overview (based on the writer’s life) – not traditional or autobiography or biography – but memoir, diary or letter-based work.
a sub-genre of life writing which is a sub-genre of CNF. A good example of CNF diary is Sydney Journals by Antigone Kefala. Memoir can be a series of vignettes, narrative or written from the present day as rumination. Angela’s Ashes is what people often think of as memoir – but it’s a limited idea. This is a bit like the Bryce Courtenay of the novel. Really well written memoirs don’t only tell the story of what happened, but also the process of composing this story, of engaging with one’s life. They would juxtapose past selves against the present self. An example is Iris by John Bailey.
the most similar style to the writing I’m doing. This is when a writer immerses herself into an unfamiliar experience to investigate it. It can be using an existing experience – like what I’m doing, looking for people who have already had nonmonogamous relationships and interviewing them. Or you can create your own experience, like the man who decided he was going to live one year strictly by the biblical law (AJ Jacobs’ The Year of Living Biblically). This is another type of immersion. Then there is the variety of essays: the lyrical essay, which is more like poetry; the personal essay, which is more based on your life; or the reflective essay, which is a more philosophical essay.
Robert Dessaix, Ann Deveson, Helen Garner and Mandy Sayer Jeoff Dyer (one of my favourite writers, irreverent and intelligent) Philp Lopate (one of the classical, very solid CNF writers) Lee Gutkind (editor of the journal Creative Nonfiction – he’s great) Vivien Gornick (fantastic!) The Kiss by Kathryn Harrison – (a very famous memoir that came out of the late 1980s memoir boom) Milan Kundera (though we associate his work mostly with fiction, his fiction really borders on essay genre and he writes really good CNF essays too) Reading Lolita In Tehran by Azar Nafisi (really fantastic!) Janet Malcolm (a creative biographer – she revolutionised the genre of biography writing) In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (one of the real CNF classics, written before the genre, before the term was coined) Gay Talese (an amazing ancestor of CNF) Susan Sontag Joan Didion The Possessed by Elif Batuman (the best book I read last year – and I read a lot!)
But I think the main reason it’s so successful at the moment is because, in my opinion, the novel as a form is running its course. It’s an older genre. Every few centuries we invent a new genre and when the genre is new there’s much more freedom to experiment and do exciting things. CNF is currently such a new genre. Of course, it has a long history, particularly the memoir and its non-creative sister, the autobiography. Some of this genre’s ancestors are Joan Didion, Gay Talese, George Orwell,
Truman Capote.
The genre really became known at the end of the 90s and its popularity is a part of a self-perpetuating cycle. Publishers are keen to publish this genre because it’s easier to market. A lot of publishers don’t take enough risks with fiction – but with CNF they do. Therefore writers who work in this genre have more freedom. They also have more freedom because CNF is harder to define; it's a very elusive genre. It produces much more exciting books, I think, at the moment.
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // APRIL 2011
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I started fiction writing in my teens and I published three fiction books – but I started writing CNF from about 2004, and I realise now that CNF set me free from the confines, the straight jacket, of fiction writing. It was exhilarating – I didn’t need to think too hard about the heavy machinery of plot development plausibility and other fictional constraints. Of course, when the genre is so chaotic, and in fact is driven by lack of conventions, it poses different challenges to the writer. I find battling with the chaos and the many ethical issues of this genre more inspiring than the challenges of fiction.
CNF is really about recording how the consciousness is working, how the mind is working. What you really need to do is let yourself go. The genre, when it’s written well, is somewhere between fiction, good quality journalism and poetry. I love the freedom of being able to draw on my own experience, interviews, research – then I can decide to add something fictional suddenly. The balance between how much you are allowed to imagine and how much you have to be completely truthful is a big struggle for most CNF writers – any time I write about something based on my life it’s a big struggle. But it’s extremely interesting. These dilemmas inspire me to write more. Sometimes I find it helpful to tell the reader, look, this is what I remember, and then discuss the process of memory and the role of invention in the memory process, and write this tension between truth and fiction into the book.
There are a lot of people who talk about this in their writing. It can create a tension for the reader. It can actually become part of the book – the question about whether what you’re doing is ethical or not. Helen Garner does this a lot in her writing, very beautifully. I write personal essays but in the last few years I’ve also been working on a book which questions monogamy as the dominant framework for intimate relationships. It’s really about alternatives to monogamy – what’s out there – and I’m interviewing people. The manuscript has a narrative like a novel, and also involves my own experiences from the past. I’m in a monogamous relationship now but in the past I’ve had a few non-monogamous ones too. It has a narrative arc set during the last three months of my previous marriage when I started searching for interviewees for this book, people who have been involved at some stage in nonmonogamous relationships. I draw on research as well and I pay very close attention to language and fictional devices. I’m one of the characters in the story. People often come to me and ask is memoir CNF, is “How to create a Garden” CNF? What I say is, it depends how you write “How to create a Garden”. If you bring your own experiences of gardening and write and talk about what gardening means to you and engage with the language as much as you engage with the practicalities of gardening, then it’s CNF. If you just say, you plant the tree here, then it’s not. Basically if I were to summarise it I’d say creative non-fiction is putting the self in, and the language – it’s as important as what happens, as the research. It’s all about language. And it’s exciting because it’s a genre that is still inventing itself.
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The biggest tip, and unfortunately it isn’t very grandiose or sexy, is to read a lot of CNF. This is the best way to engage deeply with this genre. Because CNF is all about the consciousness and how the mind works, to get out the really interesting stuff free flow writing is a very useful thing. It might sound awful, but if you want good feedback on how you’re going in CNF, don’t show your work to fiction writers! The parameters by which this genre is judged are quite different. It’s a bit like showing your poem to a crime writer. You’re in a different state of mind when you write and read CNF from when you write or read fiction. Make it as complex as life is – don’t look for neat conclusions when there are none. The thing that can kill a book is superimposed simplification of what you explore. Look at a book like Joe Cinque’s Consolation – an amazing book. I thought it was very well written. One of the things about this book is that it doesn’t give you a clear, straightforward answer to anything at the end. You are presented with the evidence and you have your own reflections. In CNF the resolution is not so much the point; the point is to show how complex and interesting life is.
REVIEW
Spec-fic vision of Melbourne’s future Chris Flynn reviews Meg Mundell’s debut novel Black Glass ave you noticed how the term “science fiction” has fallen out of favour lately, with publishers and writers preferring the slightly less nerdy term “speculative fiction”, or “spec-fic”. When I first heard this a few years ago I must admit I rolled my eyes, thinking “that is sooo unnecessary”. I grew up reading sci-fi after all and I'm not ashamed of all the space opera and alien worlds I eagerly consumed. But recently I've been thinking that “spec-fic” is actually quite an accurate description of a certain genre of sci-fi that a lot of very talented writers have been successfully plying their trade in. This idea of an imagined near future, sometimes but not necessarily post-apocalyptic is very alluring for a reader. Think Margaret Atwood's brilliant The Year of the Flood; William Gibson’s Zero History, which I reviewed for the book show last year; or our own Steven Amsterdam’s Things We Didn't See Coming – these are all fascinating glimpses into what might be waiting for us just down the road. In her debut novel Black Glass Melbourne author Meg Mundell presents a disturbing vision of what that city might resemble in the not too distant future. The story revolves around two young sisters from The Regions, Tally and Grace, who become separated after an accident. Each heads to the city in search of the other, despite being “undocs” – citizens without registered identities. Their status makes it impossible to secure employment and marginalises them in the eyes of the media and draconian authorities, a dig by Mundell at Australia’s treatment of refugees. The youngest, Tally, falls in with an indigenous homeless man, Blue, scouring the dilapidated streets for food and shelter. Grace, an aspiring actress, changes her name and is absorbed by the carnival community, with Melbourne’s shiny new Docklands transformed into a hub for the unwanted, another sweet cynical touch by Mundell.
the narrative too, is interesting. Each passage has a cinematic framing device that implies the entire book has been compiled from some government agency database that monitors everything. In fact I was constantly reminded of movies as I read, Blade Runner in particular with its array of ragged, unspoken background characters. Milk's equipment aside, there's a low-tech future noir feeling throughout – laptops and mobile phones are not prevalent, everything seems dirty and run down. There's a heavy sense that society is on the verge of collapse, with a descent into sexual chicanery and social unrest reminiscent of the decadent Rouge City in Spielberg’s A.I. It's largely forgotten now, but Black Glass most resembles Harry Harrison’s sci-fi classic Make Room! Make Room! which you may have seen filmed in the 70s as Soylent Green with Charlton Heston. As such, Meg Mundell is tapping into a rich vein here and she does it very capably indeed. It's always a delight seeing familiar Australian locations in sci-fi, sorry, spec-fic, so it's easy to like this book. It’s chock full of clever, original ideas, it's startlingly vivid and it has just the right amount of sleaze to make it edgy. An excellent debut then, from a promising young Australian author, but for all our sakes let’s just hope her predictions don't come true.
This review was commissioned by and first broadcast on The Book Show, ABC Radio National, 28 February 2011. You can listen to the review on The Book Show website: abc.net.au/rn/bookshow
Much like William Gibson's Zero History, Black Glass is light on plot and heavy on character, which is actually quite refreshing. Tally’s ongoing search for her older sister is a means for Mundell to flesh out some very rich and interesting secondary characters, notably media vulture Damon Spark whose career depends on finding gritty, urban tabloid stories rather than real news. Also worth mentioning is Milk, a “moodie” who specialises in controlling the mood of a crowd via sound, light and smell, a DJ taken to the nth degree. The structure of
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // April 2011
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David Carlin
am writing a book about my Ethiopian/Australian friend Sosina. A book about and with Sosina. I am doing all of the writing but she is doing a lot of the talking. Sosina, who grew up in Addis Ababa with the impossible dream of being a circus performer, now is a circus performer. She has toured the world. She has wowed them at the Opera House and on 42nd Street. And she lives in a nice suburban house in St Albans, where I sometimes visit her. St Albans is on a train line to the north west of Melbourne. I can’t quite picture how far north and how far west, for some reason, which troubles me because I like to know where places are. The second time I visited Sosina in St Albans I thought it would be a pleasant adventure to ride my bike there. I knew she lived quite close to the Maribyrnong River and I knew a bike path followed that river upstream. If I rode along one of the long straight roads due west from my place in Brunswick I would come to the Maribyrnong. Then all I had to do was turn right and keep going. Or so I thought. The river bends lost me. The curves were so lugubrious and the trail so badly marked, that one time I rode off into some suburban streets looking for a short cut only to arrive at roads that only circled and never went forward. I had to retrace my (figurative) wheel-marks to the river and set off again up the other side. I texted Sosi to tell her I would be a little late, and drank some water. I felt like an idiot to have set off this way, but I also knew that I had to keep going. In this I felt a little like an explorer, the suburbs my desert or my jungle. The river, tranquil as a pond, began to sink between worn-out cliffs, opening up a hollow on the city’s face. The bike path left the riverside and took off up a hill in zigzags (I passed a jogger): an old section of the path, the council saving money. The path skated along the edge of some quiet suburb. Below and beyond I could see the river falling deeper into its ancient cut. It must have been by now a couple of kilometres across the top, from teetering backyard to distant cul de sac. Surveying my wilderness, contemplating the depths of its greying nooks and crannies which at once lured and concerned me, and mindful of Sosina waiting, sipping Ethiopian coffee and watching youtube, I set off sideways. I would seek a faster, more direct route, hacking straight across the ‘burbs. How could that fail? The sun was shining. Even without a compass I could trust myself with a reasonable sense of direction. I would find a long stinky road cutting through the landscape like a knife, and sacrifice peace and nature for the slipstream of a bus.
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It was the sort of decision, I later felt, that Henry Morton Stanley would have been making constantly in the Congo, weighing up whether to fight his way along the cliffs and rapids of the river or beat a circuit through the jungle, as he ventured forth to meet some fabled African queen. Stanley had pledged, as he helped to bury Dr Livingstone, to be the next martyr to geographical science, or if my life is spared, to clear up not only the secrets of the Great River throughout its course, but also all that remained problematical and incomplete in the discoveries of … (names of obscure British explorers omitted). Africans who came across Stanley dragging his private army through their lands said, there is something very mysterious about him, perhaps wicked, perhaps he is a magician, at any rate it is better to leave him alone and not disturb him. This advice, tragically, could not have reached the villagers of Bumbireh Island in Lake Victoria, just another community that Stanley dropped in upon unannounced as he assayed Africa’s nether regions. The villagers of Bumbireh Island didn’t want to give him food, as he demanded. Instead they pulled his hair and stole his oars. To get the oars back he shot fourteen tribesmen dead. The hair-pulling was harder to revenge. He returned four months later to punish Bumbireh, he said, with the power of a father punishing a stubborn and disobedient son. How? Well, by standing out of range of their bows and arrows and shooting them with European bullets. He counted thirty three dead and a hundred or more, injured. And felt cheered. How could any father want to punish his son so violently? I turned my back on the Maribyrnong.A promising road led due north and met another slicing west. I was somewhere beyond Essendon. If I tacked like this, west and north, I would soon arrive at Sosi’s. But I came to another junction and with the hubris of a foreigner, decided another short-cut was in order. Yes, the main road went north again, but surely, my instincts told me, that would at this point be taking me further than I needed to travel in that direction. Ahead, in the backstreets, I would find the long-dreamt-of north-west track to St Albans. After a while the road ran out but I could pitch across country through some dirtlands above the river. Now I could see, across the abyss, the distant ruins of a high railway bridge dipping its delicate feet, like a wading bird, into the gorge. And beyond that, a newer bridge, the Ted Whitten, named for the greatest footballer ever to play for Footscray. I knew I had to reach and cross that bridge because Sosina lived close by on the other side. It was tempting to try to put my bike across my shoulders and walk into the wilderness straight towards Ted Whitten.
Ted himself would have been strong enough to do such a thing but my paniers were heavy. I had my laptop. I found a road licking to the right. I was in the seventies now, suburbs-wise. Every little road was curved. I took this one, that one, this one, closer, closer, until I came to a road that ran stubbornly sideways to the northeast, with no streets cutting through it. I felt like a lab rat stuck in an experiment, pedalling up and down. What was going on here? Then I noticed the high embankment steeped behind the houses. Fuck. The Western Ring Road! From the back it was a long curved levee, an impenetrable bastion, a banal engineering marvel. I almost cried. I gave up on my vision of the undiscovered path. I accepted that I did not know better than the landscape. I accepted that I would be quite (extremely) late. I accepted that there could be worse things. I limped, in so far as a cyclist can limp, back to the main road I had disdained fifteen minutes earlier. A wise man stays on the path where many have travelled, a voice told me. A smarmy, told-you-so voice. Stanley wouldn’t have listened to such a voice. Sosina wouldn’t have listened to such a voice either. So I took it with a grain of salt. But on subsequent trips to Sosi’s house, I put my bike on the train to St Albans station and rode from there. A neat kilometre. The book is happening, slowly.
[all quotes are from Pakenham, T, 1992, The Scramble for Africa: White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876-1912, Avon Books, pp. 25-28].
David Carlin’s previous non-fiction book, memoir Our Father Who Wasn’t There, is published by Scribe. David is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University, and has worked in theatre, film and circus as a writer and director.
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // April 2011
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think people really respond to creative non-fiction (CNF) because it contains at it core a pact that what you are reading is the truth. The best CNF also has at its core a larger truth; you’re reading a story but you also understand something larger at the end. It's a really exciting genre. In recent times we’ve seen some really wonderful examples with Chloe Hooper’s The Tall Man, Robert Drewe’s The Shark Net, Brenda Walker’s Reading by Moonlight. Helen Garner is just a master of CNF. The genre employs all the narrative or fictional modes that make us respond to fiction. It’s a winning combination of getting – in the best instances of CNF – a wonderful story that’s very well told, with plot and character and dialogue, and then at its heart there’s also this larger truth. It’s not a new genre, insofar as memoir, crime, travel writing, nature writing are effectively CNF. But I think CNF is more in people’s minds. Our list is increasingly including CNF as a core part of it. I’ve got some very strong titles coming up soon which exemplify the mode in very different ways.
There’s a book coming out early next year, written by a psychoanalyst called Andrew Relph which is called Virginia Drowns and I am Saved. As a child he had a reading and writing disability of some kind, but none-the-less even as a child he recognised that in reading lay his consolation and his salvation. As a psychoanalyst he’s beautifully gifted, and as a writer as well, at the art of conversation. He talks about writers who’ve been important to him like Saul Bellow, Martin Amis, Shakespeare – a real reader's list – and he talks about why our relationships with authors and characters can be as important as our relationships in real life. It’s a kind of inadvertent memoir. You get this sense of a life developing from childhood to adolescence, early love, relationships, death of parents, and you start to understand the life of the author himself. There are glimpses of his life as he talks about the writers. It’s an amazing kind of book. We have another book forthcoming by Susan Kovich called When We Remember They Call Us Liars, a courageous memoir about the contained inward directed force of violence that a family can perpetuate and also perpetrate against its own. It’s an unbearable topic but because she’s such a great writer it’s unbearable and it’s fascinating. You really need the excellence of the writer to carry the way the truth is told. Another strong recent example is from Jon Doust who was long-listed for the Miles Franklin last year. His Boy on a Wire is about his experience in Perth in a boys’ boarding school in the 1960s. It’s packaged and marketed as a novel but on the back it’s described as a “dislocated memoir”, which is another term for CNF. It doesn’t exactly mirror his life because there are characters that are blended and morphed, but readers have responded to it because they recognise being there and they feel that Jon has told a story about boarding school life and bullying and an era that has assisted them in some way; it’s articulated readers’ own experiences. I think that’s why people
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respond to what’s ostensibly quite a simple book. The larger truth there is about relationships between fathers and sons and brothers, courage and the courage of your convictions in difficult situations. I’ve just edited a collection of short fiction called The Kid on the Karaoke Stage and Other Stories (out in May). It’s a mixture of fiction and creative non-fiction and I deliberately chose not identify which was which, because it seemed to me that they both apply those fictional devices I described earlier. Then there’s that lovely mystery for the reader of, which is this, which do you feel in your heart to be true? And also, what truth does there lie in fiction and what fiction does there lie in truth? The stories sit nicely together and I wanted that intrigue at their heart.
It’s important to ask those questions early: who are the people around you who stand to lose from this, how angry are people going to be, have you shown this to the people in your life upon whom this is going to have an impact? You cannot discount or disregard that. Writing and storytelling is so important, and shaping something. People also have different views about things, and even family memoirs can spark enormous feuds or bitterness. You can’t just say, well the book is the thing. Because the author has to live with that book for the rest of their lives. Some of the difficulties of the genre are that you can’t change the story; you can’t change that pact that at the centre there is a truth. So you can’t say, wouldn’t it be so much better if at the end he got the girl, or she did walk away from that relationship or that job, or that person was or wasn’t shot, or whatever it is – but you can’t change the truth; you can’t mess with it.
The writer’s sensibility must be present. I guess it’s the same thing that you would expect of a good novel, that you need to be able to become absorbed and you need to be able to trust the writer. You know when you begin a book if you’re in good hands, all is well. If you’re not in good hands, it almost doesn’t matter how good the story is, it will fall down. If the fictional requirements like plot and believable characters and so forth aren’t working, then the story’s going to be missing something. The other thing is that at the heart of CNF you’ve always got this narrative “I”, someone who is really exposing themselves at the same time as they’re telling the story. There’s a great courage in doing that. I think that’s what difficult about CNF. Writers of CNF can discover that there’s a great power in putting the words down and sometimes they can frighten themselves or those around them by the power of the story that is told. And then writers need to make that decision: what is more important to me – my writing or my relationships? I’ve certainly had instances where we’ve had writers get back to us and say, look I can’t actually do this to the people around me; it’s too much and they don’t want their story to be told. And I respect that. It’s for the writer to make that call. The CNF writer stands to lose or gain a lot personally, and the people around them do as well. And that’s the great risk that perhaps fiction gets away with more.
It’s a genre in which the writer can do themselves a favour by reading some of the theory around it as well as reading some examples. There are so many strong examples in contemporary Australian writing and by reading the writer of CNF can learn a lot about the genre to assist their writing. Understand as best you can what you’re getting in to. It’s not just like writing a novel; there are consequences. In that context publishing is a big deal and it carries some weight. It does have personal consequences. The reader’s reward can be enormous, but there can be a cost as well. I don’t want to sound like I’m saying don’t do it, but writing CNF is something you need to do consciously. It can be life changing. If you think of Chloe Hooper and The Tall Man, there’s no way she could remain separate from the story that she covered. Think of Helen Garner with, say, Joe Cinque’s Consolation or The First Stone or even The Spare Room (which was called a novel). Your sense that there are consequences there is very strong. CNF requires courage, perseverance and a preparedness to be changed by what you do.
Fremantle Press accepts unsolicited manuscripts; around 600 a year are received. If the writer themselves is not West Australian or formerly from Western Australia, there must be a West Australian connection. www.fremantlepress.com.au. THE VICTORIAN WRITER // April 2011
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OPPS AND COMPS
Service for VWC members Did you know the VWC library maintains an up-todate record of opportunities and competitions for Australian writers? Housed in three separate folders and freely available to VWC members, it’s the perfect resource for keeping track of what’s coming up so you can plan your time accordingly. With opportunities ranging from short stories, fiction and poetry through to non-fiction, essays and playwriting, it’s all in there. So pop in and have a rifle through; you never know where it might lead you! The Australian Society of Authors publishes guidelines. Many of the competitions listed in these pages, for one reason or another, fall short of these guidelines. Members should secure full information regarding a competition and satisfy themselves that they are happy to enter. For the ASA Guidelines for Literary Competitions, send SSAE to PO Box 1566, Strawberry Hills NSW 2012. Phone 02 9318 0877.
OPPORTUNITIES GEELONG WRITERS BALLADS WORKSHOP When: Wednesdays in April Facilitated by local balladeer, Mike Whittle. Participants to perform their work on 7May at the Woodbin Theatre. 6–8pm. Belmont Library meeting room. $50. Queries and bookings to geelongwriters@ gmail.com.
Words@Deakin call for submissions Closing date: 11 April Fresh words needed. The more random the better. Poetry to 50 lines; prose to 1000 words. Multiple submissions welcome. www.deakin.edu.au/arts-ed/ communication/literary/words-at-deakin.
2011 London Book Fair When: 11–13 April Books will be exposed to 23,000 publishers and literary agents from all over the world. Dr Irina Webster and William Webster will present the work of Australian authors on behalf of the Australian Self-Publishing Group. www. australianselfpublishinggroup.com.
REDMOND BARRY FELLOWSHIP Closing date: 29 April Writers and scholars wanting to use our collection to research a project in any discipline to produce works of literature can apply for the Redmond Barry Fellowship. Successful applicants receive up to $20,000 for a three- to sixmonth residency. Australian and overseas scholars and writers can apply. www. unimelb.edu.au/culturalcollections/events/ redmondbarry.html.
Ballarat Writers call-out Closing date: 30 April 1000 words or under of prose, poetry or non-fiction for Ballarat Writers' newsletter. Submissions: publicity@ballaratwriters.com.
Society of Editors (Vic): 2011 IPEd Accreditaton Exam When: 21 May (book by 21 April) Fee is $530 for financial members of societies of editors and $680 for nonmembers or those who are not financial at the close of registrations. Exam fees are tax-deductible. www.iped-editors.org.
blog call for submissions Closing date: 30 May Online magazine Train stories looking for short stories. trainstories.blogspot.com.
CALL FOR PAPERS: AUSTRALASIAN ASSOCIATION OF WRITING PROGRAMS 16TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE Closing date: 27 June The Australasian Association of Writing Programs’ 16th annual conference, “Ethical Imaginations – Writing Words: Ethical Concerns and Their Implications in Literature and Writing”, will take place in November at Byron Bay. Papers for the conference are sought on a wide range of themes. A 500-word abstract submission is required. Go to www.aawp.org.au or email janie.conway@scu.edu.au.
GEELONG REPERTORY THEATRE PLAY SUBMISSIONS Closing date: 30 June GRT is now accepting play submissions for the 2112 season. Submit proposals and plays to: Play Selection Committee, PO Box 993, Geelong, Vic, 3220. For details see www.geelongrep.com.au.
POETRY IDOL: FEATURE POET CALL OUT Closing date: 1 July (earlier subs receive more consideration). Poetry Idol is now offering emerging poets the rare opportunity of a paid 10-minute feature reading at the 2011 Melbourne Writers Festival. Poets submit three poems and a shortlist of 20 will be invited to read at Audition Day in August. The top ten chosen by the audience will get a feature reading and all of the shortlisted poets will have at least one poem published in the Paradise Anthology and be paid. www.paradiseanthology.com.
PARADISE ANTHOLOGY CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Closing date: 1 July For poets seeking publication, The Paradise Anthology has received funding to pay featured poets. There is a small administrative fee per poem to cover some printing costs. www. paradiseanthology.com.
Inscribe call for submissions Closing date: 17 July Would you like your writing or illustration to feature in INSCRIBE? If you live, work or study in the City of Darebin, get your submissions in now. Includes general submissions of 800 words or less and longer pieces of up to 3000 words. www. darebin.vic.gov.au/writingprojects.
Turkish Delight writing and photography tour When: 18 September – 4 October With tour leaders John Harman and Dale Neill. Email cme@travelworld.com.au.
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THE VICTORIAN WRITER // april 2011
OPPS AND COMPS
FREEFALL WRITING WORKSHOP When: 16–22 October For beginners and experienced writers, Freefall in Point Lonsdale helps you reach your deepest creativity. Lead by internationally renowned teacher Barbara Turner-Vesselago. See www.freefallwriting. com or email Fran Macdonald on fran@ lifecycles.com.au.
2011 BALLARAT WRITERS INC WORKSHOPS When: throughout 2011 Ballarat Writers Inc is providing a range of workshops to suit every writer. To survey the different workshops and courses available, go to www.ballaratwriters.com.
EDUCATIONAL AUTHORS REQUIRED Blake Education is seeking experienced secondary school teachers to write “Instant Lessons” and other teacher resources for all subject areas. For more information, contact lisa@vea.com.au.
VOICEWORKS MAGAZINE CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Voiceworks magazine accepts submissions of fiction, poetry, non-fiction, opinion and artwork by writers and artists under 25. www.expressmedia.org.au/voiceworks/ index.php/submissions.
EKLEKSOGRAPHIA CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Poetry/prose/essays wanted for an Australian edition of the online international journal Ekleksographia. Email submissions and a brief biographical note to c.atherton@unimelb.edu.au. Enquiries by email or to 9370 6600.
SOCIAL ALTERNATIVES SHORT STORY CALL OUT Social Alternatives is an independent, not-for-profit quarterly refereed journal in need of short story contributions to its forthcoming issues in 2011. While primarily a scholarly journal, publishing articles and commentary, the collective firmly recognises the ability for literature to comment on a range of social issues and act as a vehicle for social change. For submission guidelines or general enquiries email ross@socialalternatives.com.
Emerging Writers’ Festival speaker call-out Would you like to be a part of the Emerging Writers’ Festival as a presenter, performer, host or panelist? The Festival is looking for people who are opinionated, informed and happy to speak in front of up to 200 people. Email director@ emergingwritersfestival.org.au with brief explanation of what you write and why.
COMPETITIONS COMMON THREAD LONGER SHORT STORY COMPetition Closing date: 15 April Prizes to AU$700 and possible publication in the Common Thread Anthology 2011. Entry fee $10/story. www.pippakay.com/ CommonThreadShortStoryComp.htm.
VOICES ON THE COAST WRITING COMPETITION Closing date: 15 April For new (previously unpublished) authors with an unpublished manuscript. The story should be aimed at children aged 8–13 years, maximum 30,000 words. First prize $1500. www.immanuel.qld.edu.au/voices.
2011 BAYSIDE WRITING COMPETITION Closing date: 15 April $3000 worth of prizes up for grabs. Budding writers of any age can enter the Bayside Writers and Bayside Poets competitions, though certain awards are open only to local residents. All winning stories and poems will be published on Bayside City Council’s website. www. bayside.vic.gov.au/writingcompetition.
2011 BANJO PATERSON WRITING AWARDS Closing date: 15 April Four categories: Short Story (category 1); Open Poetry (category 2); Bush Poetry (category 3) and ABC Central West Children’s Writing Awards. Cash prizes. $5 entry fee. Email writing@orange.nsw.gov. au or go to www.wordsoutwest.com.au.
44TH ANNUAL AWGIE AWARDS Closing date: 29 April The only peer-assessed awards for scriptwriters in Australia. AWGIES are judged purely on the original script rather than the final produced work. Each year in addition to the AWGIE categories, over $100,000 in special prizes and fellowships are presented. Award entry is open to financial members of the Australian Writers’ Guild. www.awg.com.au.
BLARNEY BOOKS & ART 2011 BIBLIO-ART AWARDS Closing date: 29 April $1500 first prize plus several smaller prizes. Choose a book from the selection and convert it into an inspired art piece. For more info email jo@blarneybooks. com.au or see www.blarneybooks.com.au.
THE BEST OF TIMES SHORT STORY COMPETITION #11 Closing date: 30 April For humorous short stories (any theme) to 2500 words. Prize money depends on number of entries received. Enter as many times as you like. No entry form. Include a cover sheet with your name and address, story title and wordcount. Entry fee $6/ story. Email cabbook-11@yahoo.com.au or see spiky_one.tripod.com/comp11.html.
POSITIVE WORDS Magazine APRIL MINI-COMPETITION Closing date: 30 April Poems to 10 lines or short story to 100 words, which include the word “second”. Entry fee $1.20 in unused postage stamps. Prize is six-month subscription to Positive Words. Entries to Sandra James, PO BOX 798, Heathcote 3523, Vic or email positivewordsmagazine@live.com.au.
ZONE 3 PRESS CREATIVE NONFICTION BOOK AWARD Closing date: 1 May Submit one copy of your non-fiction manuscript of 150–300 pages. Memoir, personal narrative, essay collections, and literary non-fiction are also invited. Entry fee $US25, first prize $US1,000 and publication. For full details email Amy Wright at wrighta@apsu.edu or see http:// apbrwww5.apsu.edu/zone3.
LORIAN HEMINGWAY SHORT STORY COMPETITION Closing date: 1 May Stories 3,500 max word count. Cash prizes. www.shortstorycompetition.com.
ZONE 3 PRESS FIRST BOOK AWARD FOR POETRY Closing date: 1 May Prize: $US1,000 and publication. Submit one copy of your manuscript of 48–80 pages. Anyone who has not published a full-length collection of poems is eligible; those with chapbooks may participate. Questions to falconerb@apsu.edu or go to http://apbrwww5.apsu.edu/zone3.
LORIAN HEMINGWAYSHORT STORY COMPETITION Closing date: 1 May or 15 May (late entry fee $20) For emerging writers of short fiction. First prize $1,500, 2nd and 3rd $500. www. shortstorycompetition.com.
2011 WRITER’S DIGEST COMP Closing date: 2 May or 20 May (late entry fee $5) $3,000 cash prize and trip to NYC to meet with editors or agents. Ten categories. www.writersdigest.com/annual.
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // April 2011
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OPPS AND COMPS
COMPETITIONS CONTD. THE BOOKSHELF POETRY COMPETITION Closing date: 12 May The best three poems will be announced on 12 June. No entry fee. Best poem awarded $100. Email your entry as an attachment to bookshelf@garsong. com with “Poetry Comp” in the title. No previously published poems, only one entry per person. See www.garsong.com/ BookshelfCompetition.html.
2011 PETER COWAN SHORT STORY COMPETITION Closing date: 20 May Max 600 words per unpublished short story. First prize $100, second $100, third $50. $5 entry per story; three for $12; five for $20. www.pcwc.org.au.
REASON-BRISBANE POETRY PRIZE Closing date: 27 May Open to budding and established writers across Australia. Open theme. Prizes: 1st $1500, 2nd $500, 3rd $300. Melbournebased poet, Petra White will judge the entries and winners will be announced in The Australian newspaper on 24 June. See www.daylesfordonline.com/poetryprize/ WELCOME.html.
GRAMPIANS WRITERS LITERARY COMPETITION 2011 Closing date: 27 May Short Story and Poetry sections. Prizes 1st $150, 2nd $50 in both sections, depending on quantity and quality. Theme is “Resilience in Adversity”. Email jamalloy@tpg.com.au for entry form and conditions or send SSAE to Jennie Malloy, Post Office, Great Western Vic. 3374.
EASTWOOD HILLS faw annual LITERARY COMPETITION Closing date: 31 May Short story: max 3,000 words; free verse poetry: max 80 lines per poem; traditional poetry : max 80 lines per poem; memoir: max 1,500 words; Pauline Walsh Award for Short Story: max 800 words. Prizes from $200 to $50. http://hillsfaw.webs.com.
ROSSGILL MEDIA TRAVEL WRITING COMPETITION Closing date: 31 May Wanted: submissions that describe the journey, and/or how the arrival and time spent in a destination continues to be a journey of sorts. The winner will receive feedback from two published travel writers, Paul Gogarty and Bill Corbett. www.thetravelwritingcontest.com.
BUSH VERSE BOREE LOG AWARD Closing date: 31 May Rhyming bush verse, 80 lines max. $100 prize. http://hillsfaw.webs.com. 24
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // april 2011
poetry submissions sought Closing date: 20 June Field (Furthering Inclusive Learning and Development) invites established and emerging poets to explore the theme “Beyond first impressions: what changes if you get to know me?” and to submit pieces for possible inclusion in a collection to be published in both hard copy and online. Poems 250 words max, incl. title. Applications to be submitted as Word attachment to peter.roberts@field.org.au.
2011 AUSTRALIAN UNITY BRYAN KELLEHER LITERARY AWARD Closing date: 30 June Bush poetry was created by Australian poets who wrote about rural life during colonial times and about the bush. Entry is free. Winners will share in over $2,500 worth of prize money. Application forms at www.australianunity.com.au/literaryaward.
the elyne mitchell rural women's writing award Closing date: 30 June The Elyne Mitchell Rural Women's Writing Award not only commemorates Elyne's life and work, but it has also been established to encourage rural women to write their stories. Theme for the 2011 is "A Bird's Eye View". www.elynemitchell.com.
THE CALEB PRIZE Closing date: 30 June For faith-inspired writing. Top prize $1000. www.omegawriters.com.
YARRAM COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTRE SHORT STORY & POETRY COMPETITION Closing date: 25 July Short stories (1,500–3,000 words) and poetry (8–48 lines) rhyming or free verse. Short story first prize $200, second $100. Poetry first prize $100, second $50. Entry fee $5/story, $3/poem. www.yclc.com.au.
THE FOURTH TOOLANGI CJ DENNIS POETRY COMPETITION Closing date: 7 September In acknowledgement of the dreadful floods that recently swept through eastern Australia, the themed category for this year is poems inspired by Dennis' poem, “A Song of Rain”. www.toolangi.net.
POSITIVE WORDS SHORT STORY and POETRY COMPETITION Closing date: 23 November Short stories to 2000 words, poetry to 48 lines. Entry fee $3.60. For entry form send SSAE to Sandra James, PO BOX 798, Heathcote 3523, Vic or email positivewordsmagazine@live.com.au.
2011 W. B. YEATS POETRY PRIZE for AUSTRALIA Closing date: 31 December First prize $500. www.wbyeatspoetryprize. com.
Welcome to write brain, the two-tier creative challenge set by Australia’s foremost puzzle-maker, David Astle. Every Victorian Writer issue will present a fresh enigma with particular answers to find, as well as a related, creative component where you’re invited to send in your own suggestions. The best will win glory (and a giveaway) by appearing in the issue to follow, in tandem with a fresh Write Brain challenge and the answers to the previous puzzle. So, are we ready? Here we go.
P WRITE BRAIN 4 p We offer you the genuine working titles of eight well-known books, all of which changed names on reaching the shelves. My own book Puzzled had the proviso title of “My Life in a Box”, while Joseph Heller aspired to “Catch-18”, before Leon Uris published Mila 18 a few months prior. Using trivia and literary nous, can you ID the ten novels? 1. The Strike by Ayn Rand 2. Last Man in Europe by George Orwell 3. Tenderness by DH Lawrence 4. Tote the Weary Load by Margaret Mitchell 5. Trimalchio by F Scott Fitzgerald 6. First Impression by Jane Austen 7. Twilight by William Faulkner 8. Something Happened by John Steinbeck
WRITE BRAIN CHALLENGE Send us the conjectured working titles of any notable Australian novel. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas may have been “Hugo’s Assault”, while Voss perhaps was almost known as “Unto Oblivion”. Send your suggestions (working title and authentic title) to listings@vwc.org.au, with the best to be published, and the judges’ favourite award giveaway of the month. Solution last issue: Write Brain 3 Solution: Brave New World According to Garp; Vernon God Little Women; Possum Magic Mountain; Matthew Flinders’ Cat in the Hat; Snow White Teeth; The Quiet American Rust; Farewell My Lovely Bones. David Astle is the author of Puzzled: Secrets and Clues of a Life Lost in Words (Allen & Unwin), as well as owning up to being the infamous DA behind The Age’s Saturday cryptic. www . d a v i d a s t l e . c o m
CALENDAR
april 2011 fri
LUKE ESCOMBE PRESENTS CHRONIC ILLNESS, a show full of sharp
and sublimely infectious songs about the profane inner life of the modern urban male. Enjoy a style of music that combines jazz, blues and folk with trashy electro, gangsta rap, stadium rock and Jamaican dancehall. 10.30pm. www.thebutterflyclub.com.
1-9 sun
10 TUE
12 thur
Lines by australian poetry,
showcasinges musicians and poets. Runs 3–5pm at the Wesley Anne, 250 High Street Northcote. Tickets $10 (door). australianpoetry.com.au.
AUTHOR TALK: HELEN CERNE.
Publisher, author, poet and ms assessor Helen Cerne talks about challenging personal publishing experiences. 12pm, The Chapel, NMIT Fairfield, Yarra Bend Rd. publishinglab.net
ANDREW FOWLER IN CONVERSATION. Andrew Fowler
14
investigates WikiLeaks and the man behind it in The Most Dangerous Man in the World. Book on 9347 6633. 6.30pm. Cinema Nova, Lygon Street, Carlton.
mon
AUTHOR TALK: BETTY CHURNER.
Former National Gallery of Australia director Betty Churcher is credited with bringing some of the world’s best art to Australia. Her book My Notebooks is a guide through some of the world's great art galleries. Book on 9347 6633. 6–7.30pm. North Fitzroy Star, St Georges Rd Nth, Fitzroy.
18 tUe
19
JEFF SPARROW, OVERLAND EDITOR, left-wing writer and former
socialist activist, in conversation. He is author of Communism: A Love Story, Killing: Misadventures in Violence and, with Jill Sparrow, Radical Melbourne. 12pm, The Chapel, NMIT Fairfield, Yarra Bend Rd. http://publishinglab.net. BOOK READING: MICHAEL KIRBY. A wonderful night of stories in celebration of the Hon Michael Kirby and the impact his life’s work has had on Australian culture. Expect to laugh, cry and be inspired. All welcome. Bookings on 9347 6633. 6.30pm. Asialink Theatre, Asialink Centre, Swanston St, Melbourne Uni.
Sat
23 fri
29-1
TWEEN BOOK SIGNINGS. 2–4pm.
Woodbin Theatre Foyer, 15 Coronation Street, Geelong West. $8 (Geelong Writers members $5). Queries and Bookings: Geelongwriters@gmail.com.
WILLIAMSTOWN LITERARY FESTIVAL. Now in its seventh year
and held at the Williamstown Town Hall, events include panels, interviews, workshops for children and adults, films, readings, storytelling and games. www. willylitfest.org.au.
REGULAR EVENTS
Mondays La Mama Poetica every 2nd month. La Mama, 205 Faraday St, Carlton, 8pm. $7/5. www.lamama.com.au Passionate Tongues Poetry 1st and 3rd Mon. Noise Bar, Brunswick. 8.30pm. Tel 9328 8080. Phoenix Park Writers (East Malvern) meet weekly on a Monday and Saturday afternoon. Tel 9530 4397. Reservoir wRiters and Reciters. Fortnightly, 1–3.30pm. Reservoir library. 0403 708 759 or ruthvenstorygarden@ yahoo.com.au. Scribes Writing Group. 9.30am – 12pm (school terms). Sth Barwon Community Centre, 33 Mount Pleasant Rd, Belmont. Vivienne Worthington, Tel 5241 9491. Words and Music poetry and readings. 98.1FM. 10.30–11am. Tuesdays Book Chat. Share opinions and great reads with book lovers. Find new authors and new friends. Free, no need to bookings. 11am – 12noon@ Doveton Library. Chalk and Cheese. Arts news, interviews and readings. 3WBC, 94.1FM, 4–5pm. Mordialloc Writers’ Group. Workshops fortnightly, 8pm. Mordialloc Neighbourhood House. mairi@ ozemail.com.au, Tel 9587 8757. The Spinning Room poetry and spoken word. 8.30pm. ET’s (Edwards Tavern), cnr High & Clifton Sts, Prahran. 9510 9896. Williamstown Writers. First Tuesday of the month except Jan. 8–10pm. St Mary’s Church Hall, Cecil St, Williamstown. $2. Lynne Dale: 0425 704 394, kethry1@hotmail.com Wordweavers Writers’ Group. Fortnightly 9.45am – 12pm. Waverley Community Learning Ctr, 5 Fleet St, Mt Waverley. 9807 6011. Wednesdays Aural Text RRR. 102.7FM, 12–2pm. Coast Lines Poetry Group. 1st Wed, 10.30am. Brighton Library, Wilson St. Cecilia Morris 0412 021 154. Roarhouse music and poetry. One Wed per month, 7–10pm. Esplanade - Basement Bar, St Kilda. Free. To perform: fi.roarhouse@gmail.com. Wednesday’s Child Writers’ Group. Last Wednesday of the month. Bartiste Lounge, Ross Smith Lane, Frankston. 6.30pm. francashman@msn.com. Thursdays Australian Society of Technical Communicators (VIC) meeting, 1st Thurs. VTR Consulting, Roseneath Pl., South Melbourne. 6.30–8.30pm. Brunswick Poets’ & Writers’ Workshop ©. 1st Thurs, Feb–Nov. 7pm. Community Rm, Campbell Turnbull Library, rear 220 Melville Rd, Brunswick Wst. 9384 1277.
Caulfield Writers Group. Alternate Thurs, 7.30pm. Godfrey St Community Hse, 9 Godfrey St, Bentleigh. Dave Power 9568 2605 caulfieldwriters@gmail.com. The Courthouse Readings. 3rd Thurs. 728 Main Rd, Eltham. 8pm. $5. 9439 9732. Darebin Writers’ Group. 1st Thurs. 7.30pm. SPAN Community Hse, 298 Victoria Rd, Thornbury. 9480 1364, info@spanhouse.org. Published ... or not 3CR, 855AM, 11.30 – 12noon. Roarhouse music & poetry. One Thurs a month, 7–10pm. 303 Bar, Northcote. fi.roarhouse@gmail.com Spoken Word poetry. 9–9.30am, 3CR 855AM. Baw Baw Writers' Network. 3rd Thursday, January–November, 6pm. Drouin Public Library (side entrance). writersevents@gmail.com. Write Now. Discussion and talkback. 88.3FM, 7–8pm. Fridays Andrew Thompson on 3WBC 94.1FM, 12.30–1pm. Short stories, poems, music. Melbourne Poets Union meeting, last Fri. Various locations, 7.30pm. $7/$5. home.vicnet.net.au/~mpuinc. Mornington Community Writers Group. 10am & 7.30pm. Mornington Community Hse, Albert St. Tel 5975 4772. www.morningtoncci.com.au. Society of Women Writers VIC meeting, last Fri of month. Meeting room, 4th floor, Wheeler Centre. 10.30am. $5. www.swwvic.net.au. Saturdays ABC Radio National’s Poetica, 3.05pm. poetry@fedsquare. 2nd Sat, 12–2pm. Free. Open sections. fedsquare.com. Poetry Sessions. 2pm. Dan O’Connell Hotel, 225 Canning St, Carlt. 9387 2086 or 0412 224 655. Stopping All Stations spoken word. 3rd Sat. 2–5pm, Station Street Cafe, 26 Station St, Nunawading. $5. 0408 741 316. www.stoppingallstationsexcepte astrichmond.blogspot.com Wordsmiths Poetry Group. 2nd Sat, 2–5pm (exc Jan). $25 yr/ $3 session. 8 Woodhouse Rd, Doncaster. 9890 5885, poeticachristi@netspace.net.au. Word Tree. 1st Sat, 3pm. Burrinja Cafe, 351 Glenfern Rd, Upwey. Tel 9754 1789. Sundays FAW Peninsula Branch, 1.45 for 2pm, 2nd Sunday, Community House, Albert Street, Mornington. Poems on Main. Book club run by Jordie Albiston. 2nd Sun, 3–4.30pm. Eltham Bookshop. 9439 8700. Readings by the Bay. Last Sun, Feb–Dec, 2–5pm. Mordialloc Neighbourhood Hse. mairi@ozemail. com.au, 9587 8757. Westword. 2nd & 4th Sun, 5–7.30pm. Dancing Dog Café, 42A Albert St, Footscray. $2.50. 0425 704 394, kethry1@hotmail.com.
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // April 2011
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MEMBERS
MILESTONES GAYLE BEVERIDGE's story “The Footsnake Story” was highly commended in the Springy Bark Short Story Award 2010 and published in the anthology The Umbrella's Shade. DEMET DIVAROREN and AMRA PAJALIC jointly authored the book What a Muslim Woman Looks Like, which launched in March. BENJAMIN GRANT MITCHELL's autobiographical novel TheLast Great Day will be self-published in April. LEAH KAMINSKY’s poetry collection Stitching Things Together was commended in the Anne Elder awards. RAY LIVERSIDGE had five poems published AT Skylab Visual Poetry (USA), a poem featured with the Guerrilla Poetry Project, three poems in Small Packages and two poems in Arena. Late last year a selection of his poetry appeared in Triptych Poets: Issue One and his chapbook The Divorce Papers was published. His poem “The lawn” won the 2010 Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize. EVA KOMSKI’s short story “When the Dirt Starts Moving” was named a finalist in Glimmer Train's Family Matters competition. ELEANOR MARNEY won the 2010 17th Annual Scarlet Stiletto Award for her short story “Tallow”. Her story “Mandurang” was shortlisted in the 2010 International Aeon Award and will appear in the anthology Box of Delights this year.
CLASSIFIEDS Artisan Retreat
Castlemaine writing retreat
A delightful and exquisitely appointed miner's cottage featuring sunny living and dining areas, modern artistic decor, deep luxurious spa and wood fire. This captivating cottage also features a "Garden Retreat" – perfect break-out space for solitude, creative ventures, yoga or meditation. Discount for VWC members. www.artisanretreat.com.au.
Sth of Castlemaine. Old stone hotel, two bedrooms. Basic but heaps of character. Peaceful surrounds, wood heater, BYO linen. $75/night, 2 night min. $220/week for VWC members. www.yapeenpub.com. au, yapeenpub@gmail.com, 0412 158 715.
Write for Kids Picture book workshops on 26 March and 30 April, 10am – 4pm. Virginia Lowe (Stories, Pictures and Reality) and Jo Thompson (The Glasshouse) discuss how words and pictures work together, the 32-page rule, using the storyboard, how to locate and approach publishers. Feedback on stories and pictures brought to the session. Contact Virginia on 9578 5689. www.createakidsbook.com.au.
Desert writers’ adventure June 25 – July 2, 2011. Walk and write the Larapinta Trail near Alice Springs, using senses and elements to access the creative power of your writing. Supported camping, walking in spectacular desert country with Indigenous guides, taking in the Beanie Festival and finishing at Hermannsburg community. www. intotheblue.com.au, 0415921303.
BEACH COTTAGE, TORQUAY Available for short-term bookings for writing retreats. Sleeps eight. Less than 10 mins walk to beach, restaurants, shops. Pet friendly. Large yard, outdoor setting and BBQ. From $135 p.n. off-peak (min 2 nights); $200 p.n. peak (min 7 nights). Discount for bookings month or more. www.torquayholidays.com.au.
10% discount • Ballarat Books 15 Armstrong St, Ballarat (only on general books) • Brunswick Street Bookstore 305 Brunswick St, Fitzroy • Ben’s Books 437 Centre Rd, Bentleigh • Collected Works Bookshop Lvl 1, 37 Swanston St, Melbourne (5% for credit) • Continental Bookshop 439 Bourke Rd, Glen Iris • Create a Kid’s Book Assessment/ Workshops ph 9578 5689 • Dymocks Booksellers 1–3 Mitchell St, Bendigo (7% and only on fullprice books); Plaza 5, Market Square Shopping Centre, Geelong; Eastland, 171 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood (5% 26
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // april 2011
Beach cottage in Torquay (Vic) available for short term bookings for writing retreats. Weekend, a month or two or three. Sleeps up to 8. 10 mins walk to front or surf beach, restaurants and shops. Pet friendly. Large enclosed yard with outdoor setting and BBQ. Rates from $135 p.n. for offpeak (min 2 nights). $200 p.n. peak (min.7 nights). Discounted rates apply for bookings of a month or more. For more information go to: www.torquayholidays.com.au/cal/4.htm.
WRITER'S RETREAT HEPBURN Charming self-contained bungalow, close to Bathhouse, cafes, bush walks. Monday– Thursday $50/night, else $75. elizian@ bigpond.com or 0425723502.
POET AVAILABLE FOR READINGS Melbourne poet Peter Bakowski writes clear, accessible poetry that explores what it’s like to be human. His collection In the human night won the Victorian Premier’s Award for Poetry and his latest collection Beneath Our Armour, was shortlisted. He specialises in reading his poetry in homes (anywhere in Australia) to groups of eight or more. Contact: pbakowski@yahoo.com, 9427 8685, 0406 029 578. bakowskipoetrynews. blogspot.com.
WRITERS' COUNTRY RETREAT
MEMBER DISCOUNTS 5% discount • Deans Art 188 Gertrude St, Fitzroy; 369 Lonsdale St, Melbourne; 341 Clarendon St, Sth Melbourne
Beach cottage in torquay
for credit/eftpos) • Hares & Hyenas Bookshop 63 Johnston St, Fitzroy • New International Bookshop 54 Victoria St, Carlton • Paperback Bookshop 60 Bourke St, Melbourne • Soundbooks 439 Bourke Rd, Glen Iris (cash and eftpos only) • Syber’s Books 38 Chapel St, Windsor; 668 Glenhuntly Rd, Caulfield 15% discount • Angleton’s Office Supplies 187 Smith St, Fitzroy (discount on everything except copy paper and cartridges) Special offers • Punt Hill Apartment Hotels and Serviced Apartments ph 1300 731 299. Government rates and the option of best available rate.
Woodend Farmhouse Retreat, quiet country location for writers/creative pursuits, two b/rooms plus exterior working spaces, available from May. Meals available, short-term or long-term, pet/ horse friendly. miranda@hotkey.net.au, 0431114539.
COPYEDITOR FOR HIRE Professional TV writer, script editor and columnist with years of experience as a copy editor and proof-reader (worked for orgs such as Four Diegos Media and Working Title Films) available for freelance proofreading and copy editing of website text, business documents, press releases etc. Contact Fiona at fionaharris3@me.com.
BYRON BAY WRITING/YOGA RETREAT Six days of classes, one-on-one writing guidance and feedback. Beginner writers and inexperienced yoga practitioners welcome. www.sarah-armstrong.com or 0414 228 563.
Email your listings (classifieds, opps and comps, events, letters to the ed, milestones or letters to the editor) to listings@vwc.org.au.
BOOKENDS
BACK STORY
Writing Unholy Pilgrims by tom trumble My journey along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the ancient Spanish pilgrimage, took one month to walk and two years to write about.
publisher would realistically consider an unsolicited manuscript.
The writing proved no less exacting than the 800 kilometres of hiking.
I joined the Victorian Writers' Centre and had my manuscript sent off to an assessment agency. The assessor’s final overview concluded the manuscript was of a publishable standard. I sent a new batch of manuscript excerpts with the assessor’s report and within six weeks I had a signed contract with Penguin.
Losing my journal on top of an internet console in Madrid Airport very nearly derailed the process before it began. This, I quickly discovered, was the least of my worries. The writing was simply not getting done. Holding down a job with regular hours and trying to write in the evening was not working. So for ten months I maintained a routine of working eight hours a day on my book and then five hours a night at an energy retailer. I never gave myself more than one day a week off the book. I had to keep writing. Eventually, exactly one year to the day after completing the pilgrimage, I finished the first manuscript. All I needed to do was get it published. But very quickly it seemed my manuscript was destined to be lost under a pile of rejection letters from agents and publishers. Five months of rejection gave way to the thought that the whole process was an exercise of breathtaking self-indulgence. All that prevented me from stopping and getting a “real job” was a hunch that no
I needed third-party endorsement.
There are many arbitrary factors that determine whether a book is published. Chief among these, from a publisher’s perspective, is a book’s commercial viability. Seeing as writing a book cannot be treated as a business, this factor is beyond the author’s control. But of those things the author can control, combating doubt is the most essential. This was my greatest foe. I am lucky to have a family whose encouragement helped to overcome that challenge. Tom Trumble has lived his whole life in Melbourne, and has made a range of poor career choices involving hospitality, journalism, policy development, data entry, envelope stuffing and book retailing. He has studied music and journalism. He is looking for a real job.
REVIEW
A writers' boot-camp
julie mac reviews Catherine Deveny's VWC workshop I admire strong Victorian women like Vali Myers, Chrissy Amphlette, Joan Kirner and Phryne Fisher. Women with attitude. I found Catherine Deveney in late 2009 when I read her Doncaster/Manpower column on The Age website and I frowned thinking, "Who is this woman? She is brutal". A peek at her website displayed an attractive brunette with red lippy and matching sequined dress. My kinda gal. This thought was confirmed when I spied her in another fabulous red dress at the Melbourne Writers Festival, with a pack of admiring males tripping over themselves to keep up with her glamorous stilettoed stride from BMW Edge to the book signing table in the Atrium at Federation Square. The resilient women that grow up in our bluestone suburbs of hard knocks are interesting and fascinating, so I signed up for Comedy, Comment and Overcoming Procrastination, ready to sit back and be entertained by this Reservoir chick.
During the round-the-table introductions, somehow Catherine individually probed our souls with a laser sharp skill that revealed our genres and then, with a Jedi-like mind trick, commanded us to complete 1000 words for the next session. 1000 words, or don’t bother coming back! Using secret subliminal trigger words like schooligans, turdlock and corporate maggots, there was not one grumble from the stunned participants (aged from 20 to 70) as we were given a high voltage jump-start to write – "Write in the nude" and "sing from the heart" on a "random creative adventure with no fixed outcome" other than to work on our "writing fitness". We received our orders. Write first. Write before morning coffee, write before your shower. With other tips on smashing the obstacles of procrastination and rude domestic interruptions to our creativity, every writer easily met the challenge and captured their 1000 words. Our reward? The punishing task of reducing our masterpiece to 500 words.
April has brought us yet another interesting selection of books. That’s Another Story is the 2010 anthology from Bass Coat Writers (their eighth anthology). Fiction, non-fiction and poetry are this time joined by a new segment in which writers pen their reaction to book titles – with some interesting results. Melbourne writer Leah Swann has just launched her debut novella and collection of short stories entitled Bearings. The author explores her characters’ deep inner strengths and weaknesses. An interesting newcomer is [untitled], an anthology of short stories in a small format – great for travelling on public transport. Plans are to produce this biannually and they are seeking feedback from readers. And for the young ones Anne Mangan has written True Blue Santa, in which Jack and Hannah set out to help Santa make Christmas more Aussie. Accompanied by Kim Fleming’s illustrations, Santa and his new helpers fly round the country, sporting “P” plates and clinging onto SPF 70 sunscreen. Come in and check out these new publications waving to you from our display area.
– Marilyn Newby: library@vwc.org.au
It was then I realised that calling the course Comedy, Comment and Overcoming Procrastination was a trick to semi-imprison me in a Writers’ Boot-camp with a literary dominatrix. I couldn’t wait to go back for more. Julie Mac is the author of RAGE: A Sharpie’s Journal Melbourne 1974–1980 and the contact for Williamstown Writers’ Group. She is also the membership officer for Authors Australia Inc. for independently published writers.
THE VICTORIAN WRITER // april 2011
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Victorian Writers’ Centre Inc ABN 18 268 487 576 Level 3, The Wheeler Centre 176 Little Lonsdale Street Melbourne Vic 3000 T> 03 9094 7855 F> 03 9650 8010 E> info@vwc.org.au W> vwc.org.au Office Hours> 10am – 5pm weekdays
Director Roderick Poole Administration and Finance Manager Jacquelin Low Program Manager Mary Napier publications manager/editor Anna Kelsey-Sugg Administration Officer Elise Hearst EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Rebecca Kamm Librarian Marilyn Newby Competitions Sue Penhall Events volunteers Kate Meshcheryakova, Kath Pejic, Deryn Mansell, Hayley Bracken, William Alexander. Patron Noel Turnbull Chair Chris Thompson Deputy Chair Isolde Lueckenhausen Treasurer Eddie Creaney Secretary Annie O’Hanlon Committee Members Bronwyn Blaiklock, Joel Deane Honorary Life Members Barbara Giles (dec.), Bev Roberts, Joan Sellar, Joyce Lee (dec.), Judith Rodriguez, Christine McKenzie, Kevin Brophy, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, Iola Mathews, Kris Hemensley, Sue Penhall The Victorian Writer is published on 100% recycled paper.
The Victorian Writer is published nine times a year with a readership of more than 3500, distributed to 2900 VWC members and more than 300 literary and arts organisations throughout Australia, to Victorian public library services, and community and regional arts officers. While information is printed in good faith, the VWC can take no responsibility for its accuracy or integrity. Inclusion of advertising material does not imply endorsement by the VWC. Views expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the Committee of Management or VWC staff. Printed by Geon Impact Printing: (03) 9387 7477. Graphic design and page layout by Mutton Stock: muttonstock.com.au.