(no subject)
By popular demand... well, okay, only torins demanded it but anyway...
Hope you can read it.
If I do say so myself:
08/04/2008
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to Stephen Orr’s letter about the Adelaide Writer’s Week published in the April 2008 issue of Southern Write. I have to say that I was quite surprised to read this letter as it is the first negative view of the event that I have come across. I was under the impression that a good number of people loved Writer’s Week and the hype leading up to it did nothing to dispel this theory. I may not be the best person to argue against Mr Orr’s view for, as I have said, I know very little about his side of the debate and my health keeps me housebound a lot of the time so I also know very little about the views of the arts community, in fact, I only got to half an hour of this year’s WW, despite looking forward to it for two years, due to the heatwave and my health, but I feel compelled to say a few things in response to Mr Orr’s letter.
I do not see the problem with having a lot of big names from overseas. Adelaide has many great opportunities for local, unknown writers to get their name out there and share some of their work. Obviously, there is always room for more but mediums like Animate Quarterly, WetInk, Friendly Street Poets, and various reading nights throughout the year offer good opportunities for local writers to get together. Is it such a problem, then, that there is one event every two years where these local writers, as well as some from interstate, can come and listen to their idols, inspirations, and mentors, the people who are living the dream of an author’s life, and listen to how they have got to be where they are today, and about what writing is like in other parts of the world? I don’t think so, I love WW and the reports that there were record breaking audiences there this year (ABC, The Advertiser) would lead me to believe that a good many other people love it as well. The way the event is organised - its easy access and free entry - encourages a lot of Adelaidians to attend. Does it matter who these people are, if they’re non-writers, “well-educated”, or from the “elitist” minority, or whether they’re homeless, or uni students attending for research purposes? Isn’t it just a joy to see so many people listening to authors and being a part of the literary world? And one has only to look at the program to see that there were a large number of Australian writers included along with the international acts. Out of the sixty authors invited to attend thirty-nine of them were Australians.
Big names and established writers do draw crowds, I’m sorry to say. I don’t think the 1000’s that turned up for Germaine Greer or Ian McEwan, braving the 40 C heat no less, would be complaining that the Week isn’t dedicated to unknown authors. And I wouldn’t say that emerging authors are overlooked either. Corrie Hosking is relatively new (compared to the likes of Ian McEwan) and she was not only a guest this year but was also covered by The Advertiser who Mr Orr says only featured the “big names”. Now, I did read a fair bit of The Advertiser that week (not the most respected paper among writers, I know, but it’s the one my parents get and I’m still under their roof) because I was unable to attend and, yes, during the week there was a fair amount of space devoted to the ‘big names’ but these were the people I wanted to read about and in the weeks leading up to and following WW, The Advertiser also had special articles and reviews on more local writers that were also guests of the Week.
I was also surprised to hear that the SAWC has a “strained relationship” with the WW organisers. The email updates sent out by the SAWC in the weeks before the event were nothing but cheery in their invitation to come down and say hello to the SAWC staff at WW or to buy an SAWC T-shirt to wear there. If there is any strained relationship between the two bodies (and I’m not saying there is or there isn’t because I have no idea) then I’d like to congratulate the SAWC on still supporting the Week and being friendly about it. A boycott could have easily been issued instead. There also seems to be a lot of support from established poets and authors, with names such as Lian Hearn, Mike Ladd, and Friendly Street Poets in attendance. Also, the fact that even the “big names” were saying good things about the Week means that it must have a largely positive reputation. There’s also a good number of publishers in the back of the program who showed their support for their authors and I believe quite a few publishers attend the event.
As for the organisers themselves, reading Mr Orr’s letter one would think that the people that put WW together were a group of the “elitist … well-educated, well-off minority” that Mr Orr feels the festival is aimed at. I don’t know all of the names on the organisers list, but I know a few and I know that they are writers themselves, avid readers, in touch with what goes on in the literary world of Adelaide, encouraging of local and emerging talent, and considerate of what the public wants. I’m sure they try to get a balance of both international and local writers and put a lot of time and effort in to making sure each WW is bigger and better that the previous one.
Both Flinders and Adelaide Universities (and possibly Uni SA) have courses encouraging English students to attend WW and some even base their entire semester course around the authors of WW. This, in my humble student opinion, gives young writers a chance to get to know authors they may not otherwise know and to see what their own writing might one day achieve.
I feel that WW is a great thing for young people or emerging writers. As a lover of literature and an aspiring writer myself I look forward to WW and see it as something to aim toward. One of my goals is to be invited to speak at WW, then will I feel that I have actually achieved something within the literary world. It may be that I’m putting too much importance on the event, but, too me, WW is an exciting time where a large number of people can all go and listen to a few of the people who are legends in the literary world give tips and invaluable insights in to the world of writing for young and emerging writers or just provide an enjoyable hour or so of entertainment for the readers (or, indeed, non-readers) in the audience. If we didn’t have WW the way it is now, then when would these people ever get the chance to see such greats like Peter Carey, Ian McEwan, Paul Auster, et al, in person? What would there be for emerging writers to look forward to, where they can just sit and enjoy and be inspired? If it was to be another place for unknown writers to have a chance to speak then it would become yet another competition for all of us to be scrabbling for a spot and to feel disappointed yet again if we were not chosen. I am sorry that Mr Orr does not see the event as a positive one because I feel he is missing out on the excitement, magic, and community spirit of the Week. But, as I said, I know very little about the politics of the Week and I am just expressing my views as an attendee and as one of the unknown writers Mr Orr feels WW should include. I can only suggest that perhaps Mr Orr look in to starting his own WW for emerging writers and then perhaps we can have a bit of both worlds.
I do not wish to appear as though I do not understand or respect what Mr Orr is saying but I felt the need to put forth another view of WW because I have, until now, heard only good things about it. To quote Mr Orr, “I’d rather be writing my fiction than opinion pieces, but some things can’t go unsaid, that’s the whole point of being a writer.”
That, I agree with.
Yours sincerely,
Claire Clements
11/04/08
Dear Editor,
I’d like to say a few things in response to Mr Orr’s letter on Writer’s Week published in the April 2008 newsletter. As a young, budding author, I feel there is a good mix of opportunities in Adelaide for emerging writer’s to share their work, though, of course, there can always be more. Even in this mix, however, we are constantly vying for a position in the spotlight and I don’t particularly wish for yet another event, especially a major one like Writer’s Week, to be one of these as well. I like it as it is - full of my literary heroes, of people who have made it in the authorial world and who can share their tips and advice to people like myself, or be an enjoyable hour or so for the readers in the crowd. Does it really matter who the people in the audience are? Isn’t it just a great thing to see so many people turn up to listen to writers and share the love of books? If we didn’t have a good dose of international and ‘big name’ authors attend WW, when would we get a chance to hear them? And I don’t think we were completely doused with international acts, thirty-nine of the sixty authors who attended this year were Australian.
As for the organisers themselves, I don’t know all of the names on the list but I know a few and I know that they are writers themselves, encouraging of young talent, and avid readers. I doubt their trying to cater to the “eilitist… well-educated, well-off minority”. I am unaware of how many people in the writing community share Mr Orr’s view of WW, and so I don’t wish to appear as though I don’t respect what he is saying, I just wanted to share my view of the event because I look forward to it tremendously and it is a goal of mine to be invited to attend one day as a successful author. I do not mind in the least that it is full of well known names because it gives me a chance to go along without feeling pressured to compete in the market, gives me something to aspire to, and is enjoyable and inspiring to attend. I can only suggest that Mr Orr start his own version of WW to include the unknown and emerging names he wishes to see there.
Yours sincerely,
Claire Clements
Hope that didn't take up too much of your time :)
Hope you can read it.
If I do say so myself:
08/04/2008
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to Stephen Orr’s letter about the Adelaide Writer’s Week published in the April 2008 issue of Southern Write. I have to say that I was quite surprised to read this letter as it is the first negative view of the event that I have come across. I was under the impression that a good number of people loved Writer’s Week and the hype leading up to it did nothing to dispel this theory. I may not be the best person to argue against Mr Orr’s view for, as I have said, I know very little about his side of the debate and my health keeps me housebound a lot of the time so I also know very little about the views of the arts community, in fact, I only got to half an hour of this year’s WW, despite looking forward to it for two years, due to the heatwave and my health, but I feel compelled to say a few things in response to Mr Orr’s letter.
I do not see the problem with having a lot of big names from overseas. Adelaide has many great opportunities for local, unknown writers to get their name out there and share some of their work. Obviously, there is always room for more but mediums like Animate Quarterly, WetInk, Friendly Street Poets, and various reading nights throughout the year offer good opportunities for local writers to get together. Is it such a problem, then, that there is one event every two years where these local writers, as well as some from interstate, can come and listen to their idols, inspirations, and mentors, the people who are living the dream of an author’s life, and listen to how they have got to be where they are today, and about what writing is like in other parts of the world? I don’t think so, I love WW and the reports that there were record breaking audiences there this year (ABC, The Advertiser) would lead me to believe that a good many other people love it as well. The way the event is organised - its easy access and free entry - encourages a lot of Adelaidians to attend. Does it matter who these people are, if they’re non-writers, “well-educated”, or from the “elitist” minority, or whether they’re homeless, or uni students attending for research purposes? Isn’t it just a joy to see so many people listening to authors and being a part of the literary world? And one has only to look at the program to see that there were a large number of Australian writers included along with the international acts. Out of the sixty authors invited to attend thirty-nine of them were Australians.
Big names and established writers do draw crowds, I’m sorry to say. I don’t think the 1000’s that turned up for Germaine Greer or Ian McEwan, braving the 40 C heat no less, would be complaining that the Week isn’t dedicated to unknown authors. And I wouldn’t say that emerging authors are overlooked either. Corrie Hosking is relatively new (compared to the likes of Ian McEwan) and she was not only a guest this year but was also covered by The Advertiser who Mr Orr says only featured the “big names”. Now, I did read a fair bit of The Advertiser that week (not the most respected paper among writers, I know, but it’s the one my parents get and I’m still under their roof) because I was unable to attend and, yes, during the week there was a fair amount of space devoted to the ‘big names’ but these were the people I wanted to read about and in the weeks leading up to and following WW, The Advertiser also had special articles and reviews on more local writers that were also guests of the Week.
I was also surprised to hear that the SAWC has a “strained relationship” with the WW organisers. The email updates sent out by the SAWC in the weeks before the event were nothing but cheery in their invitation to come down and say hello to the SAWC staff at WW or to buy an SAWC T-shirt to wear there. If there is any strained relationship between the two bodies (and I’m not saying there is or there isn’t because I have no idea) then I’d like to congratulate the SAWC on still supporting the Week and being friendly about it. A boycott could have easily been issued instead. There also seems to be a lot of support from established poets and authors, with names such as Lian Hearn, Mike Ladd, and Friendly Street Poets in attendance. Also, the fact that even the “big names” were saying good things about the Week means that it must have a largely positive reputation. There’s also a good number of publishers in the back of the program who showed their support for their authors and I believe quite a few publishers attend the event.
As for the organisers themselves, reading Mr Orr’s letter one would think that the people that put WW together were a group of the “elitist … well-educated, well-off minority” that Mr Orr feels the festival is aimed at. I don’t know all of the names on the organisers list, but I know a few and I know that they are writers themselves, avid readers, in touch with what goes on in the literary world of Adelaide, encouraging of local and emerging talent, and considerate of what the public wants. I’m sure they try to get a balance of both international and local writers and put a lot of time and effort in to making sure each WW is bigger and better that the previous one.
Both Flinders and Adelaide Universities (and possibly Uni SA) have courses encouraging English students to attend WW and some even base their entire semester course around the authors of WW. This, in my humble student opinion, gives young writers a chance to get to know authors they may not otherwise know and to see what their own writing might one day achieve.
I feel that WW is a great thing for young people or emerging writers. As a lover of literature and an aspiring writer myself I look forward to WW and see it as something to aim toward. One of my goals is to be invited to speak at WW, then will I feel that I have actually achieved something within the literary world. It may be that I’m putting too much importance on the event, but, too me, WW is an exciting time where a large number of people can all go and listen to a few of the people who are legends in the literary world give tips and invaluable insights in to the world of writing for young and emerging writers or just provide an enjoyable hour or so of entertainment for the readers (or, indeed, non-readers) in the audience. If we didn’t have WW the way it is now, then when would these people ever get the chance to see such greats like Peter Carey, Ian McEwan, Paul Auster, et al, in person? What would there be for emerging writers to look forward to, where they can just sit and enjoy and be inspired? If it was to be another place for unknown writers to have a chance to speak then it would become yet another competition for all of us to be scrabbling for a spot and to feel disappointed yet again if we were not chosen. I am sorry that Mr Orr does not see the event as a positive one because I feel he is missing out on the excitement, magic, and community spirit of the Week. But, as I said, I know very little about the politics of the Week and I am just expressing my views as an attendee and as one of the unknown writers Mr Orr feels WW should include. I can only suggest that perhaps Mr Orr look in to starting his own WW for emerging writers and then perhaps we can have a bit of both worlds.
I do not wish to appear as though I do not understand or respect what Mr Orr is saying but I felt the need to put forth another view of WW because I have, until now, heard only good things about it. To quote Mr Orr, “I’d rather be writing my fiction than opinion pieces, but some things can’t go unsaid, that’s the whole point of being a writer.”
That, I agree with.
Yours sincerely,
Claire Clements
11/04/08
Dear Editor,
I’d like to say a few things in response to Mr Orr’s letter on Writer’s Week published in the April 2008 newsletter. As a young, budding author, I feel there is a good mix of opportunities in Adelaide for emerging writer’s to share their work, though, of course, there can always be more. Even in this mix, however, we are constantly vying for a position in the spotlight and I don’t particularly wish for yet another event, especially a major one like Writer’s Week, to be one of these as well. I like it as it is - full of my literary heroes, of people who have made it in the authorial world and who can share their tips and advice to people like myself, or be an enjoyable hour or so for the readers in the crowd. Does it really matter who the people in the audience are? Isn’t it just a great thing to see so many people turn up to listen to writers and share the love of books? If we didn’t have a good dose of international and ‘big name’ authors attend WW, when would we get a chance to hear them? And I don’t think we were completely doused with international acts, thirty-nine of the sixty authors who attended this year were Australian.
As for the organisers themselves, I don’t know all of the names on the list but I know a few and I know that they are writers themselves, encouraging of young talent, and avid readers. I doubt their trying to cater to the “eilitist… well-educated, well-off minority”. I am unaware of how many people in the writing community share Mr Orr’s view of WW, and so I don’t wish to appear as though I don’t respect what he is saying, I just wanted to share my view of the event because I look forward to it tremendously and it is a goal of mine to be invited to attend one day as a successful author. I do not mind in the least that it is full of well known names because it gives me a chance to go along without feeling pressured to compete in the market, gives me something to aspire to, and is enjoyable and inspiring to attend. I can only suggest that Mr Orr start his own version of WW to include the unknown and emerging names he wishes to see there.
Yours sincerely,
Claire Clements
Hope that didn't take up too much of your time :)