reeling and writhing

a pressing reason to take in some fine art

Oh My. This is going to be very beautiful indeed.

Looking at the pictures again and reading the post makes me sad, because I can't get to Duck's first solo show myself.

If you can get to Canberra between September 2 and 12, make sure you see this show. I saw some of her work here in the State Library in 2007 and it is simply wonderful, so don't miss out.

the book has a collaborative future, says Stein

While Bob Stein's address on the future of the book at the Capitol on Thursday night was riveting stuff, its delivery was not without some issues - it never ceases to amaze me how MWF administrators manage to program digital publishing events in venues with no Internet access. While two years ago anyone appearing with Net-dependent stuff should have come armed to the teeth with backup plans (including the ability to use a screen set up in a tent!) it's a tad surprising in 2009 that we still need to spell this kind of thing out to festival organisers.

Is it really that hard to let a presenter on digital issues know that there are digital issues with the venue well in advance? Not only that, but as with Germaine Greer's address in this venue a year ago (not part of MWF), it was apparently not possible to have stage lights dimmed, making it hard for Stein to see his own laptop screen while presenting. I doubt the magnificence of the venue made up to him for that, if indeed he could see the damn place at all (Greer could not, and complained she could not see us several times).

Rant over. In a rather large nutshell, early work with text and video at the Voyager Company showed Stein that 'a book is a medium where the user is in control of their experience', in other words, 'user-driven media'. In the early '80s, a book was also what he described as a 'random access device' - and in that sense, without the availability to the general public of recording and rewinding tools, television was not.

In his work on the Criterion series of films recorded on laser disc for Voyager, Stein watched films and 'read' movies the way he read books, turning back and forward, stopping, repeating bits he needed to see again, developing multimedia features now common on DVD, such as director commentary.

He left Voyager in the mid-90s but was coaxed back into publishing sometime in the 'noughties, eventuating in the development of the annotating tools and projects for which he is best known. 

long may you run

Well, there are prizes. And then, there are prizes.

And speaking of the other kind of prize, three hearty cheers for Sleepers and Steve Amsterdam's win. Not bad for the first novel out of their blocks, is it now. Not too shabby at all.

Someone after Pav's heart.

As noted on Twitter by Jason Ensor, Damien Broderick has published a new story, here.

Want to record and send a 5 min video through Twitter? YES YOU CAN.

Congratulations are due to Jennifer Mills for a nomination for the Blake Poetry Prize. GO JEN.

What would Oscar have wanted to say about Twitter if he was here? something like this, I think.
(In other news, Fry has discovered what he calls Goldilocks Miniblogging using his iPhone.

And congratulations to Mark Rubbo and his crew for the good ship Readings' happy birthday. Many pictures here, long may she sail.

VCA update from Theatre Notes

Dare we wish?

The long overdue saving of this remarkable, unique College may be only a sleep or two away. Everything crossed.

so click through now

Now online, at a blog near you: George Dunford's terrific article on litblogs, for the Big Issue of two weeks ago (that would be number 335, with the shot of the King on the front.)

Very pleased to see that one accessible - in a short space, George has captured not just the atmosphere of Michael Williams' drinkies a few weeks back, but also some useful conclusions, and given a few of us some nice nods along the way. (Angela was required to be in two places at once on that occasion. Not even Ange can do that yet...) Thanks, Mr HP.

that festive time of year for writers and readers

There is truly something for everyone at MWF this year, though fewer sessions with individual poets than one might expect, and an attempt has been made to save festival-lovers some dosh by packaging tickets together, so I hope that goes down well with those of us who are a little less decisive in our purchases. (Maybe a discount on purchases of four or more tickets across the fortnight is on its way?)

Congratulations are due to Rosemary Cameron for allowing the festival to expand to fit its new Fed Square spaces across the last two festivals - best wishes for the future to this retiring director.

Do look out for fantastic festival blogger Estelle Tang on the MWF blog as she will keep you posted on many good things. (She can also be heard on SYN FM on Saturdays.)

I am hoping to get to hear Dennis Loy Johnson of Melville House and MobyLives fame at some point, and though I am delighted she is here, I am pretty much keeping away from MJH so that her mystique is preserved. There are some authors who really should keep out of the limelight so we keep asking questions - I'm a bit odd about that, but one day I'll hold forth on the matter in more detail. For now, I'm happy for her to tell us she's boring wherever she chooses to do so - and I respect her, dammit! for doing that - and to find her books completely compelling instead.

So enjoy whatever you get to - there's plenty happening. Congratulations are due to Tom Cho and Kate Middleton for receiving nominations for The Age Book of the Year awards, winners of which will be announced tonight - you can read the shortlist here.

To kick off my infinitesimal contribution to publicising the presence of a digital publishing program at MWF this year, accept this update on matters digital from Kate Eltham, CEO of the Queensland Writers' Centre, who is appearing at some MWF events after this steam punk publishing venture with the ABC's Pool.

Kate, Nick Earls, Kim Wilkins and Hinemoana Baker are travelling through Queensland by steam train to commemorate the 1990 Writers' Train, and blogging and collaboratively publishing about their trip as they go.

In other digi news, publishers at MWF can see first hand what CommentPress and Sophie (this one, not this one) are all about by attending a workshop with Bob Stein of the Institute for the Future of the Book. I am surprised to learn that these tools have been in development for close to seventeen years - I first came across CommentPress in 2007 or thereabouts, as part of the publishing platform for McKenzie Wark's 2007 publication, Gamer Theory. A more recent example of how CommentPress can be used for publishing discussion is here. I am looking forward to hearing Stein speak at a couple of things on Thursday 27th.

And now, for something not entirely different -  Richard Nash, elsewhere, speaking of another festival in another town, is inviting people to vote on SXSW programs, including a proposal for The Novel in 2050:

"...The spiel is “Research shows reading a book for as little as six minutes may cut stress levels in half. But have Twitter-length attention spans decreased demand for novels? What is the future of the “non-networked” book? This panel will debate the relevance of novels in a networked world.”

Questions to be asked include:

Will novels exist in 2050? What will they look like?
Have modern Twitter-length attention spans decreased interest in novels?
How might crowdsourcing and collaboration contribute to the creation of a novel?
What are some recent examples of networked books?
Are young people reading novels?
Does a novel communicate differently on a Kindle, iPhone, or other electronic device?
Is the Internet more of a threat to publishing than film or television were in the 20th century?
Why is technology mostly absent in the plots of contemporary novels?
How might novels use games and cross-platform storytelling?

What about novels should be preserved? What needs to change?"

I can't help thinking that a 20 year old reading this proposal in 2050 will label it 'poignant' as my son did when recently perusing my reprint of Marshall McLuhan's The Medium Is The Massage. Happy festivals, everyone.

do ghosts wear jeans and sneakers, Kevin Brophy?

 As noted by Angela, the launch of Nathan Curnow's Ghost Poetry Project,
a work over three years in the making, was held at the Old Melbourne Gaol last last Friday night, and I was suitably spooked by the setting for starters. The sepulchral mood was also enhanced by the presentation of one poem, in as much darkness as the custodians of Ned's bits and pieces would allow, as a call and answer piece, with assistance from Geoff Lemon; and by Nathan's observation that his four little daughters and their mum, Kerryn, were sitting under the gallows where Ned swung. (I can haz Ned and Four Little Girls LOLCAT? Cannot Haz, so the book cover will just have to do.)

 Good red wine served by Sean M. Whelan himself doesn't quite cut the chill of a space like the gaol in the half-light - I once visited the chapel which is now used by RMIT students and staff, elsewhere in the building, and that was upsetting enough. (Not so for Simonne Michelle-Wells, who assured me she loves prisons.)

In performing the launch rites, Kevin Brophy told us that Nathan's father was a minister in a remote Mallee town, Pinaroo, and prior to that had been a Tivoli vaudeville artist, from which he drew the engaging conclusion that ministers were performance artists. He had many other good things to say and I was rather distracted by the possibility of taking a photograph, so missed some of them, but take issue with his description of Nathan's work as somehow tidy, careful, his poems wearing 'clean jeans and sneakers.'

This is not the impression I carry of the work in The Ghost Poetry Project, but perhaps I'm old-fashioned. At a quick look, high points are certainly the Monte Cristo section, and the poems 'Ultrasound' and 'Whale Song'. There will be more on this anon as I have lent my copy to a librarian. You can read a poem, 'Denial', from the Richmond Bridge suite online, as well as 'Bed and Breakfast' (in the Old Adelaide Gaol, if you don't mind.)

Nathan was interviewed on the Book Show by Radio National last August (you will need to download the whole program, and start it about halfway through.) He is currently working on a play with its roots in convict stories and escape myths. You can also catch him at The Toff In Town during MWF for a very special event in homage to one of the larger spirits of the last century.

books, spelling, e-readers, ghosts galore

Just In. A simply smashing post on early writing from Penni Russon.

My other top selection for the week is this stupendous post about Venice and Tintoretto, from Fiona's exceptional Strange Fruit blog on painting, photography and writing.

It is time to thank poet and writer George Dunford, of Hackpacker, for his great article on litblogs in last week's Big Issue, which I fortunately got into town to buy late in the week while attending to some panel discussion and the launch of Nathan Curnow's  Ghost Poetry Project, which was a very moving occasion (photos from Sean M. Whelan there). More of that anon. (Update: the article is now available to read on George's blog.)

Feel bad that others can't see what you are reading when you carry your Kindle/iPhone/iLiad/whatsit around? (Not really an Australian problem yet, is it?) Etsy may have the solution. Via Three Percent.

In Readings in Hawthorn this morning, saw a very attractive display of Faber Firsts - enjoy those retro covers for the modern era if you haven't seen them already. (Let's face it, I saw mine in the shop, so I'm last to the party.) They are rather fine, and for some reason I think I like them better than what I've seen so far of the poetry. A little overdone? I just don't know.

and they'll none of 'em be missed

Shortlists? Vic Premier's, Age Book Of Year? we haz them.

As well as a wacky bestseller list from Readings. Just look at the first two there, don't they look cosy together?

just waiting for me to find it - bookshow of the century

...and it has no silly visuals, no annoying fake bookshelves, just pure refreshing chat. ONCE A WEEK at this stage, anyway, tune in not just to Lake Wobegon, but to Louise Swinn and Zoe Dattner's radical new take on conversation around books, the Twenty-First Century BookShow.

First seen on the Overland blog, where Jeff casts a sober eye on how we will continue to talk about books, and where.

I know where I'm going to be every week. In this instalment, listen to Zoe talk about YA novels and hiding in the library, and Louise discuss the problems of short story dissemination and the first Cutwater anthology. In one take, like Ella, including a sneeze. FAB.

See you next week sometime, as there's lots going on and I'm off to watch Episode 3 over lunch.

the pick of the feeds (stars down on the right as well)

There has been a lot of wild speculation afoot regarding the potential release of an Apple product which might (gasp!) combine e-reading with other things. Mitch Ratcliffe of Booksahead is trying to put out some of the flames before there's a fire. Bookseller.com has more information here.

The Guardian has a great interview with Shaun Tan, as well as news of the discovery of some previously unseen letters of Flaubert's in a British stash.

I have been following this guy so I can find out things like this quickly. Richard Nash speaks to Publishers' Weekly about his past at Soft Skull and his newest venture, Cursor.

I have enjoyed reading Kris Hemensley's correspondence with his brother in Dorset this week. And I am very fond of the Australian Ballet's excellent blog, Behind Ballet. Here is their tribute to the late Merce Cunningham, by Martyn Pedler, complete with video.

a web of writing that reads itself

Poets have embraced online communities, and Andrew Burke of Hi Spirits has pointed out this one, newly relaunched in a social network format.

I like the look of their virtual book tour, with its implications for the future of the reviewing of poetry.