To write your next novel, you must forget your last one
21 January 2022
Sara Freeman, writing for Granta Magazine, with some sage advice for authors embarking on the writing of their next novel, to write your next novel, you must forget your last one:
There’s a kind of necessary amnesia that sets in after you finish writing a novel. Like childbirth, you must forget; the future requires it of you. If you remembered, really remembered, then surely you wouldn’t do it again. Or perhaps it’s that the experience itself of writing a novel is a kind of sustained forgetting, a controlled fugue.
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Step into the River, a short film by Weijia Ma
19 January 2022
A trailer for Step into the River, a short film by Chicago based filmmaker Weijia Ma, about a young Chinese girl who was abandoned by her parents as a baby.
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COVID chasers are not getting COVID out of the way
19 January 2022
When the COVID pandemic started almost two years ago, people would side-step each on the footpath for fear of contracting the virus. Now some people, known as COVID chasers, are going out of their way to become infected, by attending so-called COVID parties, where, I suppose, someone in attendance has the disease. People are of the belief they can get COVID “out of the way”, and get on with their lives.
If only it were so simple. The problem is we’re not dealing with a disease that gives an infected person life-long protection once they recover. While someone who is infected with COVID, and recovers, will develop anti-bodies, the life of these anti-bodies is short lived, lasting anywhere from three to sixteen months. Like all diseases, COVID affects everyone differently. Someone might feel like they have a cold, but another person, especially those unvaccinated, may find themselves in an intensive care ward. There’s the real risk COVID will get them “out of the way” instead.
With the virus spiralling out of control in some areas, the chances are many people will contract the virus. If you became seriously ill, perhaps you could draw some consolation from having made the best efforts to avoid the disease. But how many people would feel that way given they had deliberately tried to become infected? Be careful what you wish for. In the meantime, be safe, and keep reading books.
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Tips for getting published and finding a literary agent
19 January 2022
Sydney based literary agent Jacinta Di Mase talks with Dani Vee and Adrian Beck on the Publishing Insider podcast, and shares tips and advice to prospective authors for finding a literary agent, and getting work published.
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2022 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Awards
19 January 2022
Nominations are open for the 2022 Australian Book Industry Awards ABIA Awards, until Monday 14 February 2022. With a wide range of award categories, it looks like publishers and authors will have little difficulty finding a slot for their work:
- General Fiction Book of the Year
- General Non-Fiction Book of the Year
- Literary Fiction Book of the Year
- Illustrated Book of the Year
- Biography of the Year
- Picture Book of the Year (ages 0-6)
- Book of the Year for Younger Children (ages 7-12)
- Book of the Year for Older Children (ages 13+)
- The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year
- Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year
- Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year
- International Book of the Year
The longlist will announced on Tuesday 22 March, the shortlist on Monday 23 May, with the winners named on Thursday 9 June 2022.
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Australian writing, literature
2022 Hazel Rowley Fellowship shortlist announced
17 January 2022
The shortlist for the 2022 Hazel Rowley Fellowship has been published. Created in memory of late British born Australian writer and biographer Hazel Rowley, the fellowship supports Australian writers of biographies. Authors submit ideas to the organisers, who select what they consider to be the best proposal. This year though, the field seems particularly tight:
We had an extremely strong field of applications this year, with a wide range of biographical subjects. This made the shortlisting hard,’ said Della Rowley, Hazel’s sister. ‘We received a large number of high-quality proposals. Perhaps as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns, writers were busy thinking about good topics for biographies.
The winner will be announced on Wednesday 2 March 2022.
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A list of books being published by women of colour in 2022
17 January 2022
A list of sixty-two books written by women of colour, put together by South-Korean born American author R.O. Kwon, for inclusion on your to-be-read list for 2022.
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The gift you can gift the most difficult person to gift
17 January 2022
A gift for people who have everything? Could well be. Sydney based writer Ashley Kalagian Blunt, has a suggestion. What’s one thing we like talking about, apart from ourselves? Our favourite story. If someone took the time to read a book you especially like, and then sat down with you for an hour or so to discuss it, wouldn’t that be enjoyable? It doesn’t have to be a book though. A movie or an album also works. I think it’s true, experiences make the best presents.
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Faber Writing Academy 2022 scholarships
17 January 2022
Applications for the Faber Writing Academy 2022 scholarships are open for authors of non-fiction works. On offer are courses taking writers through the process of planning and writing a manuscript, and pitching their idea to a publisher or literary agent. Applications close on Saturday 29 January 2022.
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The Northman, a film by Robert Eggers
14 January 2022
The Northman, trailer, the latest feature from American filmmaker Robert Eggers, is a dark, brooding affair, set in tenth century Iceland. There’s some star power here, the cast includes Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Alexander Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, and Björk. Eggers has a penchant for horror themed stories, and while it doesn’t look like there’s too much bump in the night stuff, there’s gore aplenty.
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