Emerging Writers Festival Melbourne

I flew down to Melbourne for the weekend, specifically to check out the emerging writers festival and to see some friends. Melbourne delivered characteristically chilly weather, the Town Hall where the panels I attended was ostentatious, regal and beautiful all at the same time.

The festival was refreshing. I love the well established writers festivals. I really enjoy listening to published authors talking about their work or how they managed to get where they are today, the struggles and triumphs or intellectuals discussing some high philosophical subject matter. However, it was refreshing to attend a festival where people who have not yet become well known were featured on panels and were sharing their knowledge. Where the "not yet" writers or the emerging writers were acknowledged and their experiences were shared in open forums and discussions about how to make it when you are undiscovered or what to do when you are undiscovered.

There was an interesting panel on getting your work out into the public arena, with discussion of a poems on menus, buses, trams, when you wait for a coffee at the counter, on sign posts on a mountain trail. Getting your work out into the public arena where it can be read and appreciated or not as the case may be.

Spoken word and zines were discussed, web techniques, self publishing, book distribution, marketing, blogging of course, all of these things were discussed as well as editing, quality of work and attending courses. Though a lot of things I had heard many times before, some of what the individual emerging authors had to say was a fresh take on certain aspects and I appreciated this.

The Zine and Small Press Fair was wonderfully creative. Little match boxes with life paintings inside on miniature match box size canvases, comics, zines, boxes with concertina illustrations, drawings, mini shots (Vignette Press) which is one short story per little booklet, so many gorgeous items, skillfully constructed, inventive, inspiring and interesting. It was a pleasure to attend the festival. It inspired me to continue with some ideas I have had of late. Hi to Simon Groth who chaired one of the panels I attended and did a great job.