By Stephanie Holt AE
Writers, readers and quite a few editors descended on the Victorian country town of Clunes recently for the annual BookTown Festival. It was wonderful to catch up with edibuddies promoting their own books and other creative endeavours.
AJ Collins was there promoting her Ciena Collins novels, along with a gorgeous selection of cards and artworks. Louise Zetta-Sampson was alongside selling a range of nonfiction titles and some fabulous jewellery.
It seems rare to hear authors call out their editors in traditional writers festivals, but praises were certainly sung at Clunes across the festival panels.
Sam Elkin, author of Detachable penis: a queer legal saga, was on a panel about humour writing. He noted that the humour in a funny anecdote often lands after the editor gets to it, cutting out the flab and zooming in on the best lines and key details. He noted how valuable that is for a writer who may tend to overexplain! Robert Skinner, on the same panel, was hilarious on the vagaries of publishing a literary magazine, something many editors could I’m sure relate to. To enjoy that for yourself, pick up his I’d rather not, which has just won the inaugural John Clarke Prize for Humour Writing in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards.
Above: AJ Collins (left) and Louise Zedda Sampson (right) at Clunes Booktown with their books.
Barry Golding describes himself as a “polymathic, place-based storyteller”. He praised the way editors can find the key ideas and hone a structure to draw information from multiple disciplines and approaches into effective shape, with tighter and more fluent writing. As a writer, he noted how freeing it is to have a collaborative and trusted editor involved. He spoke passionately about his research and the process behind his recent Six peaks speak: unsettling legacies in southern Dja Dja Wurrung Country.
Dr Clem Bastow, who has presented at IPEd events, was part of a thought-provoking panel on “unmasking neurodiversity”. The value of working with neurodiverse professionals was discussed at length, be they editors, proofreaders or designers.
Thuy On, herself well known as an editor (currently with Arts Hub Reviews), read her poem from the recent Spinning around: the Kylie playlist collection. She appreciated a stimulating and flexible brief from the collection’s editors, Kirsten Krauth and Angela Savage.
Between panels, there was an extensive market of small publishers and self-published authors to peruse, along with music, food and all the fun festive things, and endless bookstalls. These ranged from specialist antiquarian booksellers to community-run “fill a bag for $10” charity stalls. (I overstuffed my bag, but a shout out to the local pub who provided a cardboard box for the spillage – the local pub for lunch is also recommended!)
All in all, it was a terrific event, lively and buzzing and unpretentious. Perhaps next year, it could make a great IPEd member catch-up!