Perth Words… exploring possibilities.

of course,

the things we know are fleeting.

I’ve always understood that much.

and while inside I’ve held my breath,

I’ve never lacked the oxygen to connect.

“I’ve skirted worse”

I constantly assure myself-

I’ve lifted more from deeper lurches.

I know with every peach there is a pit

and in it,

lie our dormant curses.

– sc

Almost one year ago, I was pondering about whether there was a publishing project I could get involved in to make a small contribution to Singapore’s Jubilee Year. I wanted to do something different so I wasn’t looking to publish my own book.

At that time, St. James’ Church Kindergarten approached me. The SJCK Principal had a very clever idea for a book project. She wanted a compilation of children’s short stories created around four Little Red Dot characters, later named Didi Dot, Dishon Dot, Dana Dot and Danny Dot. Would I be able to help them publish it? Its target audience of preschoolers was right down my alley and it would be part of SJCK’s contribution to the SG50 celebrations. So I said yes.

One year has past since I started working on this project and I’m happy to now hold the newly published books in my hands, in …

As many of you will already know, UWA Publishing recently announced the establishment of the Dorothy Hewett Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. The award, supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and 720 ABC Perth, offers a cash prize of $10,000 and a publishing contract with UWA Publishing. It’s open to established and emerging writers whose manuscript has a connection to Western Australia (landscape, people, history, residence/birth of the author). Submissions are open now and close on 4 September 2015.

To celebrate the inauguration of the award, UWA Publishing and 720 ABC Perth are hosting a Writers Forum on 13 August, 5.45 for a 6pm start, at the ABC Studios at 30 Fielder Street, East Perth. The forum will give writers the opportunity to gain greater insight into literary awards, the publishing process, and the Western Australian writing scene in general. Bookings are essential.

The panel will consist of

Morning exhales her golden breath
and indigo is chased to heaven’s rim.
While bright eyes alight to greet her,
the stars shudder, and dim.

Whitmore Press is delighted to announce that Tracy Ryan’s latest poetry collection, Hoard, will be launched in Melbourne by Marion May Campbell. The details:

Collected Works bookshop
First Floor, Nicholas Building, 37 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Monday 31 August, 6pm for 6.30 start
Launch by Associate Professor Marion May Campbell – poet, novelist, academic and brilliant raconteur

Tracy was the co-winner of the 2014 Whitmore Press Manuscript Prize. We hope you can make it. Everyone welcome.

Can’t make the launch? Order an advance copy of Tracy’s collection, and we’ll post you the book the moment it arrives from the printer. Free postage!

Interview by Nicole Melanson ~

Madeleine Thien was born in Vancouver, Canada. She is the author of three books of fiction, including Dogs at the Perimeter, which was shortlisted for the 2014 International Literature Prize and won the Frankfurt Book Fair’s 2015 Lißeraturpreis. Her multimedia project for Dogs at the Perimeter can be found here.

Her books have been translated into 22 languages and her essays, interviews and fiction are widely published, including in The Guardian, The Sunday Times, Globe & Mail, Granta, Brick and The Asia Literary Review. She was part of the founding faculty of the MFA Programme at City University of Hong Kong, and is the 2015 Writer-in-Residence at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. A new novel, Awake Now and Cross Towards Her, is forthcoming in 2016.

Madeleine Thien’s website

Twitter: @madeleinethien

Dogs at the Perimeter by Madeleine Thien (Granta cover)

HOW DID YOU…

A few years ago my sister in law asked me how my books were coming and I replied (in typical angsty artist mode) that things were terrible. I had hit a wall and could not think of another idea to save my life.

She smiled and suggested, “What don’t you write a book based on your life?” A story about a princess whose life is invaded by dragons? “

This was brilliant! Why hadn’t I thought about it? My 5 year old daughter had been a good sport about her life being invaded by twin brothers but it had pretty much taken all of the pink and purple and replaced it with diapers and crying.

The story flowed. My agent liked it, we made revisions. and more revisions and a few more. Then I created a book dummy filled with drawings. Revised those. Created two finals paintings that went through…

Conversations with Caleb, now 4 years plus, has become increasingly entertaining and surprising. I keep telling myself that one day, he will make a great character for the book that I want to write. But until then…

Calvin & Hobbs comics

A few weeks ago, Caleb had a day off pre-school so we decided to meet Ben for lunch at his workplace. After lunch, Ben walked us to the multi-storey carpark and waved us off at storey 6 where we were parked.

As I drove down to storey 5, we spotted Ben standing at the same spot (one floor down) waving goodbye again.

“Hey, look, there are two Papas!” I exclaimed. Being a children’s writer has made me a child again.

“No,” Caleb said, in a tone an adult would say to a child. “It’s the same Papa.”

As we circled down storey 4, Ben was there again, waving goodbye.