This page of the program of the Sydney Writers Festival does not name all those who read their work at the Shoalhaven Campus evening of 'Indigenous Voices' on 5 June. The South Coast Writers Centre's blog may eventually catch up with news. Along with well-established writers one local writer, Josh Black, of East Nowra, read some of his powerful, masculine poetry. Josh has been a friend and adviser to me on many things, from horticulture to life in Nowra, for some time and I was proud to be there with his mother Sue to listen to Josh find his voice and discover appreciation and support for his work from other writers. When we get to assemble a Shoalhaven 'Next After Sorry' Committee the work of such Aboriginal writers will be of immense value to inform people, uplift spirits and find new directions.
On Saturday, I attended the opening of the SeeChange Festival at the Lady Denman Museum. I had had the opportunity to look at the Little Archies entries a week before, without the crowd. I little misty eyed, not so much at seeing friends in the paintings, but at the wondrous openness of much of the work, the peeled off revelation of subjects and the articulation of viewpoint and feeling in the work itself. This can only happen in a real community, a community of trust. Arty-Farty stuff there is out there in the world and it can jar and irritate, but art heals, art binds, art delights and arouses us to feeling. How good to have it at the core of community. We may be getting a grand entertainment centre in Nowra... but I do hope the management of it understand the miles of distance between entertainment and engagement, between being alive and sitting and consuming.
In the late afternoon, out at Wreck Bay, I met with a young writer in his beautiful home, his wife and children shyly away with neighbours while we met. A place of astounding beauty and calm. I was dazzled by ideas and imagination. I came away with some fiction and also some local social and environmental ideas. This morning, Monday, I have been reading the fiction and found myself again in the state of entranced calm this writer projects. I knew suddenly earlier today that I have a book of ideas to produce myself, quickly. They rise to the surface as I do the household chores. I must get away to a bright space of my own to write.
Saturday night was real fun at the Ecobeat gig and it was nice to tell people who asked how I was coping with this campaign that I was happy and the process is fun. I was inspired, though, more than anything else, but the 19 year old who came to me later in the evening and asked me what he could do about participating in these elections. I asked him if he could talk with friends at the university about the importance of being involved, of shaping the future - and I offered to come and talk about that any time.
Sunday cold and wettish, so gardening off. Instead, great surprise opportunity to go with a friend and her daughter and two other schoolgirls to Minnamurra Rainforest. Nice walk, great fun... You know, we spend so much time embogged in adult negativities, we can lose perspective and hope. It can be really really good to spend time with the young and see how positive about the world they can be if their lives are filled with love and imagination.
