writer & thinker
Little of my work would exist without Trove, the online archive that provides free access to a huge range of resources, but funding is set to expire in July 2023.
Please sign this petition to fully fund Trove so we can continue our conversations with the past. The petition closes midnight 22 Feb.
Dr Maddee Clark and I are editing n-SCRIBE 15, the City of Darebin’s annual lit mag, and we’re taking submissions from any writers and artists who live, work or study in Darebin. Send in your best fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir and artwork before 6 October 2021. Published contributors will receive $100. All the info here.
Last year I started a little spreadsheet called Critical Mass to help culture editors connect with a wider range of critics. It’s now got over 140 critics listed and personally I use it all the time to recommend people for different gigs. It’s also spawned a couple of other lists:
Diversity in Food Media Australia (DIFMA) recently launched a database for food writers, recipe testers, stylists, photographers and other creators. Find out more or add yourself here.
The First Nations and People of Colour in Publishing network has also created a database of freelancers in publishing. It includes editors, designers, sensitivity readers, translators and proofreaders (but not writers).
There are so many resources available if you’re looking to work with underrepresented writers, so there’s really no excuse!
Applications are now open for Djed Press’s editorial mentorship, a 10-week crash course on editing and publishing aimed at training an aspiring editor of colour.
You get one-on-one training with industry professionals (including me, Evelyn Araluen, Khalid Warsame, Adolfo Aranjuez, Dr. Tresa LeClerc, Marisa Wikramanayake and Djed Press founder and editorial director Hella Ibrahim), paid editing experience, and a lot of other material resources and support. I’ll be delivering the non-fiction editing intensives in week 5 (editing news, commentary, and criticism) and week 6 (editing narrative non-fiction, memoir and personal essays).
You don’t need to have any editing experience but you do need to be keen, based in Australia, at least 18 years old, and (obviously) a person of colour. Full details of the mentorship here. Applications close Monday 29 March 2021.
Liz and I are running a short course at Maribyrnong Community Centre! Best of all, it’s free for participants.
Over four fortnightly workshops, develop research and storytelling skills with community historians Liz Crash and Jinghua Qian (co-creators of Underfoot, a multimedia project uncovering Footscray’s history). Participants will learn how to write, produce and share their own stories, and contribute to a visual presentation displayed at the centre. This hands-on workshop series is open to participants of all ages and skill levels. Please note: participants will need to attend all four sessions.
Thu 18 Mar, 1 Apr, 15 Apr, 29 Apr 2021
2 pm to 4 pm
Maribyrnong Community Centre
9 Randall St, Maribyrnong, Victoria 3032
free | booking required
Are you a South Asian arts writer living in Victoria? Sangam: Performing Arts Festival of South Asia and Diaspora has put together this pretty incredible paid mentorship. You get:
EOIs close this Fri 15 Jan so apply now! And follow Sangam on Facebook or Instagram for more info about the festival. The full program will be released 17 Jan and the festival takes place 20 Feb to 13 Mar at Abbotsford Convent, the Drum Theatre, Dancehouse Melbourne and Bunjil Place.
In response to the lack of diversity in Australian arts criticism, I recently created a spreadsheet so editors can easily access a wide pool of critics.
It’s not a curated list, so any critic can add themselves via this Google Form and I’ve now also created a second form so editors can add their contact details and pitch guidelines.
You can view the spreadsheet here (the first tab is critics, the second is editors). Go pitch!
I’ve created a spreadsheet of Australian critics in response to the lack of diversity in criticism. You can add yourself via this Google Form.
Hopefully it’s a useful resource for artists, venues, publicists and commissioning editors to access a wider pool of critics. You can view the spreadsheet here. Please share with all your critically-minded mates.
Jinghua Qian 