I just read this article
http://www.sbs.com.au/topics/sexuality/agenda/article/2016/10/12/casey-conway-coming-out-isnt-just-hard-first-time-we-do-it
And it got my mind going on how lucky I am and how I feel about others who are less fortunate. I had a rant, it is below.
_____________________________________________
I totally agree with the need to challenge stereotypes and the western idea of masculinity. You are who you are, don't hide it. I hope that one day we can live in a world where people won't bottle up their true selves because of fear or embarrassment.
I know I'm from a privileged minority; I'm white, educated, working, fluent in the current global lingua franca, I was lucky enough to be born in a country with relative political and social stability, with access to healthcare and education, although I should point out there are people in this country who have been let down by the government and country as a whole, especially indigenous Australians. I was allowed to marry the man I love, I could have just as easily fell in love with a women and would then be subjected to a rediculous debate avout whether I could marry her. It is stupid. Love is love. Being socially privileged means I haven't walked a mile in the shoes of so many, but I genuinely empathise with them. If you are a member of the LGBTIQ community I am so sorry other people think they have a right to dictate who you can and can't marry or for that matter which bathroom you use. If you are an asylum seeker or refugee sitting in an Australian off shore detention centre I am disgusted in my government and I think it is inhumane and abhorrent you are being treated like you are. If you are an idigenous Australian, words are not enough to even try to describe how sorry I am you haven't got constitutional recognition, a treaty, or national land rights, that a white government is forcing you into living your life in a white Australia and not listening to your community on things that need a indigenous lead approach like healthcare, education and crime prevention.
This post was supposed to be about #nationalcommingoutday. But it has turned into more. I am sorry to all of those sitting in the lower rungs of the social scale, for those who deserve true equality which will only be reached through appropriate equity measures. I can never speak for any of you. But I will always listen and I am prepared to fight with you if you ask. #youhavetheagency #equityleadstoequality #iwillstandwithyouifyouaskmeto
Tuesday, 11 October 2016
Friday, 30 September 2016
An Open Letter : Mostly The Engine Room - Bendigo Writers Festival 2016
Dear Rosemary,
My name is Chalice and I attended the Bendigo Writers Festival as part of the La Trobe Univeristy's Writers In Action group and as you are the director of the 2016 Bendigo Writer's Festival I thought you may like some feedback from a festival goer.
Firstly, apart from disappointing behaviour from audience member's at the first session I attended with Indira Naidoo, I thoroughly enjoyed the festival, but, I think there are a few things that could be improved for future years.
Firstly, why such a rush? Did you attend one of the sessions immediately after another? It was a mad house, people pushing, missing out on getting into venues, but mostly being late because the session before ran over time. I understand you want to make the festival as efficient and make sure you don't waste any time but giving 10 minutes between sessions in my opinion is too tight of a schedule, and a half an hour lunch/toilet break somewhere in the middle would have been appreciated by many I spoke to, anyway, something to think about yeah?
Mostly I am writing this letter in defense of the session held in The Engine Room. It is a quaint and intimate setting and please don't get me wrong I appreciated those qualities, what I didn't appreciate was the sessions I missed out on because the venue was packed tighter than a can of sardines, that there was excellent sessions being put in a space that I didn't feel gave them the space to reach all they could have due to size restrictions. I understand that planning a festival like this must be difficult, and there is much to consider, and that The Engine Room is a lovely venue, and maybe you have no control of the locations of the sessions, but Young Adult fiction writer's - which were the majority of author's crammed into The Engine Room deserve more space in the festival in my opinion, and the audience deserves the opportunity to see them if they want to.
Sincere regards, Chalice.
My name is Chalice and I attended the Bendigo Writers Festival as part of the La Trobe Univeristy's Writers In Action group and as you are the director of the 2016 Bendigo Writer's Festival I thought you may like some feedback from a festival goer.
Firstly, apart from disappointing behaviour from audience member's at the first session I attended with Indira Naidoo, I thoroughly enjoyed the festival, but, I think there are a few things that could be improved for future years.
Firstly, why such a rush? Did you attend one of the sessions immediately after another? It was a mad house, people pushing, missing out on getting into venues, but mostly being late because the session before ran over time. I understand you want to make the festival as efficient and make sure you don't waste any time but giving 10 minutes between sessions in my opinion is too tight of a schedule, and a half an hour lunch/toilet break somewhere in the middle would have been appreciated by many I spoke to, anyway, something to think about yeah?
Mostly I am writing this letter in defense of the session held in The Engine Room. It is a quaint and intimate setting and please don't get me wrong I appreciated those qualities, what I didn't appreciate was the sessions I missed out on because the venue was packed tighter than a can of sardines, that there was excellent sessions being put in a space that I didn't feel gave them the space to reach all they could have due to size restrictions. I understand that planning a festival like this must be difficult, and there is much to consider, and that The Engine Room is a lovely venue, and maybe you have no control of the locations of the sessions, but Young Adult fiction writer's - which were the majority of author's crammed into The Engine Room deserve more space in the festival in my opinion, and the audience deserves the opportunity to see them if they want to.
Sincere regards, Chalice.
First Session Friday - The Bendigo Writers Festival 2016
The 10th of August 2016 saw me packing a bag and going to bunker down in Bendigo with family for a week. The purpose of which was to participate in a La Trobe University class, STC3WIA - Writers in Action, that was taught in and around the 2016 Bendigo Writers Festival.
It was a long drive, dark and cold, but as I traveled I reflected on the program I'd already perused and excitement stirred within me.
The first day was all uni based, housekeeping and details, and some anecdotes from the previous years festival helped build collective enthusiasm within the group for what the weekend ahead entailed.
Friday 3pm finally arrived and I squished through a small crowd at Capital Theater to find a good seat to see one of my idols Indira Naidoo speak. I was excited, pen and paper in hand, phone too, for tweeting purposes (something the Writers In Action course encouraged). Indira and presenter Fiona Parker arrived on stage a few minutes late to a large round of applause, I pressed my camera on my phone and took a few shots, loading the best one immediately to Instagram and Twitter with the hashtags #BWF2016 and #WIA2016. I was discreet about it, my phone's brightness was turned all the way down, the volume setting was on silent and I stayed low in my seat as to not block anyone's view, unfortunately to those around me though none of this seemed to matter. What mattered was, I was at a writer's festival; using technology, living on my phone, not respecting the author or presenter, interrupting other people's experience. No one actually said any of these comments to me directly, they are just sentences I heard floating in the air as I sat quietly trying to listen to what Indira had to say. These comments, made by complete strangers, interrupting my experience of something I was so looking forward to.
I put my phone down, one photo was all I had planned to take after all. I started jotting notes, a few great quotes and some probing questions about the subject material, but the initial events of the afternoon stirred something in me, I started looking around at the crowd. The age demographic was what hit me first, along with a few familiar WIA faces, we were the youngest there by far. Many people were talking quietly to the person next to them, mostly in disagreeing with progressive ideas coming from the stage, a few were kind comments but not many. I felt isolated in that moment. Is this really what a writers festival should be I thought? People have a whinge, complaining about the rudeness of a younger generation because a photo was taken, yet hypocritical having a (often judgemental) conversation to some sitting near them rather than showing respect to the person on stage and listening to what they have to say in full. Personally I'm not one for division, I believe that binaries and other methods of division are social constructs and not nature or necessary but I did feel very judge for being younger, a feeling on rejection washed over me. Suddenly the rest of the weekend didn't bring the excitement butterflies I felt the day before.
It was a long drive, dark and cold, but as I traveled I reflected on the program I'd already perused and excitement stirred within me.
The first day was all uni based, housekeeping and details, and some anecdotes from the previous years festival helped build collective enthusiasm within the group for what the weekend ahead entailed.
Friday 3pm finally arrived and I squished through a small crowd at Capital Theater to find a good seat to see one of my idols Indira Naidoo speak. I was excited, pen and paper in hand, phone too, for tweeting purposes (something the Writers In Action course encouraged). Indira and presenter Fiona Parker arrived on stage a few minutes late to a large round of applause, I pressed my camera on my phone and took a few shots, loading the best one immediately to Instagram and Twitter with the hashtags #BWF2016 and #WIA2016. I was discreet about it, my phone's brightness was turned all the way down, the volume setting was on silent and I stayed low in my seat as to not block anyone's view, unfortunately to those around me though none of this seemed to matter. What mattered was, I was at a writer's festival; using technology, living on my phone, not respecting the author or presenter, interrupting other people's experience. No one actually said any of these comments to me directly, they are just sentences I heard floating in the air as I sat quietly trying to listen to what Indira had to say. These comments, made by complete strangers, interrupting my experience of something I was so looking forward to.
I put my phone down, one photo was all I had planned to take after all. I started jotting notes, a few great quotes and some probing questions about the subject material, but the initial events of the afternoon stirred something in me, I started looking around at the crowd. The age demographic was what hit me first, along with a few familiar WIA faces, we were the youngest there by far. Many people were talking quietly to the person next to them, mostly in disagreeing with progressive ideas coming from the stage, a few were kind comments but not many. I felt isolated in that moment. Is this really what a writers festival should be I thought? People have a whinge, complaining about the rudeness of a younger generation because a photo was taken, yet hypocritical having a (often judgemental) conversation to some sitting near them rather than showing respect to the person on stage and listening to what they have to say in full. Personally I'm not one for division, I believe that binaries and other methods of division are social constructs and not nature or necessary but I did feel very judge for being younger, a feeling on rejection washed over me. Suddenly the rest of the weekend didn't bring the excitement butterflies I felt the day before.
A witty* and hilarious* response to a question** - Bendigo Writers Festival 2016
The Big Issue - Tim Flannery
Questioner: A 55-65 year old women.
Question: Young people these days seem to need technology to entertain them, and therefore they have no imagination. How are they going to come up with solutions to issues like climate change?
Answer: That is a very good question, thank you for asking. I am truly sorry if while I rack up HECS debt studying full-time, as well as working full-time to support myself (because good forbid I commit another Gen Y exclusive crime and live off tax payer dollars), I have very little free time to develop innovative solutions that meet your standards.
Sorry, which noble prize did you win again?
Actually, I'm surprised at how you could even find the spare time to be able to attend this event, considering all the committees and think tanks you must be on the board of. Obviously there are no young people in those organisations, or any young politicians, activists, educators or professionals, or even any people under 30 living out of home!
I mean, I empathise with what you must feel in this situation, but just spare a thought for those poor people charged with finding the young Australian of the Year. They must feel like they are banging their head against a brick wall. It probably takes them 11 out of the 12 months just to find one suitable nominee, and even then I'm sure they leave much to be desired.
I know setting up and running a mobile laundry, providing critical social interaction, and a sense of dignity to thousands of homeless people a year around the country doesn't seem like much at all compared to what young people achieved in your day! Notably, finding new ways of depleting the earth of its natural resources, encouraging the use of fossil fuels and material culture by part-taking in mass consumerism, driving an economy that would lead us to a recession in the 1990's and the GFC in the 2000's...
Sincerely, I do apologise.
* Subjective.
** Composed reflectively in the shower weeks after the event.
Thursday, 29 September 2016
Tuesday, 27 September 2016
Saturday, 13 August 2016
Doherty - Truth and Nutters
Scene setting:
It's a cold room, heaters attempt to bring warmth, only reaching the few nearest.
Wooden folding patio chairs are squeezed together closer than economy airline seats.
The roof is mouldy, behind the black stage curtains the walls decay.
Warmth is brought by the audience.
Not just by collective bodies, but by the atmosphere they produce.
All those minds oozing thoughts, even in the silence you can hear them.
All eyes intently staring at the stage, shuffling heads try to glimps Doherty.
He is the incandescent mothership.
The event [and audience]:
Not to insult any religious people.
We're just monkey's with big brains.
[Laughter]
I'm not fair to economists.
Or politians.
[Laughter]
Engineers are not scientists, and scientists are not engineers.
Malcolm Roberts should take note.
[Jots down the usefulness of Google scholar]
Trump.
Main supporters poorly educated white males.
Oh dear.
[The collective sigh of agreement and understanding of what low education and socioeconomic status mean in the western world today]
5 minute pause - Fear of Trump being President of the United States distracts me.
The markets have no interest in human beings.
The markets have interest in money.
[Heads bob in concurrence]
Reality can not be denied.
Public relations can not take presidence over reality.
You have to deal with reality.
No news flash, but then again the truth often isn't news worthy.
I'm a scientist, I'm around peculiarly people all the time.
[Laughter]
[Applause]
It's a cold room, heaters attempt to bring warmth, only reaching the few nearest.
Wooden folding patio chairs are squeezed together closer than economy airline seats.
The roof is mouldy, behind the black stage curtains the walls decay.
Warmth is brought by the audience.
Not just by collective bodies, but by the atmosphere they produce.
All those minds oozing thoughts, even in the silence you can hear them.
All eyes intently staring at the stage, shuffling heads try to glimps Doherty.
He is the incandescent mothership.
The event [and audience]:
Not to insult any religious people.
We're just monkey's with big brains.
[Laughter]
I'm not fair to economists.
Or politians.
[Laughter]
Engineers are not scientists, and scientists are not engineers.
Malcolm Roberts should take note.
[Jots down the usefulness of Google scholar]
Trump.
Main supporters poorly educated white males.
Oh dear.
[The collective sigh of agreement and understanding of what low education and socioeconomic status mean in the western world today]
5 minute pause - Fear of Trump being President of the United States distracts me.
The markets have no interest in human beings.
The markets have interest in money.
[Heads bob in concurrence]
Reality can not be denied.
Public relations can not take presidence over reality.
You have to deal with reality.
No news flash, but then again the truth often isn't news worthy.
I'm a scientist, I'm around peculiarly people all the time.
[Laughter]
[Applause]
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