This Is Not Art. Or Is It?

Feature, By jody ekert, 26th September, 2007

Many years ago when I was a cool (ok, nerdy) undergrad with a love of words the National Young Writers Festival was always a much talked about, if underground, festival. Fast forward to 2007 and it’s morphed into one component of a huge event – the This is Not Art Festival, also known as TINA.

Starting on Thursday and continuing over the long weekend, TINA now includes four major festivals – the National Writers Festival, Sound Summit, Electrofringe, and Critical Animals – all of which take place all over Newcastle in NSW. If you dig around the program it’s not hard to find something to appeal to us queer creative types.

I spoke with emerging queer author Anna Westbrook about her involvement in writing, and the festival.

Anna completed her first novel, Hey Sugar, in 2004. It was shortlisted for The 2006 Australian/Vogel award and, written at the age of twenty, that makes her one of the youngest writers ever to make the shortlist. If you don’t know what the Vogel awards are then let me just tell you that, for an unpublished writer, it’s the equivalent of the Holy Grail, and can launch a successful career.

It took Anna two years to complete the manuscript and at first she wasn’t aiming for a novel, rather the writing was just something that “evolved organically”.

Hey Sugar is heavily influenced by Anna’s background in poetry and has a lyrical quality about it. Take descriptions such as, “It was as if the world nightly fell from skyscrapers, to wake just as it hit the ground, before it could burst on the pavement.” She ducks her head modestly when I say that I love some of these descriptions.

I asked Anna what made her decide to enter the awards. “It’s about motivating yourself. I think you should set deadlines for yourself, even if it’s unrealistic. You might be surprised.” And surprised she was, to find herself on the shortlist, especially as she felt the book was in a very raw state. She has since spent a year editing and reworking her draft.

“Allen and Unwin (the publishers behind the Vogel) were very supportive, with some good feedback, and they encouraged me to find an independent publisher for it.”

Does she feel they passed on printing her novel because of its graphical, queer themes? “Well, I’ve found my voice, I just need to find a publisher!” She laughs, “No, I just don’t think it’s their style of book really.”

What does she think of the label of “queer writer”?

“I embrace it. I do want everyone to read the book but I know that I will have a queer audience for my work and at least I will know them.”

I can’t resist a barbed question I would pose to any female queer writer. What does she think of the character Jenny in The L Word? Anna is lightening quick with a passionate response. “I hate her! It’s just that whiny self-obsession of hers!”

Amen to that I say.

And finally, does she have any advice for other upcoming authors? She thinks it over. “I think I’m still in a position to seek advice, rather than give it, but apply for grants – milk as much money from the government as you can!”

Anna will appear at the following events:
Erotica: celebrity filth and beyond – Thur 27 Sept at 9pm.

How to stop writing your first novel – Fri 28 Sept 2007 at 1pm, and

Afternoon offerings: novels, too – Mon, 01 Oct 2007.

Check out TINA’s full program here.

And if you’re a budding author, check out more information on the Vogel Awards here.

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