Sam van Zweden

I’m so excited about this. The Novel Cure landed in my post box last week, care of the good folk at Text Publishing. The concept of the book is good – a bibliotherapy guide of sorts. Reading the promotional material on Text’s website, I wasn’t exactly jumping out of my skin – I pictured something akin to Ramona Koval’s By The Book, or any of the other many many many reading guides. Walk-throughs of the worthy stuff; a memoiresque telling of why we should read what the author deems deserving. I don’t have a problem with these kinds of books – they’re fun.

But that’s not what The Novel Cure is at all. It’s an A-Z reference book, with a listing for every kind of ailment (both physical and emotional) that you could possibly have. From losing your job, to being a parking inspector, to feeling lonely, to having a toothache, The Novel Cure can suggest something to make you feel better. Sometimes it’s something that takes your mind off the problem, while other listings give examples that you’ll be able to relate to. The entry for ‘Depression’ lists books that will make you laugh and feel good, as well as books that talk about depression really well, and will make you feel less alone in the world.

This book is not just a cool gimmicky book about books – it’s a considered attempt to help people through literature.

I can’t review this in its entirety, because it’s not a book I’ll be sitting down to read from cover to cover – though, if I were feeling enthusiastic, I imagine this might be possible and even enjoyable. There are entries throughout that make good dipping-in reading – I’ve found the ‘Cures for Reading Ailments’ fun. There’s entries like “Amnesia, reading-related”, “Overwhelmed by the number of books in the world” (there’s another “overwhelmed” entry for the amount of books in your own house), and “Live instead of read, tendency to”, and each of these have suggested cures too.

It’s also a lot of fun going through the index to find books you love, and see what they’re prescribed for. Some of my favourites – Black Swan Green (David Mitchell) is listed beside ‘Speech impediment’, Beloved (Toni Morrison) beside ‘Haunted, being’, and Little Women is beside ‘Sibling rivalry’.

The Novel Cure has been dipped into a few times already, and has been shelved with the rest of my reference books, to be consulted in times of need. It’s being released on the 21st of August.

Yesterday someone came into work to ask if we stock Tiny Beautiful Things. We don’t, but we ordered it in for her, and in the meantime I exploded in a lovefest for Cheryl Strayed.

Last year at NonFictioNow 2012 (at RMIT in Melbourne), I was lucky enough to see Cheryl Strayed speak, and read her piece “Write Like a Motherfucker“, which originated as a Dear Sugar column. This reading moved me, in a really important and fundamental way. Everything Elissa Bassist writes is something I’ve felt before, and something I suspect that most 26 year-old female writers have felt. Most writers in general, really.

Cheryl (Sugar)’s response is spot on too. Hearing her read it that first time at RMIT made me go home and write, and whenever I feel unable to work because of those self-doubting thoughts, I read it again and then get up and write. I bought a mug from The Rumpus, with WRITE LIKE A MOTHERFUCKER written on it. I drink coffee out of it, and it reminds me, and sometimes that helps. It’s a rare piece of writing that can consistently move me in that way.

In light of all this, when that poor customer asked me if I knew of Cheryl Strayed, I exploded on her about how much I love Strayed, how much her words mean to me, and how real I find her. Proceeded to sell her Wild, and order in Tiny Beautiful Things, and encourage her strongly to go read all the Dear Sugar columns on the Rumpus. Poor customer. She had no idea what she was getting herself into!

I also just found this fantastic follow-up interview between Elissa Bassist and Cheryl Strayed up on the Brevity blog (tied to Creative NonFiction mag). I particularly love what Strayed has to say about drafting and re-writing.

In other nonfictional news, I’ve made a decision. I’ve been dreaming of going overseas to a lit festival, and I’ve decided that NonFictioNow 2014 is it. Iowa, here I come!

It’s been a pretty massive week. Between work at the book store (flat out and feral due to school holidays), interning, playing social medium, and trying to maintain a social and love life, it’s been CRAY. And I’m not even doing that much. Big #loveattack for those who are making it all happen.

Hence, a general post to bring together all the exciting things that have happened/been announced in the last week:

Things are really ramping up at Melbourne Writers Festival HQ. Names are being released left, right and centre ahead of next week’s program launch. It’s been exciting knowing these things before the public, but it gets exponentially more exciting when people start reacting to the news that certain guests are coming to town. I can’t wait to see everyone lose their shit when the full program goes out.

I’ve been busy with various whatnot, and haven’t had a chance to blog these exciting announcements straight away, so I’ll just go ahead and put it all together for you now:

A few weeks ago it was announced that the Edinburgh World Writers Conference is coming to Melbourne, and taking place as part of the MWF on the 23rd August at Deakin Edge (which used to be BMW Edge). This is a really switched-on conference, with guests from (literally) all over the world. What I love is that it punches way above the regular session you’ll see at writers festivals. Usually you’ll see a writer talking about their work, plot points and character development. The hows and whys of their particular book. The EWWC is fantastic because it’s a chance to see big-name authors talking about the wider implications of writing and the state of the industry. The list of delegates for EWWC is great, and what’s been released so far: MJ Hyland, Tony Birch, and Junot Diaz.

Then last Wednesday the Tavi bomb dropped. Style queen, young feminist and all-round admirable young lady Tavi Gevinson is coming to town for MWF too! She started blogging when she was 11, and is now editor-in-chief of the blog Rookie, which publishes young women from all over the world. Tavi will be talking to Estelle Tang at the festival – match made in heaven! Australian Rookie contributor Minna Gilligan will be joining Tavi, along with a bunch of other brilliant girls for Rookie Day, the full details of which will be released on 19th July with the full program. Approved teaser words include ‘under-20’, ‘questions’, ‘panelists’, ‘dancing’. That’s all you get.

And this morning the opening keynote speaker Boris Johnson, the quirky literary mayor of London, was announced. I’ve been Google-imaging pictures of him all morning. It’s great, big-happy-making stuff.

Also, MWF and EWF are teaming up again to get baby bloggers into the festival and on the radar. I was lucky enough to be an Emerging Blogger at last year’s festival, and this year they’re calling them Digital Reporters. You can apply here.

Other than MWF, the latest KYD has just been published, and that’s pretty great.

I’ve also been loving the issue of The Lifted Brow that’s just come out. The more I read of it, the more I want to be in it. The Lifted Brow, consider yourself squarely on my list of targets. I promise I won’t send you any metaphors as bad as the one I just wrote. Square listed targets. Pfffft.

Last night was the first annual fundraiser for SlutWalk (which is happening on August 31st), with the fantastic name SlutFest. There was poetry, comedy, singing, dancing, a dancing vagina, a singing dancing naked lady… I almost cried, it was so full of strong women, and the turn-out of men was really encouraging too. So congratulations to Karen Pickering and all the great people behind SlutWalk, your cause is so accessible and important!

On that note… consider yourself caught-up, dear reader.