Slow Reader episode 11: Catherine Deveny

Melanie Saward has a new book out! Love Unleashed is a romantic comedy with modern representation of First Nations people. In the 2010’s humour would often revolve around queerphobia, fatphobia and othering in general. Mel’s done a PhD about romantic comedy writing and I could have listened to her talk all the live long day about this juicy area of expertise. Here's Mel's BookTok. We had a chat for discussing her debut novel Burn, writing adolescent boys so beautifully and the ways people get Acknowledgement of Country wrong. Namely, how to be respectful and heartfelt without taking it over as a white person and honouring the way the Acknowledgement has been created correctly. Protocols exist for a reason, and it’s important to prioritise them. As Melanie said in our discussion: “For settlers, to remind yourself why you’re doing it when you write it into something is really really important….. The bare minimum is to read from a script. The more accepted minimum is to connect with the words and make sure that your delivery is connecting with that.” Cultural Burning is a big part of the story of Burn, and Mel was kind enough to share some resources for us to dig into. Firesticks is a national Indigenous network that empowers communities to protect and enhance Country and wellbeing by reviving Cultural knowledge practices. Fire Country by Indigenous land management expert Victor Steffensen is a book that explores Cultural Burns. Dreaming Inside are anthologies written by incarcerated Aboriginal children under the guidance and tutelage of Aunty Barbara Nicholson. More information can be found via South Coast Writers Centre here.

Eleanor Elliott Thomas published her debut novel The Opposite of Success in 2023. We had a chat during the summer school holidays about crowbarring writing into a legal career, the Faber Academy course that helped shape this work and Thomas' expertise, fat characters who are not the sidekick, people who like their husbands in literary settings and how unsettling that can be for weird reasons, and things like gastro (me) and the excellent author Claire Christian (also me) whose books I forgot the name of in the moment (they are called It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake and West Side Honey). Next time I'll be joined by Melanie Saward, author of Burn.

Joining me for a belated upload for this episode are two marvellous folks. Ailsa Wild and Emily Hart. Em is up first, giving us the skinny, the 411 on what goes on in publishing. Emily was award the 2022 Rising Star award at the ABIA awards. At the time of recording (October 2022) Emily was working at Hardie Grant, and has since left the company to go on adventures. We discussed this interview between Richard Fidler and Dr Kaya Wilson if you fancy a listen. Up next was Ailsa Wild. As well as being a phenomenal author across multiple genres, Ailsa creates all sorts of things such as The Dementia Podcast, and we discussed her excellent book You'll Be a Wonderful Dad. We all loved Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down. Next episode will feature Eleanor Elliott Thomas. Her book The Opposite of Success is a RIPPER read, and is available in audio format.

We're back! Joining me for episode 11 is Catherine Deveny. Writer, comedian, public speaker, writing coach, Brunswick loving cafe fiend. We speak about her memoir True North, and this conversation happened fricken ages ago but I got stuck with the editing because it's hard and I didn't want to. Thanks to Aisha for giving me a hand. Ripper. Ok, we're back. http://www.catherinedeveny.com/ Oh also I have a website and if you fancy a gander it's at http://www.jasperpeach.com.au/

Joining me for episode 10 is Eloise Grills, author of the astonishing and brilliant illustrated memoir big beautiful female theory (all lower case on purpose). We talk about writing the body, the self, awards, shaking off that self conscious buzzing to get in the zone, and a bunch more.  If you're seeing this in time, Eloise will be in conversation at Words in Winter in August 27th. Eloise's website is here. You can buy big beautiful female theory here. Next time I'll be chatting with Ailsa Wild, author of You'll Be A Wonderful Dad. Support my work here if you fancy: https://ko-fi.com/jasperpeach - every coffee helps me create content, chips in for equipment costs, brain power and caffeinated beverages.

Joining me for episode 9 is Olivia A Muscat, a writer and reader who loves audiobooks. We talk about the absolute bullshit that is ableist gatekeeping, the changes over time in technology for blind and vision impaired readers and the love we share for teenage fiction.  You can keep up with Olivia's writing via her Twitter @Olivia_A_Muscat Next time will either be Eloise Grills or Ailsa Wild, only time will tell. Support my work here if you fancy: https://ko-fi.com/jasperpeach - every coffee helps me create content, chips in for equipment costs, brain power and caffeinated beverages. 

Sarah Krasnostein does a deep dive like nobody else - author of The Trauma Cleaner and The Believer, she joins me to chat about finding her subjects, the nature of a full life as a creative parent, and that perhaps the secret might be doing the transcripts straight away, instead of leaving them to languish for months? Who knew. 

The Hungry Air is a collection of poetry that explore a life, a body, a family and the pain of disconnection and severing of ties. I speak with Rachael Wenona Guy about this exquisite collection. 

What does the future of health look like? How do you write poetry about a disabled body, about your disabled body? Andy Jackson's book Human Looking is an exquisite collection of poems exploring personal and historical accounts of the body. The institutionalising of difference, the fellowship we find after a swim when we stand dripping and exposed, the rage born of injustice when treated badly because we don't fit a non-existent mould. Joining me via Zoom in Castlemaine, Andy and I speak about the fellowship he was recently awarded to gather stories from the disabled community about the future of health, his book, his creative practice and what he's been getting into lately on the page.  

Nothing But My Body is such a beautiful read, and after many years of beholding the wondrous words and actions of Tilly Lawless through her tender and honest Instagram presence it was fantastic to purchase her book. We caught up in the sky as pixels and soundwaves late in 2021 to discuss her writing process, future plans, philosophies on life and all sorts of things.  I'm not great at digital editing. I like chats though. Thanks for listening.