I met with my agent yesterday in London and had dinner with him and his wife the Chinese writer Xinran. We had some very interesting discussions about the world literary scenes in different countries, and he made some observations about my current fiction writing and how to make it more palatable to the Western publishing market. I am still digesting this- so will write more about it when I’ve decided how to use his feedback in my work. Xinran and I had a fascinating conversation about writing from an Asian perspective to a Western audience and she asked me what I found most challenging about doing this. I said at the time that it was challenging for me to have to explain certain concepts and deeper meanings in my work- but I think having to articulate myself so often makes me reflect on what I’m doing and gain more insight into my process and bicultural background.

Being in London has given me the opportunity to see a lot of theatre and art which has really fed my muse. I have found myself responding the most to Surrealism and Impressionism in the exhibitions I have seen here. It has engaged my attention and I’ve realised that the aesthetics i want to achieve in my work are twofold- to capture the wonder of the world (mindfulness) and also to depict madness with its vividness and shock. I want my words to bleed off the page- and I also want to be able to conjure up the magic of it too. In my fiction at the moment I’m trying to depict mindfulness- and with the help of Simon Charles my artistic collaborator on “I could be you” the play we will be depicting madness through text, music and live feed video multimedia.

In other news as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival I will be mentored by a theatre director to realise our vision for the play.

I also will be giving a talk at Melbourne Girls Grammar on the 25th August about “Culture and Identity” and how it affects me as an artist and its influences on my work. I will put the speech on this blog once I’ve written it.

Just had my portrait painted by Elizabeth Greisman – a Canadian artist. There is a lovely bunch of women artists here for my last week at Tyrone Guthrie who have great energy around them. They include Juliette Bressan, a YA writer and doctor, and Michelle Jackson her collaborator on a book “What women know”which will be published by Hachette Ireland in September 2010. and Jacinta O’Reilly who does abstract landscapes. Unfortunately I cannot take pictures of their art but hopefully will get their websites when I leave on Friday.

“I could be you” the play is unfortunately becoming more topical. I cannot believe a woman PM Julia Gillard would pander to xenophobia by building a detention centre in East Timor. I’m disappointed, angry and depressed about this.

I have been meditating with Janet Pierce and this has restored my peace. Annagmarkerrig itself with the lake is a nurturing place for any artist to visit.

Here is a poem for my last week- which is on display in an open studio at Tyrone Guthrie Centre.

ANNAGHMAKERRIG

- for the women I met here

Women’s spirit infuses bright colours

Invoking landscape, trees and grasses

From home and other lands

Women’s warmth

Buoys up the emptiness

Sharing souls with wine

Flowering the divine

Glowing fertility and rain

Brings forth life and renews

I capture in the palms of my hands

My heart, and hope to bring myself home again.

Today I’m leaving for Dublin for 5 weeks to take up an Australia Council residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre. There I intend to work on my new novel and my upcoming play ”I could be you”which will be in the Girls@Work series at Theatreworks as part of the Fringe Festival.

Silence ended on a high note in Knox courtesy of VicHealth and La Mama. Thank you to everyone who was involved, who attended and asked stimulating questions at the Q and A. There will be a DVD available of the performance about two weeks from now.