Thursday, February 7, 2013

The Invisible Thread - 100 Year of Words - Canberra Anthology

 
The Invisible Thread is an anthology created for the Canberra Centenary in 2013 and launched at the end of 2012. There are 75 contributors all with a Canberra connection and the work includes a wide variety of genre.

The Invisible Thread: One Hundred Years of Words, edited by Irma Gold, is an anthology by writers who have an association with the Canberra region. Wide-ranging in its subject matter and themes, The Invisible Thread showcases 75 works by writers like AD Hope, Roger McDonald, Bill Gammage, Alex Miller, Judith Wright, Blanche d’Alpuget, David Campbell, Jackie French, Robin Wallace-Crabbe, Rhyll McMaster, Jack Heath, Garth Nix, Rosemary Dobson, Ken Inglis, Alan Gould, Manning Clark, Dorothy Johnston, Omar Musa, Don Watson, Geoff Page, and Marion Halligan.

With illustrations by Judy Horacek, a foreword by Robyn Archer, and a mix of short stories, novel extracts, poetry, essays and non-fiction, The Invisible Thread is a flagship publication for both the National Year of Reading 2012 and the Centenary of Canberra 2013.


Reading and music associated with this publication can be heard on 27 April 2013 …

Alex Miller, Alan Gould and Sara Dowse have chosen two musical compositions to bookend their poem or prose. These will be performed by an ensemble specifically compiled for the evening in collaboration with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra.


On reading Barbara Blackman’s contribution … she introduced me to a new word … ectoplasm … the Wikipedia definition is …

Ectoplasm (from the Greek ektos, meaning "outside", and plasma, meaning "something formed or molded") is a term coined by Charles Richet to denote a substance or spiritual energy "exteriorized" by physical mediums.[2] Ectoplasm is said to be associated with the formation of spirits; however since World War II reports of ectoplasmic phenomena have declined and many psychical researchers doubt whether genuine cases ever existed.[3]

She uses this word in conjunction with an amusing story based on using the home of friends while they were away on holiday … does ‘the spirit within the home’ have impact when she takes up temporary residence

… similarly, we may ask does the ‘spirit of the poet’ have any influence on us when we read poetry – especially when we have great rapport with the text read. I am sure you will find something of interest within the wide variety presented in this collection - to what extent the personae of the author flows into your veins is another matter entirely.

Footnote …
This anthology is by no means exhaustive of the literary talent that exists, or that has come from Canberra – but it is a great entry point for exploring or picking up a literary thread to some of the well-recognised writers that have had connection with the Capital.

No comments:

Post a Comment