It’s only day two, but New York author Sloane Crosley wins a gold medal for best interview stamina of the Melbourne Writers Festival in my book. After landing in Melbourne direct from a two-day stop-over in Los Angeles, she walked straight into the hotel foyer with bags in tow and happily joined me for an interview over much-needed coffee.
No unpacking and not even a quick visit to her room to ‘freshen up’. And she was smiling without a hint of jet lag . In fact, she was positively beaming. Probably because she has been wanting to visit Australia for many years and is delighted to have finally arrived. Her family almost moved here when she was a child, so she developed a slight obsession with all things Down Under.
Crosley says she was thrilled when the MWF asked her to take part. ‘The first thing I did when I got the invitation was to forward it to my family and watch them writhe in jealousy,’ she says. ‘I’m always surprised when the humour in my books translates in another country, even an English-speaking country, but it’s great.’
Both Crosley’s books I Was Told There’d Be Cake (2008) and How Did You Get This Number (2010) became The New York Times bestsellers. The first, written when Crosley was 26-years-old and published at 28, quickly became a huge success. It wasn’t something she’d anticipated, having worked as a publicist in a publishing house where she knew how difficult the road to literary glory could be.
”The first book, I didn’t know what I was doing. I worked with these amazing authors. I knew how hard it is. And being close to them did not have the effect of making me feel “Oh, I can do this too”. It had the adverse effect. I will never, ever be Tony Morrison.’
‘I’d also been told not to expect anything, because it was a book of essays and it wasn’t expected this genre would be as popular as it was. So it was surprising.’
And she sprinkles her conversation with the same style of self-deprecating humour that is a trademark of her books. ‘Sometimes I see people reading my books on the subway, And sometimes they look so tragically bored, I just want to trip them over when they leave,’ she says, laughing.
It’s unlikely Crosley will ever use the word ‘cake’ in a book title again. ‘I put on about ten pounds, because everywhere I’d go, there was cake. It was the same thing at all the book launches. It was great. And it was awful. The second book is a lot darker and the essays are longer. It’s a much bigger book. I think I was in a bad mood when trying to write a humour book.’
Crosley says she always knew she wanted to write, although initially at college she studied archeology and anthropology before switching to a literature major. Next she moved on to several internships at magazines and became a contributor to a long list of publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Irish Times, The New York Observer, The Village Voice, Vice Magazine,Elle, Glamour, Vogue, W, Teen Vogue, Salon.com, GQ,Esquire, Playboy Magazine, Self, Maxim Magazine, SPIN and Black Book magazine – writing essays and interviews. She was also a weekly columnist for The Independent in the UK and was the editor of The Best American Travel Essays 2011.
There have been plenty of accolades too. I Was Told There’d Be Cake also won The Best Audio Books Of The Year by Library Journal and was one of Amazon.com’s Best Books of 2008. Plus, in 2009, I Was Told There’d Be Cake was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
During the festival, Crosley is sitting on panels over four sessions this weekend. The one that sparks my interest is tomorrow at 2.30 – Friendly Fire. It’s all about how far authors are prepared to go when writing about friends and family and whether they’re prepared to put relationships at risk. I Was Told There’d Be Cake is brutally and refreshingly honest, so did Crosley have any concerns about a backlash when she was writing?
‘I genuinely didn’t think that many people would read it. There are parts of it that are a little cruel that I would go back and change. But not because they’re mean. More because they’re not as well written as I would like them to be. ‘
So were there people in her life, maybe her parents, who were offended? She takes a moment to consider before answering. ‘I try to protect people. You change things, such as defining characteristics. But my parents were fine with it. The truth is, it’s a nice portrait of them, so it’s fine. In fact, considering what gets said around the Thanksgiving table, they got off easy.’
Some critics have described Crosley as a modern-day Dorothy Parker. She’s flattered by the comparison. ‘There’s a great Dorothy Parker quote,’ she says, ‘that “Humour should always be used as a shield and never as a sword.” Very lovely but very hard to sustain over the course of a book.’
There was one friendship that went by the wayside as a result of the Cake book, however Crosley says it had practically ended anyway. ‘That was partly what that essay was about. So it is a little bit mean but to my mind, it’s worth the sacrifice because it makes a larger point about what happens when friends grow up – what they hang on to and what they don’t. It’s about how complicated women’s relationships can be. Everyone knows that a break-up with a woman can often be more difficult than with a man, and so that’s what it’s about.’
The second friendship to suffer a minor fracture was due to Crosley painting a friend’s boyfriend in a negative light, not knowing how serious the relationship was and that they would later become engaged. Unsurprisingly, she was left off the guest list for the wedding.
Now she’s flexing her literary strengths in new directions — writing a novel and a screenplay. ‘It’s slightly harder, but it’s like using a different muscle. With non-fiction you’re dealing with things that have actually happened to you. With fiction, it feels strange when it’s going well because you have made up these characters and they feel so real. Thats a sign of insanity, right?’
Being early days, Crosley would rather stay tight-lipped on what both projects are about. But she does have some good advice on writing processes. It’s all about getting rid of distractions. ‘I do have to have some sort of pattern and structure. I am not allowed to check any emails before I write at least 250 words. No errands in the middle of the day otherwise I don’t feel like it’s a work day. The groceries, the laundry, the gym — all of that stuff gets done some other time. And interviews. Mostly I just try to concentrate on sitting down and writing as much as I can. I get up and make coffee, have breakfast and then right about 7.30 or eight and write till about lunch. And then I say I can have the afternoon off but I often do a bit more writing.’
As for other interests, Crosley says she’s a very bad guitar player and singer. But she does have a crafty side — making dioramas for each chapter from her last book and birthday cards for friends.
As for her ultimate goal in life, it’s about being true to herself. ‘There’s a quote by someone else that I’ll use here. “The genius is the one in the room who is most like himself.” My goal in life is to be most like myself.’
I think I got a pretty good version of that this morning – charming, witty and warm. Welcome to Melbourne Sloane Crosley!
(Sloane Crosley is taking part in the Melbourne Writers Festival tomorrow at 10am, 1pm and 2.30pm. Also on Sunday at 6.00pm. Check the MWF website at http://www.mwf.com.au for more details.)
It must be hard being nominated as Keynote Speaker at any major festival, especially when you’re also a famous movie star, because people’s expectations of you are enormously high. Unrealistically high.
I wondered how Simon Callow felt when he stepped on stage to give his address at the opening of the Melbourne Writers Festival last night. You could feel the weight of expectation in the air – the audience collectively holding its breath.
I have to confess I was one of the guilty ones sitting there with extraordinarily high hopes. For many reasons.
One, I was excited about seeing Simon Callow who I have long admired as an actor, ever since he captured adoration worldwide with his exuberant portrayal of the lovable Gareth in Four Weddings and a Funeral. He’s heralded as one of the world’s great theatre actors, as well as a talented and respected writer.
Two, Callow was delivering his keynote address on Charles Dickens. (he recently wrote a biography) Old-fashioned though it may be, I too am a huge Dickens fan, having spent most of third year Uni focusing on his work under the guidance of uber sharp tutor, Lousie Adler – now famed CEO and Publisher of Melbourne University Press Publishing.
Three, I was like an excited kid looking forward to the first day of school, having been chosen as one of five ‘Emerging Bloggers’ to cover events at the Melbourne Writers Festival. I couldn’t wait for it all to begin.
Yep – it’s all there, isn’t it? I was setting myself up for a fall. How on earth could one man, Simon Callow, fulfil such ‘great expectations’? (sorry, couldn’t resist that one…)
An entertaining Max Gillies gave Simon Callow a warm and heart-felt introduction, describing his book as ‘a thrilling account of Dickens.’
Then as soon as Callow took to the stage, the audience hushed. You could almost touch the awe. MWF Director Steve Grimwade helped us all fall in love with him just a little bit more with a story about how Callow had popped into the festival office the day before – unannounced – just to meet the staff.
Callow started graciously, describing Melbourne as one of the most beautiful, welcoming and cultured cities in the world, but stopped short of being saccharine by thanking us for our hospitality in providing him with a dose of English weather – the wild afternoon storm. Much laughter from the audience.
And then he took us back to where it all began – his relationship with Charles Dickens and what inspired him to write his book. Callow was just seven-years-old when he was taken to a production of A Christmas Carol which he says, ‘scared the hell out of me.’ That led him to avoid Dickens for several years until he was laid up with chicken pox and his Grandmother brought him a copy of The Pickwick Papers. ‘I fell in love with Dickens. It was a world I absolutely and instantly adored,’ he says.
From there, Callow described his life as a theatre actor, with an hilarious account of one production of A Christmas Carol where he and a fellow actor accidentally fell through a trapdoor in the middle of a show, only to climb back up and continue performing. He says if it wasn’t for the heavy Victorian costumes they were wearing, they could have been killed. A quick-witted cast member saved the moment by ad-libbing, ‘So Mr Fezziwig, down the wine cellar again, hey?’
At this point, the crowd is laughing on cue and you can appreciate how Callow naturally draws on his skills and experience as an actor to turn his speech into a performance. He’s polished, articulate and witty, yet still manages to radiate a genuine warmth that connects him with his audience.
Next, we see a more solemn Callow as he discusses Dickens life and his work. His tone becomes more serious as he talks of the different genres Dickens wrote – short stories, essays, journalistic work, novels and terrible plays. Yes, apparently there was one literary skill Dickens couldn’t master.
‘It was because he was stage struck and he tried to recreate the theatre of the time, so that his plays had no trace of Dickens in them. Even he said that a play always turned into work.’
As for Dickens incredible talent for story telling, Callow believes much of this was shaped by his childhood. Dickens’ father was thrown into a debtors’ prison and young Charles was put into lodgings in northern London where he was forced to work ten-hour days in a freezing, rat-infested building to provide for his family.
‘It was Dickens’ impoverished childhood,’ says Callow, ‘that helps explain his extraordinary compassion, his extraordinary outrage at the lot of the dispossessed, the disadvantaged. He could easily have become a vagabond, but he rose above it with an incredible optimistic energy.’
Callow becomes more impassioned describing Dickens relationship with his readers. ‘He only saw something as real when he had an audience. His readers were the great central love of his life. He needed to be in direct contact with them. He knew that the readers felt he spoke for them, that he was their champion and he gladly accepted the role.’
So many tales, so beautifully told. I realised then what I had wanted from the evening’s event. Hearing an exceptional actor talk about an extraordinary author — I wanted to be moved, to feel shivers up the spine.
Then Callow finished with a tale about how he played the role of Dickens in an episode of Dr Who. ‘The script portrayed Dickens in an imaginative and deeply felt way,’ he says. ‘At one point, Dickens turns to the Doctor and asks, “You know something about the future. Tell me, will I be read?” The Doctor says “Yes.” Dickens than asks, “And how long will I be read for?” And the Doctor answers, “Pretty much forever.” And that is how I feel too.’
Ah, the goose bumps.
Thank you, Simon Callow, for a magnificent start to the 2012 Melbourne Writers Festival.
Well-positioned on Melbourne’s most famous fashion strip – Chapel Street – Scanlan & Theodore has long been winning accolades in the style-stakes, always managing to keep one polished stiletto ahead of their competitors.
According to all reports, retail is doing it tough right now – but judging by the number of customers brushing shoulders in the store yesterday, Scanlan & Theodore isn’t feeling the pain. That’s probably because there aren’t many Australian designers who can match them for quality and unique styling.
I was also impressed by the number of sales staff in store yesterday, making sure no customer was left unattended. Now that’s rare. And while they’re all blessed with model-perfect looks and legs that go forever – which is a tad intimidating – they’re all very friendly and helpful – another big tick.
But pricing? Wow. I guess that’s why some people call fashion at this level ‘art’ as opposed to the mass-produced, high-turnover, land-fill fashion from the global franchises.
And there are definitely some pieces worthy of that title. Such as this amazing red lace dress, which hugs the silhouette like a classic Valentino. Pure art.
Baby jersey long dress $700 with Textured leather sleeveless jacket $650
Keeping with the red theme, I was also impressed with the long red jersey dress, layered with a sleeveless red leather jacket. Not something that would suit anyone bigger than a size eight, and I’m not sure exactly where I’d wear it – but I still fancied it anyway. I reckon Cate Blanchett could carry it off.
For race-goers wanting to lock in their Spring Carnival wardrobes early, I found two dresses that might appeal. The first, being more structured, would work well for Derby Day, while the floaty mix of aqua, pink and purple would be perfect for Oaks.
Personally, I really wanted to take home the black leather peplum top, which turns a prim trend funky. The urban weave bomber jacket could also have found a home in my wardrobe – hypothetically.
And in case your eye was drawn to the necklace decorating the peplum top, take a closer look. Indeed, a lovely pendant on a metal rope – yours for just $600…
Scanlan & Theodore also showcase a fab range of shoes and handbags. I’m very partial to rose gold right now so loved the black bag, which looks far more attractive than the photo gives it credit. And the camel Alaia studded wedge would be perfect with just about anything – if only they could off take a zero…
Alaia studded wedge $1400 and Mini square bag with yellow $450
Okay, I should stop going on about the price-tags. I’m probably just bitter and twisted that I’m still paying off a big holiday and can’t afford them. But if you can, get on in there and happy shopping.
Scanlan & Theodore is located at 566 Chapel Street, South Yarra.
Ph: (03) 9824 1800
They also have stores at 1061 High Street, Armadale and in Little Collins Street in Melbourne.
Who would have thought? A rare two-metre-high bird, found preening in the Yarra Valley… Not only epically towering above its species, but apparently indestructible.
This sleek stunner is the baby of internationally renowned Melbourne-based Master Potter Ted Secombe. It’s one of seventeen major pieces, made of bronze and steel, in what will be his first exhibition since 2004.
Not only is it eight years since his last public show, this exhibition represents a completely new direction for the artist. Ted says he’s now looking forward to showing the world what he’s been up to.This sleek stunner is the baby of internationally renowned Melbourne-based Master Potter Ted Secombe. It’s one of seventeen major pieces, made of bronze and steel, in what will be his first exhibition since 2004.
‘I’ve gone off on a new tangent because after thirty years of working in the ceramic and clay area, even though I was very successful with it, it left me asking questions about where do I go now? So I put it away for a few years and built this really funky house out in the Yarra Valley. I spent a long time re-thinking things. Which was not a very easy process. It was like being in a wilderness for lack of a better word. It’s a strange place to be in, an uncomfortable place.’
It wasn’t until Ted came up with the concept of using clay as a means of facilitating another artistic process that he began feeling inspired again. He began using clay to make models for new sculptures in steel and bronze.
‘And because I have a real understanding of how to do this now, I can do really interesting forms. It’s so fluid, to be able to create these beautiful lines which aren’t available in other mediums,’ he says.
Ted has been a full-time artist for thirty-five years. It wasn’t a planned career. When he left school, he completed a science degree and worked as a bio-chemist in pathology.
‘I went travelling and never went back to it. When I came home, I spent time with friends who were studying arts degrees or acting. Some were painters and potters. I thought, why not have a play with this and see what comes of it? There were quite a few lean years , but luckily I eventually became quite good at it.’
Ted never underwent formal training an art school, but ended up becoming more successful than most of his contemporaries. In particular, he created a name for himself with awe-inspiring ceramics – bowls, urns, water stones, lanterns and fountains which have been praised by art experts throughout the world. Complex glazes and finishes are his specialty. His works are featured in major hotels around the world – the Shangra-La Hotel in china, Ethiad Airlines Towers in Abu Dhabi, the Ritz Carlton in Singapore and even at Melbourne’s Crown Towers.
It seems like a huge artistic leap – from delicate, finely crafted pots, to towering steel structures. Ted explains what drew him to steel and bronze.
‘I think it was the more robust nature of it. I mean, ceramics are permanent provided they aren’t knocked about, but steel fights back.With clay, you are limited in scale and in contour and shape. This is an avenue for taking the work to other places – and maybe branching out to the public art pace area as well. I think there’s a need for that right now.’
He’s right. I can just picture these steel pieces being snapped up by the corporations for display in front of their city buildings.Ted says he also creates pieces on commission and could build birds up to about ten metres high.
It’s a long-winded process. First, Ted creates the piece in miniature. Then he travels to China to build the full-size version of the bird in clay. Why China?
‘Because it’s the only place I can find skilled fabricators to produce the work I need to produce. There’s no artisanes here. And if you could, the price is too inhibitive. What would cost about fifty thousand here only costs about twelve thousand over there. And that’s using top-grade steel. Plus everything has to be hand-beaten with hammers and anvils. It’s very time-consuming.’
The birds aren’t based on an actual species. ‘Mostly they’re a figment of my imagination,’ says Ted. ‘Some have botanical references, but mostly they’re just forms that come out of my hands when I’m modelling the clay.’
But there are still smaller ceramics and pots in his next exhibition. ‘These are really organic forms – influenced by pods and things from nature. So I’ve done a series of those which are like still life installations.’
Ted says his inspiration comes from nature. ‘I live in amongst lots of natural, beautiful things and I’ve always been passionate about wildlife, gardens and flowers. The natural world is such a nurturing place.’
The exhibition has been about two years in the making. All up, it includes about fifty pieces – seventeen being major sculptures in steel and bronze. The major pieces range in price from $7000 – $20,000, while the ceramics are priced up to $2000.
And the setting is idyllic – at Ted’s house in the Yarra Valley. It opens on Saturday, September 1st and will run for three consecutive weekends. (inclusive) Visitors are welcome – even if you don’t think the artwork is within your budget.
I’m the last person to dish out advice on raising children. Generally speaking, I get squeamish around ‘preachy parents’. I’m sure I distanced myself from at least two girlfriends when our kids were born, purely because I couldn’t bear their judgemental attitudes. Breast-feeding debates, nappy ethics and the best sleeping techniques became the force-fed fodder of too many dull conversations. I mean, does it really matter if the cream I use on my baby’s bum isn’t organic??
That said, I did hear a piece of advice on radio last year that piqued my interest. It was about communicating with young teenagers – boys in particular. And because it sounded like fun, we took it on board and bought…. yes, a TABLE TENNIS TABLE!!!
The theory is that boys won’t open up and chat if you sit them down for a talk. They’ll feel under siege and the best you’ll educe is monosyllabic drivel. But give them something to do that will distract them from what you’re hoping to achieve, and gradually they’ll become more and more verbose. Like table tennis! And the beauty of table tennis is that it’s not as physical as ‘proper’ tennis, so you are close enough and not out of breath to enable a conversation to get underway.
A few years earlier, we’d renovated and built a new sunroom. This meant we were able to put a table tennis table up in what was the old lounge room. Otherwise, if you don’t have a spare room or outdoor shed, it’s possible to buy a version that sits on top of a dining table and can be stored upright against a wall when not in use. You can pick one up for around $300 from Rebel Sport or try for one second hand.
I don’t think we’ve ever had a problem communicating with our 14-year-old son Tom, (who is practically perfect apart from an inability to pick up clothes from his bedroom floor) but the regular playing of matches between the two of us has become our favourite shared pastime. There’s so much more I know about the minutia of his world because of that little yellow ball.
But don’t think it’s all fun and laughter. We are highly competitive. When we first started playing, I always won. Yep, I’m the bitch-Mum who hates to lose – even to her kids to make them feel better… Actually, I can justify this. I’m sure it’s the right thing to do. That way, when they win FOR REAL, they can taste the sweet joy of genuine victory. Plus, kids are smart. They know a patronising ‘Ooops, I hit it out the window again….’ from mum or dad’s.
Tom’s getting smart though. He knows when to pick his moments. I came home from an early dinner with a girlfriend last week and he knew I’d had a few glasses of wine. Game on, he said…. Amused by my lack of coordination, he decided I needed a handicap. Perhaps he’ll be a comedian? Of course he won.
Now Tom is taller than me and and if I accidentally bat him a slow lob, he can smash it back faster than I can see it. It’s very close. I win a match, he wins a match. We seem to alternate and I’m sure it won’t be long before he’s on top of the family ladder. I won’t mind if that happens. I’ll accept defeat with grace. Just as long as I still get that big hug at the end of every match.
