Women Writing: Views and Prospects 1975-1995
![[Group photo]](./7t.jpg)
18 November 1995LEFT: Back row L to R: Virginia Barrett, Efi Hatzimanolis, Elizabeth Weiss, Bronwen Levy, Stephanie Dowrick, Katie Holmes, Jackie Huggins
Front row L to R: Sophie Cunningham, Sara Dowse, Anna Couani
This seminar was held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of
International Women's Year. The seminar served to remind the audience that
the National Library is a custodian of the papers of women writers, some
of whom appeared on the program.
Women's writings in the National Library's collections reflect and record a variety of experiences from the letters recording impressions of life in the colonies to the creative works of writers and poets from the 19th and 20th centuries. The Library collects records of The Society of Women Writers (Australia). These collections provide access to the voices of many historically 'silent' women, as well as women who have achieved public prominence.
The National Library of Australia also collects other works of significant Australian women. For example you can access online:
- the small but stunning collection of Women of Note exhibition prints, David Franklin's photographs of Australian women musicians. (To view these search online under David Franklin on the National Library of Australia's Documentary Image Database IMAGES 1.)
- the Beyond the Picket Fence exhibition, an exhibition of women's art collected by the National Library.
- and a list of some of the extensive collection of women's papers held at the National Library of Australia.
Many of the seminar speakers are distinguished in the fields of creative and academic writing or in publishing and editing. The keynote address by Bronwen Levy examined contemporary women's writing over the previous 20 years. Katie Holmes explored the ways women's writing can challenge our understanding of the past and offer points of departure for future readings.
A panel discussion involving both sides of the publishing industry offered perspectives on the relationships between authors and publishing houses and between authors and readers. Panellists included Stephanie Dowrick, Elizabeth Weiss and Sara Dowse. The formation of women's presses and the movement of feminist books to mainstream presses was addressed.
A second discussion session concentrated on personal perspectives on the practice, the frustrations and the theory surrounding women writing and the new media. Jackie Huggins, Anna Couani and Efi Hatzimanolis offered insights into their own writing and thinking. Virginia Barrett talked about women and the Internet, the explosion of virtual communities and the social paradigms developing in these metaworlds.
The seminar closed with an address by Sophie Cunningham, Trade Publisher with Allen and Unwin. She discussed future perspectives on women, writing and publishing.
To read a paper select its author. Sound files of recordings of the authors speaking at the seminar are being edited and will become available in the near future.
Note that the individual authors hold copyright for their papers. The views expressed in those papers are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Library of Australia.
Speakers:
| Bronwyn Levy
Keynote address: Different Views, Longer Prospects |
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Katie Holmes
'This Diary Writing Does Not Really Count as Writing': Women's Writing and the Writing of History |
| Anna Couani
Women Writing and Literary Practice |
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Virginia Barrett
Remapping Cyberspace with a Feminist Bent |
| Jackie Huggins
The Theory, the Practice and the Frustration |
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Efi Hatzimanolis
Multiple Ethnicity Disorder: Demidenko and the Cult of Ethnicity |
| Sophie Cunningham
Future Directions in Australian Women's Writing |
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Panel Discussion: Publishing: Fact and Fiction
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Elizabeth Weiss |
Stephanie Dowrick |
Sara Dowse |
Online Discussion
All visitors to the online Women's Writing seminar are encouraged to offer comments, to ask questions, to contribute to ongoing discussion, and to offer their own experiences and insights. Moderated contributions will be archived online below. Email your contributions to Michelle Hetherington, Education Officer at the National Library of Australia - mhetheri@nla.gov.au.
There are a number of other sites on the World Wide Web dealing with the topic of women and writing. Try searching on 'women writing' at Yahoo.
Discussion archive coming soon!
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![[Bronwyn Levy]](./8ts.jpg)
![[Katie Holmes]](./9ts.jpg)
![[Anna Couani]](./10ts.jpg)
![[Virginia Barrett]](./11ts.jpg)
![[Jackie Huggins]](./12ts.jpg)
![[Efi Hatzimanolis]](./13ts.jpg)
![[Sophie Cunningham]](./14ts.jpg)
![[Elizabeth Weiss]](./15ts.jpg)
![[Stephanie Dowrick]](./16ts.jpg)
![[Sara Dowse]](./17ts.jpg)