The Alpha 2 Omega literary & dramatic arts convention ran from Saturday to Monday this long weekend at the Sydney Street Theatre (Rivercity church) in New Farm. I went with low expectations (nothing to do with the organisers and a great deal to do with cultural cringe, what turned out to be a sore throat, and having just spilt my coffee into my handbag) — a useful tool, but too often applied to the wrong aspects of my life. Certainly it was unnecessary at this event.
Anne Hamilton and Lyn Hurry (as well as being full-time beautiful, motivated Christians) organised the event seamlessly, and from an attendees pov, it ran smoothly and effectively, except for the initial registration (but I've never seen a registration that did). The sessions were varied, interesting and rewarding. Often they covered material I was familiar with, but very deftly and with an emphasis on the practical aspects of being a Christian and a writer/artist that was encouraging and thought-provoking and helpful.
It was refreshing, too — to hear how the Bible and faith should and is and can be woven into creative works, and particularly how this works in a secular society, and this not as an aside or a token mention in the conclusion, but woven into the talks and convictions of the speakers, so that their focus was tangibly different from the talks I am used to hearing in the secular writing scene. That comment goes for all of the workshops below, except the last.
I attended on Saturday and Sunday. A brief overview of the sessions:
Julie Belding: Promoting Christian Events — a commonsense approach to press-releases and promotional articles (lead times, tone, approach, nature of publication, etc). Gerard Wilson: Philosophy and the Christian Novel — a brainbendingly rapid overview of western philosophy, the relationship of novels to prevailing philosophies and an examination of which are conducive to and compatible (or otherwise) with Christianity and/or consistent with or presupposed by the Christian novel. It made me want to read philosophers and literary theorists again.
Paula Vince: The Impact of Christian Fiction — A simple, straightforward presentation of the role of storytelling in making an impact, therapy/medicine and as use of gifts. Her talk was so brief and concise and the examples rather emotive that it ran the risk of being sentimental and yet... wasn't. It was a genuine & thought-provoking session, and overlapped with themes that came out in others.
Janet Camilleri: Writing for Magazines — A condensed version of a course she has taught for adult education, this was valuable as a kick-start or at least inspiration. I'd like to continue what I started in the last couple weeks and try more freelance writing. However, it made me wonder about authenticity and authority — questions which I am sure I will resolve. And maybe write about.
Ian Jones: Cartooning — I didn't know anything about Ian except for the Pearly Gates cartoon. But he is sincere, articulate and enthusiastic and I really enjoyed this workshop and his comments on being a Christian artist in a secular marketplace, the commercial realities and the responsibility.
Jennifer Moore: Planning a Novel, and Meredith Resce: The Novel: From Idea to Page — I find these workshops valuable because you get to see how other peoples' imaginations work, and which aspects are common and which unique, and how different authors organise themselves. Also as a glimpse into genres with a different focus than I am used to, and thereby considerations I am not familiar with but which might be relevant.
Mary Hawkins: Inspirational Romance — I once spent a week laid-up after... oh, it was either wisdom teeth extraction or a bad back. At any rate, I couldn't concentrate very well and some of the girls borrowed a box of Mills & Boon from a house mistress (tamer stuff). Um, so I retain an academic interest in the vicissitudes of the romance market. Haven't read it since then, however. Just interested in the market — the current wordlength, mores, trends in covers. Mary's talk was mostly about the increasing Inspirational Romance market, what it is, and how the spiritual and romance elements are and could/should be handled and what effect or impact the books can have. I'm keeping an open mind on this — not reading in the genre, I can't support any statements I might make, and it isn't like there aren't darker areas to my genre of choice. Including the cover art.
Jenny Baxter: The Hero's Journey — I know this a little too well. And the arguments and biases against it. I'm worried people will try to follow it slavishly, but it is an appealing plot and Jenny's application of it and discussion of how she uses it in non-fiction, interviews etc was particularly interesting.
Jenny Gibson: The ABC of Art Skills — a straight introduction-to-drawing talk and workshop. It was very basic, but I could see most people found it very useful. I just like drawing with ink and mapping pens, but it was probably the first time most of the women in the room had actually dipped a pen in and started drawing lines, and it was really encouraging to see their encouragement. |
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