08 Mar 2018 ASAL Vets
Call for Papers: 2018 ASAL Vets
Call for Papers: Writing and writers of Gippsland: ASAL vets, Gippsland 2018
19-23 March 2018, Paynesville, Gippsland
Gippsland, in Eastern Victoria, has inspired many writers to rhapsodise about its mountains and fern forests, its coastal reaches and lakes. Patrick Morgan characterises it as the ‘writing of the urban dweller seeking rest and solace in the forests; of women on farms wandering into the bush as a break from pioneering chores; of the naturalist exploring a new, diverse and attractive environment; and of the romantic temperament drifting into solitary contemplation of nature’s sublimity and man’s littleness in the face of it all’ (xv. Shadow and Shine an anthology of Gippsland Literature). Gippsland has also been the site of enormous environmental destruction as the dense forests stretching from the southern slopes of the alps to the sea were cleared for farming. Some writing about Gippsland is elegiac, some polemical, and there is bitter conflict over logging in the remaining old growth forests.
The region has been home to many writers such as Hal Porter, Eve Langley, Mary Fullerton, Bruce Pascoe, and Don Watson and the subject of books by writers as various as Chester Eagle, Laurie Duggan and George Seddon.
From Monday 5 March to Friday 9 March, the ASALvets will meet at Paynesville, on the Gippsland lakes, to celebrate the literary heritage of Gippsland and enjoy some of the region’s contemporary pleasures, including, wineries, boat trips, walks in the forest and swimming for those so inclined. We welcome papers on any
Paynesville is about 20 minutes from Bairnsdale, which is accessible from Melbourne by train. We plan to meet on Monday night and finish the conference after breakfast on Friday morning.
The most central accommodation is at the Mariner’s Cove which has a range of options: www.marinerscoveresort.com
Conference goers will need to book their own accommodation there or nearby. Inquiries to Judy Brett ([email protected]) or Susan Lever ([email protected])
Please note that all ASAL members are very welcome to attend and present.