Thank you so much to the ABC and Stephanie Eslake for helping to share this wonderful news
I am so unbelievably proud of the dream team that made this possible – Libraries Tasmania, Hobart City Council, UTAS, Brand Tasmania, Fullers Bookshop and TasWriters.
Tasmania already punches far above its weight when it comes to producing award winning authors, and yet our literacy rates are appalling, some of the lowest in the country. This incongruity needs to be addressed, and I hope that as a City of Literature we will be more easily able to provide programs that will help ensure every Tasmanian has the tools to access the joy of books and reading. The uncanny beauty of Tasmania and the fact that so many writers and creatives are drawn to her shores where they then make unique and vital art, deserves to be recognised.
I’ve always found the Hobart literary community to be very supportive. Earlier on in my writing journey, and still, whenever I reached out to other much more experienced writers in my community, my questions were met with generosity and wisdom. Working at TasWriters has allowed me the great privilege of being able to share some of this advice to the wider literary community, and I sincerely hope that Hobart becoming a UNESCO City of Literature will allow TasWriters to continue to do this and more.
More funding is certainly a crucial step forward. TasWriters have been running on very little for a long time, and it means we can’t provide some of the services our members and the Tasmanian community deserve. One of the most common questions we receive at TasWriters is whether there are any Tasmanian literary agents. Sadly, the answer is currently no, but perhaps with this UNESCO recognition we might be able to change that. We are all looking forward to seeing where this takes us into the future, and what kind of organisation TasWriters might grow into as a result of this decision.
Tasmania is an island of mysteries and magic and mainlander misconceptions, and Hobart is a capital city spilling over with stories – ancient, new, heart-rending and joy-filled. TasWriters are committed to never looking away, no matter how strange or uncomfortable. Our upcoming festival with the theme ‘Tasmanian Gothic’ will explore this concept (and many more variations), in March next year. Stay tuned!
Arianne James 