Olives: A Recipe Book by Bhavna Khanna

Olives was launched for a second time last week at Opia Cafe and Bar, Clarence Street Sydney (thank you for keeping us topped up with bubbles and for hosting the event so well!) by renowned poet, David Wansbrough.

David entertained the crowds with readings from his forthcoming book of poems Le Pain Quotidien: Poems on the Pleasures of Life (Green Olive Press, July 2011). David recited four poems, each one with a connection to olive oil or olives, including the wonderful 'Extra Virgin' and 'Fragment'.

Extra Virgin

I have sponged spots

off my last atavistic summer suit

and I lament that my last silk tie

may soon be soiled.

I know that I am invisible

to skinny-waisted big-breasted girls,

so I will continue to dip slices

of le pain quotidien,

in extra virgin oil.

Fragment

I am guardian of an Etruscan bowl

with an alternating pattern of olives

and their leaves. Some joys are timeless.

Perhaps a priest used this for libations

to sun and earth.

Or a temple prostitute painted her nipples

with honey from it, and made her body glisten,

and wove olive leaves in braids

with red river wire-of-gold

to sanctify her hair. But I prefer

to think some honest couple, resting from garden tilling,

emptied their baskets

of weeds, and sat in the shade

of trees, and cut hard crusts

and dipped them in a bowl of oil,

and with the contentment we fee now, ate.

Both Olives and Le Pain Quotidien are available to purchase from www.greenolivepress.com

Olives is a limited edition hand-bound, illustrated recipe book. Only 150 copies are being produced.

Writing for your reader

Today I have been writing copy for a funding application. Not only is it imperative to the success of the application that the project I am applying for funding for matches the funding body's criteria, it is also essential that I keep the intended reader in mind.

Here's a list of the things I consider when putting together any copy material:

1. Language - technical or simple; specialist or general. If I am writing for lawyers, it's okay to use legal terms. If I am writing for a layperson, I avoid technical terms.
2. Style - formal or informal. I always consider what the reader will be looking for. Is it okay to address the letter with 'Hi James' or should I address it with a more formal salutation.
3. Length - long or short? How much time will the reader spend reading my material? If they only have five minutes then they are not going to be able to read a 300 page tome. However, if they are assessing a funding application, then I expect they will spend longer than 5 minutes reviewing it. My copy, therefore, needs to be of sufficient length to describe my project whilst not being overly verbose.
4. Structure - there's a lot top be said for the techniques we all learnt at school... Structure your copy with a beginning, middle and end (and if it is long copy, it's okay to have lots of 'middles').
5. Content - before I start writing I always make a list of the items I need to cover. Before writing this piece, I jotted down a list of five headings (language; style; length; structure and content) as I knew that this is what I needed to cover in this blog. I keep a list of notes next to me as I write and cross them off as I cover them.

The other important aspect of any copy - particularly in job applications, funding applications or any material that is designed to persuade people - is the ability to convey passion and conviction without being over the top. I will blog about this soon, but in the meantime, try and think of phrases that people use that annoy you or come across as insincere... you should avoid using such phrases in your own writing.

Arts Council Funding Tips

Last night I attended a presentation at the NSW Writers' Centre given by two staff from Australia Council for the Arts (Willow Drummond and Catherine Gray) . Basically, the presentation didn't tell those present anything new - all of the information is available on the website (www.autsraliacouncil.gov.au) but the speakers did provide a few tips for successful applications:

• Check the website


• Phone the office and ask questions about the suitability of your project


• Apply online


• Use plain English - keep it simple


• Consider - Why this? Why now? Why me? Sincerity and passion works well


• Present a reasonably balance budget


• Provide appropriate support materials in the genre you are applying for funding for


• Don't apply last minute - applications take time


• Just because you are unsuccessful in one round, doesn't mean you will be unsuccessful in the future


• Look at the videos of successful applicants on the website. Some successful applicants also write blogs with tips


• Look at what has been funded in the past and consider if your project is a good fit


• Don't give up - keep on with your arts project regardless!

Kafka trial

I have just finished reading a rather interesting essay in the London Review of Books about the Kafka trial. Kafka left unpublished and published papers to Max Brod with the explicit instructions that they should be destroyed at his death. Brod didn't do this and instead gave them to Esther Hoffe, his secretary, with whom he had a relationship with. On Esther's death, the papers passed to her daughters, Eva and Ruth. Eva and Ruth are proposing to sell the papers - unsighted - by weight. People can bid on a kilogram of paper and then later discover what they have bought. Never mind a pound of flesh, what about a pound of paper. What do you think?

Doom and gloom

Bookseller and Publisher Online has reported that findings from a pre-Christmas survey amongst booksellers and publishers that book sales were down in the run up to Christmas this year.
There are a number of reasons why this may have been the case, ranging from the tough economic year, interest rate rises, the strong Australian dollar to the increased presence of online overseas competitors, and these factors are not unique to the publishing industry. However, one factor is unique: the ebook effect.
Ebooks sales are outnumbering sales of hardback books on a regular basis and by significant numbers. Amazon has reported that the Kindle is the most 'wished for' item and has topped their sales for at least five consecutive months.
My own book buying habits have changed dramatically since I was given a Kindle. While I still spend time browsing bookshops and picking up new releases to admire the covers, I always check the availability of the book on Kindle before making a purchase. I am already amassing a fairly decent 'bookshelf' full of electronic books and am reaping the benefits of the lower prices (more money = ability to buy more ebooks) and the Feng Shui side effects (much more space in my apartment; fewer books squirreled away in places where books shouldn't be squirreled).
However, I am still a sucker for a beautiful book - hardback, illustrated, coffee table-style thing. Which is a good job really, as Green Olive Press is about to embark on its latest adventure... the launch of the Beautiful Books series.
'Olives: A Cook Book' written and illustrated by Bhavna Khanna will be published in April 2011. Watch this space!

Learning from those in the know

Did anyone see the article by Peter FitzSimons, Australia's best-selling non-fiction writer for the past 10 years, in the Sydney Morning Herald last week?

As a writer who manages to make a living out of writing, Peter FitzSimons finds he is often approached by aspiring authors for tips on 'how to do it'.

In the article, Plenty to write home about, FitzSimons shares six of his tips. I have added my own brief interpretations...

1. Read - lots and frequently.
2. Find your voice - practise until you have established a style you are comfortable with.
3. Then listen to the little voice - be true to yourself.
4. Don't ever say your subject is boring - if it's boring you, your writing will be boring and you will bore readers. Who wants to read something boring?
5. The art of writing is rewriting - write, re-write and re-write again. Put it to one side for a while. Take a break. Recharge your batteries and return to it with a fresh pair of eyes, ready to re-write again.
6. Don't whinge about how hard it is - no one likes a moaner. Of course it's hard - if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Just get on with it. It gets easier.

Can anyone suggest any more?

Being Greg-arious - guest blog by Mark Beaumont

There is a book on my shelf that has sat there untouched for six years. I picked it up this weekend and it is fantastic. The book is the autobiography of Greg Dyke.

You've probably never heard of him. Internationally he is almost unknown and in even in his native UK, he is not a household figure. However, in the broadcasting industry, everyone knows who he is. Greg Dyke has run many of the major television organisations in the UK and the pinnacle of his career was when he ran, and turned-around, the BBC.

I'll blog about the way that he turned around the BBC, and the lessons that we can learn for the organisations we work for in a couple of days, but first I wanted to try and give you a measure of Greg Dyke's approach to leadership.

Greg Dyke is certainly no academic leader. His leadership is perhaps best described as a gut-led guerilla style and his entire career was punctuated with great, sometimes amusing, examples of this.

For example, on his first day as Chief Exec at one organisation he put a six foot cut out photo of his face behind reception with the words beneath that said: "Hi - I'm your new Chief Executive. I'm coming round today to meet as many of you as possible but if I don't catch you, I'll be in the bar tonight, so come and have a drink with me and let me know what you think of the place." Imagine walking into your job and seeing that behind reception.

Another example is that when he joined the BBC he noticed how bureaucratic the place was. So he sent a yellow card, like the ones that soccer referees use, to every employee with the words: "Cut the crap" written on it. The implication, I guess, is that those who didn't start acting in a dynamic way would be given a red card and sent packing.

These examples might sound like he intimidated the workforce, but the opposite is actually true. When he eventually left the BBC, the staff took out a full page advert in The (London) Telegraph thanking him for his efforts as a leader.

I think the secret of why he was so respected comes from the fact that everyone could see that Greg Dyke is the real deal. He says: "In leadership you must be yourself. If you ask people to act in a way that is different to the way in which you behave, people will smell it immediately".

Greg Dyke's antics, whilst unconventional, are an honest reflection of who he is.

There is a lesson here that we can all take on board: in the workplace, you should be true to yourself. When you walk in through the office door, don't leave your passions and interests outside - bring them in and build your role around them. It burns a lot of energy if you are in a role that doesn't suit, but if you are in a role that excites you it will give you energy.

In a previous role, I remember asking my manager why he'd taken a responsibility that I enjoyed away from me, only for him to look surprised and say that's what he thought I wanted. It's very easy for incorrect assumptions to be made about likes and dislikes, so I make a point now of always telling my manager what I enjoy and what I don't.

We should all try and shape our roles around our passions. If you are not already doing it, start today. Greg Dyke would.