Lots of terrible stuff’s happening in the world. So I’m making an effort to be positive and optimistic. But sometimes I just can’t be. Like now. For last Friday the 2010 Melbourne Writers Festival program was announced [1]. And Sweetheart Vivienne’s not in it. It beggars belief. Lest I be accused of bias, the facts are that that Alzheimer’s: A Love Story was well reviewed, it received lots of good media including nationally, it’s a Melbourne story, and its topic’s relevant to hundreds of thousands of Australians, and notably those in the age groups most represented among writers festival attenders. Also Sweetheart Vivienne’ll be in Melbourne at that time and so there’d have been no travel costs had she been taking part. But taking part she won’t be. How does she feel? You’ll need to ask her that. How do I feel? Disappointed, upset, bemused, dismayed, anguished. And angry. It’s not as if the Festival’s organisers didn’t know of Alzheimer’s and its reviews. And nor does its topic not fit in with the Festival’s program. No – for sure they considered it and rejected it. Maybe it’s sour grapes on my part, but I think the Festival’s the loser for their stupid oversight. What to do about it? I’m tagging it in this blog post, and I hope the organisers have a Google Alert on Melbourne Writers Festival. And as far as Sweetheart Vivienne’s concerned, her motto’s When the going gets tough, the tough get going [2]. You show ’em, girl.
