OTHER STUFF
Round Two for me at the National
Young Writer's Festival in Newcastle, NSW. More fun, more
comics, and I met Santo Cilauro, who is a champ just for being
a member of the D-Gen. And this time, I brought a friend!...
The Writer's Festival is an excellent place
to meet likeminded creatives, in my case comics people. This
year did not disappoint, as I met many exciting people whose
work I had read (and in some cases, vice versa). In many cases,
I met them very briefly. And as anybody who knows me knows,
people's names float out of my head the second after I'm told
them. So if I only get a few wrong here, it'll be a miracle...
(please let
me know if I did)
At left is Jacob Zhivov, editor of famed
Monash University student magazine Otico. I worked
as art director at Otico in 2002, and convinced Jake
that it was crucial that he take the trip up to Newie with
me to share in the laughter, the drama and the hotel room.
I was pleased to meet Glenn Smith (Necrotardation,
Silent
Army), whose artwork is frighteningly detailed and
very much my cup of tea. I met Nicola Hardy (Satan
Lives... With Me) and Leon (Panel Beater)
at last year's fest, and encounter Nicola quite often since
she's a rockin' Mexican (Melbournite) like myself.
Not to take anything away from Ms A.J. Rochester
(left), but I (the bare-legged guy) was highly excited to
be seated at a panel entitled Screen Comedy next to Mr Santo
Cilauro, an original member of Australian comedy group
The D-Generation, the man who was The Colonel on The Late
Show, a partner in -- I can't be stuffed going through the
man's CV. Look him up yourself. At right, the man responsible
for my brush with "The Ethnic Prankster", Marcus
Westbury.
Time for the comics/zine fair, where all the
young'ns sell and swap their hippie poetry, anarchist punk
zines and comic books. Here, Nicola poses with a comic she
did that's several feet long. And a beer. I wonder where she
got it?
Christ on a cracker. Here's a highly unflattering
photo of me. Note the weird red spot next to my eye, which
is not a digital artefact. When I get hot and sweaty, it appears
to glow. Gotta love my T-shirt, though...
It's a stunned-looking American! Namely, American
indie-comic lady Madison Clell (Cuckoo)!
It's Michael Hill reading a comic --
something I imagine he does fairly often, given that he teaches
comics at UTS, is writing a phD thesis on comics, and
publishes Black Light
Angels, written and drawn by Louise Graber.
Glenn's game face. Also, here's Ben
Hutchings, cartoonist and animator (You Stink &
I Don't, Dragon Hurtor).
When you're in Newcastle, there's no good reason
not to eat at Big Al's,
a mobster-themed family restaurant. The burgers are good,
and if there's a kid's birthday on while you're there, you'll
enjoy the strange sight of a bunch of kids in plastic fedoras
running around the store with toy tommy guns (the girl in
the green shirt has one).
Evening at the Hunter on Hunter again. The place
hasn't changed. Here's Chris Mikul (Bizarrism)
and his lovely partner Kath.
Kath, Nicola, David.
It's Christian Read (Diggsville,
The Watch)!
And his hair's gone! He looks like Anton LaVey! Cool. Also
pictured: his adoring wenches.
Robyn
Gallagher (Scenic Route) wants you to help
save some bush. Nope, no jokes to be made here.
Jake's pretty happy to be heading back to Sydney
(and then Melbourne), 'cause after all -- Newcastle is kind
of a hole when there's no festivals on.
I didn't get pictures of many of the other talented people
who came up, including: David
Tang and Jeremy MacPherson (Knee Pockets),
Leigh Rigozzi (Flippin' Out), Dann Lennard
(Betty Paginated), Komala
Singh (Moshi Moshi), Ross Tesoriero
(Radiation
Sickness), American guest -- and good sport -- Scott
Mills (Trenches, Big Clay Pot) and old
favourite Stratu
(Sick Puppy).
Many of these people's comics (and those of the people pictured
-- and mine) are available for purchase at the Comics
Australia online shop. Why not check out some Australian
comics? Remember -- if you're Aussie, it's your patriotic
duty, and if you're not... our exchange rate is in the shitter,
so you'll pay bugger all!
The End
<< Check out
the happenings at NYWF 2001
Or, experience NYWF 2003 >>
Perhaps NYWF 2004? >>
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