Inner West Courier: Newtown Festival

Chance to hear writers speak volumes at Newtown Festival
Inner West Courier, 11th November 2010

STORIES from across the globe are being shared at the Newtown Festival’s Writers’ Tent this Sunday.

Presented by Newtown book store Better Read Than Dead, speakers will be discussing fiction, crime, social responsibilities, the world and politics.

Organiser Derek Dryden said they’re back for the seventh year as it’s the shop’s literary gift to the readers of Newtown.

“There’s authors to make you think, authors who will amuse you and plenty of authors who will simply entertain, but most of all it’s fun,” he said.

“It’s not the Miles Franklin or the Premier’s Literary Awards, it’s a group of authors having a fun day out at a great festival.”

Cabramatta travel writer Walter Mason will be in conversation with his publisher Maggie Hamilton at the tent about his latest book Destination Saigon.

“It’s very prestigious and it’s a tremendous privilege (to be part of the festival) as an author as Newtown is my readership,” he said.

Mason spent four months travelling from the south to the north of Vietnam to see the countryside, discover religions, and experience the culture and humanity of the people.

“I fell in love with it the first time I went there in ‘94 and have been back 11 times in 16 years,” he said.

Mason said the book is about friendships more than travelling and the experience of the people.

He said one of his favourite experiences was visiting a friend, who is a monk, who took him to stay at a temple on an ocean cliff. “Every night, with his fisherman friends, they would say a prayer for me and the people of Australia,” he said.

“I thought that was such an amazing gesture because they didn’t know me, they didn’t have too, but I felt so included.”

Mason will not only speaking about Destination Saigon, but will also be speaking about the writing process for all budding authors in the audience.

Mason said he’s looking forward to seeing the two speakers he has been placed between, Geesche Jacobsen speaking about crime and political commentator Annabel Crabb.

Mason will fly to Cambodia in a couple of weeks to start a new adventure and write his second travel book.

Destination Saigon in the Shops

As a first-time author, probably one of the most thrilling events is to walk into a shop and see your book on the shelves. Oh, the heaven! I just want to shout, to grab the person next to me and say "That's by me - see, we have the same name. Do you want to see my ID?" Or I want to take a copy off the shelf and walk up to the shop assistant and say "I'm the author of this book, how's it selling?"
I don't do the latter because I was myself a bookseller for many years, and it was the kind of things authors frequently did, and it was not endearing.
So I quietly smile to myself and surreptitiously take some snaps of the happy event with my phone. It still hasn't gotten old.
Of course, I have friends in the bookselling world, and they have been so wonderful, selling my book like crazy and doing everything they can to turn it into the wild success it has become.
Over at Better Read Than Dead they have made it their book of the month, with a front window and posters, no less!
And my old friends and colleagues at Adyar have constructed a little Destination Saigon shrine. Next time I come in I'm going to offer some incense and flowers.

DESTINATION SAIGON: BOOK OF THE MONTH

 

Better Read Than Dead bookstore in Newtown has selectged Destination Saigon as their book of the month for March.  Here's Karen with the book's promotional poster (thank you Allen & Unwin) and Better Read Than Dead's book of the month poster.

Below is the author, Walter Mason with Karen in Better Read Than Dead today.