Voiceworks #86

The latest issue of Voiceworks, a quarterly publication showcasing the literary talents of writers under 25, is loosely centred on the theme ‘V’ – ventricle, vision, volunteer and vampire. ‘Loosely’ suggests that there is no real rhyme or recipe for use. However the editorial team has chosen shades of green as their overall colour for this publication’s issue, suggesting that ‘V’ may also mean ‘visitors’ – giving it the feel of a more ‘alien’, science fiction theme, which one could argue is a possible interpretation. So, one may ask: ‘Why ‘V’?’

The winners of the ‘Write Across Victoria 2011’ competition (from Year 7, 8 and 9 run by Express Media in conjunction with the Melbourne Writers Festival Schools Program) are announced. “In each competition, three of Australia’s favorite writers create ‘story starter’ passages, which year 7, 8 and 9s from across Victoria use as inspiration for their own piece of writing.” This year’s winner was Ella Cahill (Year 7) from St Catherine’s School with The Secret Recipe – a very mature and well-written piece of writing.

In his editorial, Johannes Jakob asks the question: ‘What is good writing?’ According to him, ‘… ‘good writing’ makes the reader feel intelligent, kind, perceptive, emotionally adroit and so on.’ He continues: ‘A lot of what we look for in submissions – strong and complex characters, fresh stories and ideas, genuine insight, all the rest of it – are things that enable a piece to increase the reader’s capacity for empathy … It is therefore great writing when the magazine works hard to make the reader feel and care about the majority of the pieces – as we all do not relate to everything.’ This statement thus formed the basis of this review. Does this issue of Voiceworks convey to me, the reader, what Jakob suggests?

Subeditor Elizabeth Redman discusses the issue of volunteers in the publishing industry – internships. The question of experience versus qualifications is something that those of us trying to get into the industry are faced with on a daily basis. Having recently applied for a few writing positions myself, and having completed an internship, I could empathise with Redman in regard to the difficulties faced by new graduates. It is disturbing to realise just how much money – $2 billion according to ‘a study of internship practices in the United States’ in Ross Perlin’s Intern Nation – and ‘slave labour’ publishing houses, etc make out of volunteers.

Other nonfiction pieces that stand out are Sian Campbell’s Ventricle – a true and sensitive account of Campbell’s experience undergoing heart surgery and recovering from a ‘broken heart’; Amber Beilharz’s Face Painting For The Invisible Illness – a frank and personal discussion on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Elizabeth Tan’s Light – a personal look into corneal transplantation and her ‘alter ego’ BECCA: and Typographical Cities by Christa Jonathan – delving into the world of fonts and signage.

Among the fiction highlights are Matt Young’s Vanadis, which touches on the father-daughter relationship; Talk Underwater by Kate Cantrell, a little girl’s account of the drowning of her sister; Jessica Stone’s And The Roof Moved, a story about the prodigal son; and ‘Shooting Arrows’ by Sophie Overett, an insight into a family’s reaction to their sister’s/daughter’s death.

The poetry in the ‘V’ issue is ordinary and doesn’t resonate as strongly as it should in relation to Jakob’s definition of ‘good writing’. A few of the nonfiction pieces, although well written, could have been edited and word counts reduced. They tend to be too long and lose you in their repetitiveness. This could also be said for some of the fiction pieces, causing disengagement and boredom, and rather than column upon column of text, breaking it up with images or graphics can break the tediousness for the reader. There are only three illustrations in this issue.

That said this issue of Voiceworks resonated some of the empathy which Jakob was hoping to achieve.

Voiceworks #86: V
Editor: Johannes Jakob
Published by: Express Media
RRP $10.00