Mikel and Me:

How could I ignore the fact I was able to meet Mikel Jollett not once, but twice, this year?  Of course I couldn’t.  I get the most hits on this little ole blog from ”Mikel Jollett Author” and “Mikel Jollett Girlfriend.”  Boy, those people must be very disappointed to see my face and bubble art.  But back to Mikel and me.  Sure, the first time we shared a moment; his face beamed with charisma.  The second one…not so much.  Either way, it’s one of those surreal things.  I mean, if you would’ve told me I could have the opportunity once this year, I would have been ecstatic.  I was fortunate to get a twofer.  It doesn’t mean I’m done with him yet.  He will be on the resolution page (coming soon) as well.

Meredith Barnes Kicks Ass!

OMG…Isn’t she fabulous?!?

The year started with a chance encounter with Meredith through her blog because of winning a tag line contest.  What it turned into was a defining moment.  I really can’t go on enough about how much I adore her.  Yes, you people who deal with me face to face already know because I gush on a regular basis about her awesomeness.

There are times where I read blogs about writers doubting the humanity of agents.  This is a completely foreign concept in my mind.  They have always been gracious, friendly, and they pretty much bend over backwards to be helpful.  Does it mean they signed my work?  Or begged me to send my grocery list because all my writing is that awesome?  Of course not.  Does it mean I have the utmost respect for them?  Sure the hell does.  Meredith is a fine example if you need one.

Cookie Love:

If 2010 was about cupcakes and cookie pops, 2011 was about the flood cookie.  I’ve watched Martha Stewart do it for years and made a few attempts before with terrible results.  With some wild hair one weekend, I was determined to figure it out.  I learned a lot in the process, most of which I was able to apply to writing and this blog.

Beautiful Music:

Snuggling up with Luke from Atomic Tom. (Oh, he didn’t know we were snuggling.)

This may tread dangerously close to Mikel and me, but I had a record year for concerts with a total of 5!  The amazing part is the fact I live in a small town where no one dares to mark on their tour map.  This year I saw Atomic Tom, Cold War Kids, The Airborne Toxic Event (2), B-52s, Human League, and Men Without Hats.  It was epic.  I Safety Danced hard core.

Urban Girl:

My Rockin’ Docs

After ten years of living in Oregon and barely making it out of my county limits, I headed for the big city and Urban Girl was born.  Work trips and concerts traveled my hipness to Portland where I dined on fancy food, walked the streets like a pro (hey, wait a minute….), and drank micro brews with the best of them.  In a drunken stupor mid-day, Hubs and I walked into a Doc Martin store and I strolled out with these bad boys.  Hey-oooo!!!!  Portland is one of those things I commit to doing again this year.

Ze Blog:

The accomplishment I’m most proud of (and have you to thank) is the fact I have blogged the entire year.  I don’t have a schedule and I’m no where near my blogging idol, Tawne Fenske, but I’ve kept at it pretty steady.  I’ve incorporated my love for stories, baked goods, and Mikel Jollett to create something I am really proud of.  This place is me.  It’s what I do.   It’s who I am.  It’s what I love.

Mi Familia 2011

Me on the knee of a delightful gentleman. Thanks, Joseph,you are a peach!

Anyway, HAPPY 2012! For those of us who haven’t raptured (remember THAT?) I would like to welcome you to this year and express my sincere hope that that Mayan calender is incorrect, because I have a lot to get done in my life and would prefer the Universe not to end any time soon.  That being said, 2011 was a pretty positive year for me, especially crafting wise! I started a sewing blog, I learned to knit, I learned about seam finishes, I made pants, I made my first (but in no way last) clothing from vintage patterns, I inserted visible and invisible zippers, I made buttonholes, I took on a me-made-month challenge, I got a lot done!

Let’s look at it numerically, shall we? This past year I made 38 garments, give or take a few that I didn’t blog about, including:

1 pair of pants (Clovers!)

1 vest (Franzi!)

1 Jacket (Naomi!)

2 pairs of shorts (Simplicity 7688 and Simplicity 2017!)

3 pairs of pajamas (Tara Top and Colette Bloomers, Jane and Simplicity !)

3 refashions

8 skirts (2 Maries (1 and2), Simplicity 3688 ,  1 self drafted, 1 more self drafted, Helena, Vivat Veritas, and McCalls 8161!)

9 Dresses ( New Look 6732, three incarnations of Burda Style Dress with Cap Sleeves and Gathered Skirt (one I’ve never blogged about, sorry)-1 and 2, McCalls 7326, Vogue 8615,  BurdaStyle 10/2010 Full Dress with Cut Out Bustline, Tara, and the Angela Kane Pinafore!)

10 Blouses ( Butterick 8097, 2 Sorbettos (1 and 2) 2 JJs (1 and 2), 3 Utes (1 and 2 and 3), Alexander, and two Butterick 7490 (1 and 2)

Of course, this is all just the stuff I made for myself. I also made my mom 2 skirts, 1 dress and two sets of pajamas, I made my father a set of pajamas, and I made my brother 3 ties.

Which brings me to my New Years Sewing resolutions of 2012:

1. Concentrate more on the fitting process, and less on the instant gratification. I’m about to undergo a pencil-skirt project that hopefully should play into this nicely, as well as becoming a devotee of Sarai’s fitting chapter in my brand new Colette Patterns Sewing Handbook (thanks, Mamala!)

2. Add more variety to my sewing. Clearly I like certain patterns (JJ? Ute? Burda Style? Yeah, I’m talking to you people), but that doesn’t make for a super diverse wardrobe. I have enough patterns in my stash at this point to start branching out.

3. Sew with new fabrics. I actually made a knit top (a bit wonky, but wearable!) and completed Dixie DIY’s ballet dress pattern (it’s available for a mere 4 dollars to download! Do it!) for the New Year’s Bash I attended (it was amazing). I haven’t gotten a chance to take photos yet but once I do you will no doubt be delighted by A. this clever pattern and B. my mastery of knits. But I need to step it up on the silk front, people.

4. Conversely, bust my stash! Seriously. SERIOUSLY. FOR REALS. I cannot will not must not should not dare not buy any more fabric for the foreseeable future. We found another haul in my grandfather’s attic, photos to come, and this is getting a bit insane. No new fabric until my birthday in July. That’s my rule. Let’s see how it goes, shall we?

5. Fill some of the gaps in my wardrobe. Try a jacket, or two. Make more pants. Tunics. Something different. Mix it up. It’s 2012!

What about you guys? Sewing resolutions? LIFE resolutions? I know you’ve got em, lay em on me!

Looking back on the year, some of my favorites include:

But man, this holiday season kicked my butt. Talking to a co-worker, we both agreed that it felt like the food holidays started on Nov. 1 and we hadn’t taken a breath since then; that it’s been much more intense than it has been in years. Sometimes it’s just about what days the holidays fall, but overall numbers are way up. All the reps and other cheesemongers I know are saying the same thing.

So all I’m trying to say is that the price you pay for reading the semi-coherent ramblings of a real cheesemonger is that I was too busy and exhausted to compile any fun year-end things for you. Heck, I didn’t even take any pictures of holiday craziness this year. Sorry.

If the Fancy Food Show wasn’t on the horizon or if I had been smart and planned some time off I would promise you these at a later date, but for now, we’ll just have to wait and see how it goes. Ok?

I will say happy anniversary to two of my favorite cheese companies:

Happy 20th Cypress Grove!

Happy 75th Rogue Creamery!

I drank this and thought of Ig Vella.

Happy New Year to all you reading out there, wherever you are.

*I did answer questions from the SF Weekly though. “Meh!”

**Also, cheese doesn’t move super fast. My five-part 2010 wrap up from last year is still mostly valid.

First, the goals for the year:

1) Finish Masters of the Sun by the end of April

     Success

2) Finish novel #2 by the end of September

     Fail.  I only got around 30,000 words done in The Pericles Conspiracy before shifting over to NaNoWriMo.  So decent progress there, but not enough to claim success in this goal.

3) Win NaNoWriMo

     Success!  As I talked about before, I crossed the NaNo finish line with a few words to spare.  Glimmer Vale ended up being just under 54,000 words total.  My friend/first reader is reading it through now.  I’m looking forward to his comments.  :)

4) Write 25 Short Stories.

     Fail.  Counting the three novelettes, I’ve written 10 total this year.  That’s good – much more than I’ve ever written before.  But it still didn’t meet the parameters of my stated goal.

5) Set up a company and start e-publishing.

     Still a success!

6) Stop rushing.

     Success.

7) Submit to Writers of the Future each quarter.

     Success.  I submitted my story for the last quarter of 2011, The Blob on the Rock, on the afternoon of the 31st.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute, right?

So a mixed bag, as far as the goals go.  Let’s look at statistics.

New Writing in the 4th Quarter

1. The Pericles Conspiracy – 4,870 words (in progress)
2. Glimmer Vale – 53,576 words (complete)
3. The Blob on the Rock – 4,964 words (complete)

   Total new words – 63,410 words

   Words/Month – 21,136.67 words/day

   Words/Day – 689.24 words/day

New Writing in 2011

   Total- 229,287 words

   Words/Month – 19,107.25 words/month

   Words/Day – 628.18 words/day

With the NaNoWriMo win, I would have thought this quarter was a sure thing to be my biggest writing quarter of the year.  But to be honest, I didn’t do much writing in December, just about 8,500 words.  Holidays, family, getting ready to move (we found out we’re being transferred to Pearl Harbor in a month or so, so we started inventorying our house and selling a ton of stuff that we simply don’t need), and general life just had more of a priority.  Oh well.  I am a little surprised about October, though.  While that month was going on, I could have sworn I wrote more than 4,870 words.  Although I do recall it was hard to make progress, though.

Still, even though this wasn’t my biggest quarter (the first quarter still has that title), it was a good one.  Winning NaNo alone dictated that it would be, even if I’d written nothing else.  :)

So that’s good and all, but there’s one last metric to look at: financials.

2011 Sales

Traditional path – none.  Oh well, maybe next year.

Indie – check out the graphs

My indie sales were modest.  Undetectable in the big scheme of publishing, really, but I’m happy with them.  Writing the stories is fun, but earning money from them, even a little – that’s sauce for the goose.  :)  In 2011, I earned $124.28 in royalties.  That’s a fair amount of sauce, or in my case, beer, wine, and scotch.  :)

As you can see, Masters of the Sun is my top seller, and by far my largest royalty earner.  No big surprise there.  It’s a novel, and it’s priced appropriately for its length.  The novelettes are next, though Delphinus lags the other two (I actually think it’s the weakest of the three, truth to tell).  How NOT To Rescue A Damsel In Distress is my most popular short story, and why not?  it’s a fun little tale.

The big story for this quarter, at least as far as sales go, is So You Want To Be A Dragon Slayer… .  I released it on 14 December, to zero sales.  As I discussed before, I decided to give it a free promotion after Christmas to see how that works.  And it worked well.  :)  On the 26th and 27th, 275 people downloaded it in the US, 141 in the UK, and 1 in Italy.  Wicked cool.  :)  After the promo ended, it sold 9 copies (and two borrows) in the US, 3 in the UK, and 1 in Italy.  Since the New Year started, 2 people bought it and 1 borrowed it in the US, and 1 bought it in the UK.  So I’ll call that promotion a success.  Because of it, December was my biggest month in terms of units sold (though not in royalties earned.  Not even close) and over 400 people got exposed to my writing who never heard of me before.  Not too shabby.  :)

So yeah.  2011 was a good Rookie year.  Maybe not as good a Rookie year as Ryan Kerrigan had for the Redskins, but it was still good.  I think (hope?) 2012 will be even better.  I’ve thought through my goals for the year, and I like to think they’re suitably ambitious.  But I’ll tell you all about them in a later post.

Happy New Year, everyone!  Many happy returns!

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Hope you all have a great 2012, and I hopefully will have something yummy to post for you in the next few days! I know I have some interesting projects for myself.

My New Year’s resolution that concerns you… “This year I am going to cook my ass off!”

Keeping in tradition, Virigina rap veteran Skillz has released his highly-anticipated “2011 Rap Up” record highlighting the highs/lows of the past year from Gucci Mane‘s face tattoo to the NBA lockout.

Well good morning my lovely readers, and welcome to 2012! So, I wanted to do a bit of a reflection over the past year, both personal and bookish.

Sarah’s 2011…

This was the year of constancy. With the exception of the birth of my nephew L, there were no huge major changes in life. We stayed in the same apartment, no one has died, me and the honeyman both have the same cars as the year before. I’m still at my ACO job (the one where I’m basically a security guard), and the honeyman left a crappy job and now has a much, much better one. I picked up a second part-time job, that I may or may not stay at now that the holidays are over. The honeyman and I celebrated 4 years together over the summer, and we’re still crazy happy. Life has been pretty good.

So, let’s take a look at some of the more interesting stuff then, shall we?

In December of 2010 we learned that my little sister Amanda was pregnant! Woo hoo! We had her baby shower in June, which was kind of fun and my first real time helping in planning a baby shower.

Mom, preggo Amanda, big sis Heather, and me.

And in July, I finally got to meet my little baby nephew! Now for almost her entire pregnancy, Amanda said she was naming in Luis, which I thought was awful and decided I would just call him L for short. And then on the day that she had to take him home from the hospital, she changed her mind and named him Jariel. Which is so, so, so much worse, and since “el” is at the end of it, I decided to just keep on calling him L.

L looked like this when he was born

and now…

... and now 5 months later he looks like this. FATSO BABY

In August, I unwisely decided to give red hair a try. It did not last.

Faded in about a week or two, went right back to blonde.

In October, I got my second tattoo!

LOVE IT.

And then the holidays hit, and life has been crazy busy.

Sooooo, looking back on 2011, here are some of the Sarah-things I want to work on in 2012:

~ Be less busy. Not off to a great start, since I just signed up to do a 72-hour work week at the end of January… But basically I need to find a way to be healthier. Since my job require me to basically sit in a chair for 36 -48 hours a week, I am soooo out of shape. And lately I’ve had the urge to go out and take walks, go to the gym, dance around, etc… except it always hits me at inopportune times, like when I’m at work or it’s late at night. It’s frustrating. So I need to find ways to be even a little bit more active. And for me, that directly correlates to how much more free time I have. Also, I need to SLEEP more before work!

~ TAKE MORE PICTURES! I have sadly realized that only a couple pictures of me and the honeyman together have been taken, and they’re not even great ones. Hopefully having an awesome camera on my new phone will help this.

~ Maintain weekly date nights. The honeyman and I have just recently started doing this again, since starting his new job we don’t have a lot of spare time together and want to make it a point to leave some time for romance. It can be hard though – considering that my job gets in the way of half of the week, and we already have a game night once a week, sometimes date night gets pushed aside and that sucks. So we’re going to try for at least 52 date nights this year! And if we can fit in more, even better!

~ Even though I’m already annoyingly busy… try to work on a social life. I hardly ever get to hang out with my sister Heather anymore, when we used to hang out several times a month. And I’m trying to forge more girl friendships… I feel like I’ve gotten out of my shell a little bit this year, and hopefully I can find those spare days or nights for more socializing. I’m a homebody by nature, and kind of a lazy friend, so this in particular will be hardest.

Sarah’s Bookish 2011…

So, I feel disappointed in my reading this year. Obviously I’m a little bummed that I wasn’t able to read more than I had in 2010, but I don’t think it’s just that. I decided not to partake in any challenges in 2011, because I wanted to focus more on re-reads. So I re-read the Harry Potter series, half of the Outlander series, some of the Fearless series, and a couple random novels throughout… But I didn’t get all of the re-reading that I wanted to do, because I started to feel a little guilty re-reading. Especially with the Outlander novels - those are my FAVORITE books, but they’re like 1000- 1500 pages each – they take about a week or more to read, especially if I’m busy. So instead I’d read other, shorter books in the interests of having some reviews to post more often.

Also, in February I started doing the monthly polls, in which I would post a list of like 4 to 6 books, and you guys would vote on which one you wanted to see me read and review. And while that was fun and led to me reading some great books… sometimes it wasn’t. Sometimes I slogged through a book I totally would have DNF’d because I wanted to give you guys the review you asked for. So even though the polls were of my own design, I think I started to feel trapped by them. Sometimes I pick a book to put on a poll because I think I should finally get around to reading it, and then I end up disappointed that it won, or I don’t feel in the mood for it anymore…. anyways, WHINE.

On the flip side, I did discover quite a few new authors that I enjoy and will be keeping an eye on for future releases. And I’ve realized that I really enjoy challenges, because they urge me to try new books and expand my reading, but kind of at my own pace, ya know?

So, there are really two changes I’ll be making to the blog this year:

1.  The February poll will be the last monthly poll for a while. The honeyman and I started reading 1 book together a month, and I think that’s really all of the “required” reading I can handle. Reading a year of poll winners was fun and different, but I’m putting it on the back burner for now.

2. I’m going to try to make my review format look a little neater… Maybe include IN the post the title, author’s name, year it came out, publisher, pages, etc… I’m not quite sure yet. I may also occasionally borrow the book descriptions from Amazon or Goodreads, because I often suck at trying to descibe a book in my own words, without giving too many spoilers.

And here are my BOOKISH goals for 2012…

~ Read what I want, when I want. I’m going to try not to fret over reading a really long book because it’ll mean less wonderful reviews here. I’ll just have to post random babbling posts instead

~ Try to read every single day. Even if it’s only 10 pages, or for 10 minutes. I hate that sometimes two or three days can go by and I’ve just been too busy to pick up the book I’m reading.

~ Start a quotes journal. It’ll be quotes from books and authors, as well as from tv, movies, people, etc… I just want someplace to physically write them down so I can look at them later.

~ Take more baths. Doesn’t sound reading-related, but I love to read in the tub. Hence more baths = more reading. Plus more relaxing. And maybe more wine…

~ Comment on blogs more. I’m a lazy blog reader. I MUST be less lazy about commenting, because I love getting comments, and you know. Karma.

~ Post more reviews to Amazon. Especially if it’s a newer, relatively unheard of author and I like their book.

So, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Bring it, 2012.

~Sarah

It’s been an interesting year.  By having something to focus on I’ve been able to weather some interesting events this year.

I don’t work the same place I did in January, I’m in a better place than I was before with great people and an organization which focuses on client service.

I’ve stitched more this year than I have in a long time.  I managed to finish 8 projects while concentrating on the Ponies.  And Be Naughty sat on my desk at work all during the holiday season.

It’s been an interesting year but I’m looking forward to the WIPocalypse.

This episode was recorded on Thursday night, and we had some…problems with it. Not just the occasional wind tunnel sounds that you’ll hear while listening, or the bizarre echo-filled closing. No, I’m talking about the 30 minutes it took for all of us to get our act together and start the episode. There was arguing and random laughter, Jon got pissed at everyone, and I screamed in anger for the first time in months. Not a good start to an end-of-the-year episode, and our first one at that. But while hastily editing this episode for tonight, I found myself feeling like this 2-hour long episode was very enjoyable. Hell, not only did we have TomatoSurprise, ToonFaithful, and Sketch, but also Mr. Wednesday from Animation Revelation and Thomas Blalock from Twitter. And dammit, despite the rough start, we had some fun doing this episode and every single one in the past: especially the “lost” episode nine of Notaku Diaries.

Thanks for listening to all the insane and stupid crap we put out this year, from Notaku Diaries, to Not Another Old Cartoon Podcast, to those weird WRSP thingys, and finally the ScratchCast. Here’s hoping that we continue to act like fools in the future…as well as improve our quality. See y’all next year!

P.S. The song at the beginning is Uncaged Czarina, and it serves as our theme song. And so we won’t have to pay $10 every time we use it…Free Royalty Free Music by DanoSongs.com.

P.S.S. What were YOUR favorite parts of 2011? Tell us on Twitter, Facebook, via email, or in the comments below!

Download this and other WRSP podcasts on iTunes.
Don’t have iTunes? Download Scratch Cast episodes here.
Only interested in our podcasts? Subscribe to our ScratchCast blog maintained by TetrisDork.

Well, this is my first year taking part in this challenge properly. I love this challenge, it was the first i came across and it has encouraged me to read more varied books. Most of the books on this challenge are fairly readable, so I’m hoping that i will read more in the new year.

Books Read in 2011

1 – Flowers for Algernon – Daniel Keyes I liked this book, however it was very sad towards the end.
2 – Everything is Illuminated – Jonathan Safran Foer. This book i didnt really ‘get’ maybe it was me, but i just didnt understand it that well.
3 – The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold This book is quite disturbing, but i kind of struggled with this one too.
4 – Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire This one i did enjoy, Everyone is aware of the story of The Wizard of Oz, and this is just another take on that.
5 – The Group – Mary McCarthy Eurrrgghhh. i did not enjoy this one at all.
6 – The Fellowship Of The Ring: Lord Of The Ring – Book 1 by J.R.R. Tolkien What a brilliant book, I’m quite hooked on everything Lord of the Rings.
7 – The Return of the King: Lord Of The Rings – Book 3 by J.R.R.Tolkien This is better if possible than the first book.
8 – Reading Lolita in Tehran – Azar Nafisi I really really enjoyed this memoir. Just the shocking treatment of people in the country was really shocking. A very good book.
9 – A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius – Dave Eggers I enjoyed this one too, but it could have done with being a couple of hundred pages shorter.

Well i managed nine books this year, not that good really when you consider how many books are on the list, but at least its a start.

Quick Stats -

Percentage Complete – 4.87%

Books on TBR list at end of 2011 – 19

Books on Wishlist – 23

Target to read for 2012 – 10 books (at least!)

New Years’ resolutions.  I am not a fan.  It’s far too absolute – now or never – and far too much expectation!

Starting afresh…trying something new…editing, adding & subtracting…taking action…following up, dreaming up something new, something different…or simply trying again, now that’s more my style.  It still subscribes to the notion of the New Year’s Resolution, but it’s refreshing, encouraging and most of all, it can be initiated or kickstarted at.any.time!

No need to start on a Monday,  after the holidays or New Year’s Day!  Start whenever…just wherever you are – slap.bang.in.the.middle.of.things!

Because we live our lives every day – we don’t start it on a special occasion.  And we navigate the best way we know how, with all that we have around us – the knowledge, the resources and the support from awesome people.

So let’s not beat ourselves around the head or heart.  Let’s decide to be the head cheerleader on our TeamSelf!  Let’s laugh with it, around it, at it, and just have fun especially when mistakes happen & we slip up!

Because when we do, we can always start again – slap.bang.in.the.middle.of.things!  Bring on Wednesday, the beginning of April or that far-too-hot Thursday evening!

Beginning in the middle of things is cool.  It’s the best.

I have a whole bunch of stuff that I will be initiating, in the middle of things, and I’ve already made a start.  A week or so ago, I bought myself a brand new Moleskine – it’s the best incentive ever to start scribbling dreams & fanciful notions!*

I am excited because there is no pressure.  It’s purely some things that I want to action.  I’ve dreamed it up,  I let it simmer in my head for a spell, and then I simply got writing and intention-ing, all the while believing that it can & will be done, regardless of what the process may cough up.   After all, my get-out-of-jail card is to keep beginning where I am…slap.bang.in.the.middle.of.things!

So approach your New Year’s Eve celebrations with a sense of satisfaction, and a party spirit to rival the best!  Welcome 2012 – the year to DELVE deeper, exactly where you are…slap.bang.in.the.middle.of.things!

Here’s to swirling your skirts and kicking up those Kirkwoods in honour of a wicked 2011 wrap-up!

*Please note that the best ventures have started from fanciful notions!

Join us this Wednesday on Twitter for a very special #YearEnd wrapup on #TorChat.  All day, @torbooks and other sf/f folks are going to be sharing their favorite books of the year, their holiday gift recommendations, and what they’re looking forward to next year.

2011 was just too great a year to condense into our usual hour so we’ll be talking about books all day long. We would love to hear about your favorites from the past year too.

Let’s give 2011 a proper send-off as only Tor Books fans can!

About #Torchat
#TorChat is a genre-themed chat series created by Tor Books and hosted on Twitter. Guest authors join fans in lively, informative and entertaining discussions of all that’s hot in genre fiction, 140 characters at a time, from 4 – 5 PM EST on the third Wednesday of every month. Each #TorChat revolves around a different genre topic of interest, often of a timely nature, and strives to provide a new media opportunity for readers to connect with their favorite authors.

photography: Rebecca Hosking

A love of words, books, art and literature abounded in Aireys Inlet as the fourth Aireys Festival of Words was celebrated around the town.

The 3-day festival was launched in style on the Friday night by former head of Penguin Publishing, Bob Sessions, who shared his thoughts on the future of books and bookselling, and was followed by an outstanding performance by the Anglesea Performing Arts company.

The Aireys Inlet Community Hall was a hive of activity across the weekend, hosting a keynote address by David Astle, well known for his role as “Mr Dictionary” on the SBS hit Letters and Numbers, and the literary lounge proved a huge hit attracting large crowds who enjoyed the dialogue between highly acclaimed authors: Alice Pung, Tom Trumble, June Loves and Graeme Base.

Thanks to the Wheeler Centre with funding from the Sidney Myer Foundation, the audience burst into some hearty laughter at the conversation between Tony Wilson and Adam Zwar.

The 2011 festival included a vibrant show at the Eagles Nest Gallery, entitled ‘Poetic Mix’.  According to festival goer and local writer, Sally Groom, “the Gallery space visually pulsated.  The 35 mainly brightly-coloured, and highly-textured works on the walls, combined with the 3 earthy sculptural works and one furniture piece, to create a lively exhibition, with something interesting for everyone”.  The judge for the exhibition – an unnamed Lorne arts identity – awarded 3 prizes.  The first place winner was Dianne Leslie, for her exquisitely conceived and executed work on paper, depicting ravens in an impressionistic style, inspired by Barry Hill’s exotic poem, ‘Raven city’. The single furniture work in the festival exhibition, by Darren Matthews, an elegantly simple and finely constructed side table, was deservedly decorated with a red Sold sticker by the end of the weekend.

Cimarron Bed, Breakfast and Books hosted Dr David Corlett, who had recently featured on SBS with his controversial and thought-provoking documentary Go Back Where You Came From. Dr. Corlett talked about his work with asylum seekers over the past two decades.  The audience was invited to linger for refreshments and browse through the amazing assortment of quality second hand books for sale.

Sunny’s Pizza showcased more local talent as they hosted music and song-writers on Friday and Saturday nights. Truffles Restaurant hosted a well attended Cryptic Crossword Workshop and Scrabble Competition.

A selection of Sunday afternoon workshops, readings by “Good Neighbours”, a classical concert and delicious Greek cuisine on the sunny deck at a la grecque, followed by words from the chef and author of a la grecque our Greek table, Pam Talimanidis, topped off a glorious weekend.