An Open Letter to Gabriella Coslovich

Hi Gabriella,

You’re probably wondering why on earth I’m writing you an open letter. Simply put – it is impossible to find a way to contact you, and I have my own blog, so why the hell not.

I attended your BWF In Your Suburb session in Bulimba Library, I was in the front row, and I’ve been kicking myself for not participating in question time at the end of the session because I had so many questions.

But the longer I waited, the quicker my questions were being asked by others and the less I had to say.  I promised myself that I would put my hand up, but it never eventuated.

I thought of saying something to you on my way out but then Dutchie, as I’ll refer to her, walked up to you to tell you all about her accent, and once again my opportunity was lost.  If you’re wondering why I didn’t stick around for signing of your book, I guess intimidation and a young family waiting for me at home, made my decision for me. Not like I could have pulled up a chair for a chat!

The reason I came to see your event was because of you – your career precedes you and I figured whatever you had to say was going to be pretty impressive.  And it was!

A little bit about me – I am that generation of people who had no idea who Brett Whiteley was, but to be fair, when he died, I was six years old and in the midst of the Yugoslav wars.  The news of his death, or life for that matter, never quite made it onto the news in Bosnia.

I have only been writing (publicly – not counting my own teenage diaries) for a year or two and I feel like I found my calling. I’m currently interning for The Good Guide and learning on the fly which has been amazing.

What I really wanted was an opportunity to pick your brain or at least get some career advice.  Because I’m an absolute newbie to this world, the kind of writing that I seem to be leaning towards is of an editorial/opinion nature, much like your Loved and Lost piece. I wanted to know if you had any advice for new writers?

Anyway, I would love it if you took a second to contact me and give me any guidance or direction I could explore.  Hope to hear from you!

Thanks and all the best,

B.

PS: I agreed with one of Dutchy’s many disruptive comments, that the reason art isn’t huge in Australia is probably because its importance isn’t imprinted onto children in school. I keep trying to persuade people that high school subjects like drama, dance and art are as necessary as English and math, because it teaches us about the body and the mind and lets us express ourselves in ways that are just as important as dissecting frogs – but so far the Australian Education system hasn’t caught on to my theory.