Angela Meyer has been producing the weblog LiteraryMinded since May 2007, firstly on her own and lately under the umbrella of the Crikey group. She writes on just about everything: books, film, poetry, writers' festivals. She's also prolific.
1. How would you describe your weblog to someone who wasn't at all sure what this blogging business is about?
I would tell them that the LiteraryMinded weblog is like a website that features
articles of interest for people who enjoy literature, and culture in general. The nature of a weblog is that it gets updated regularly and there is something new at the top each time you visit. As a younger generation web user and literary lover, I'm trying to incorporate the 'freshness' of this medium into the way I approach the subject or format of my posts. Most weblogs also display some of the personality of their author, and thus regular readers become acquainted with the weblog and enjoy it the way they would when engaging with a character or personality in other mediums.
2. Have there been any major changes in your weblog's direction, theme or subject since you started?
The theme was always literary, and also to act as a showcase of an emerging writer's
journey - publications, experiences (such as going to Varuna) and general interaction with the world (social/cultural etc.) Since I moved to Melbourne from Coffs Harbour I have been able to attend a lot more literary events, and interact with people in the literary world (like through my work at Bookseller+Publisher) so this has had an effect on the content. Also, when I was picked up by Crikey in September I was given a new platform, but still have complete control over the content. I am, however, required by contract to blog more often than I was. As it was impossible for me to read more
books than I was I have come up with new 'segments', such as 'Other people's favourite books', and soon I will start having some guest posts. This enables me to still take time on the reviews and interviews and ensure their quality.
3. Do you have more books in your house than you can possibly read? If so, why?
Most definitely. Not only do I get them free from work but I can't walk past a bookstore. As friends read my blog they also lend and recommend me things they know I'll like. And now, publicists are sending things out of the blue! I feel guilty if I don't add them to the pile. Oh how it sways!
4. If there were three things you'd like to include in your weblog if you had more time/money, what would they be?
Absolutely, definitely video blogging. I have had ideas for this for ages and just can't afford the equipment. It's not just a camera but a new computer. I would love to interview authors in person when they're in town, or film readings and the occassional review. I have actually started the LiteraryMinded YouTube channel but I am just using my photo camera at the moment. The quality isn't so great but quite a few people have viewed the videos, after I embedded them in a blog post. If I had more money I would also attend every writers' festival in Australia and blog about them. I just love them. I'll get my first chance at doing panels at the Emerging Writers' Festival in Melbourne in May. This is something I'm really looking forward to.
5. How would you eat an elephant?
I'm supposed to say 'one bite at a time' but it seems unethical to even think about eating an elephant... If we apply this to growing an audience on the web I am happy for it to be one bite at a time. It seems quite apt for a weblog too - as each post is a bite-sized piece of writing/information/entertainment. So in a way, it's not really eating an elephant, but constructing one. A big, enthusiastic, sometimes clumsy, genuine, intertextual, rhizomatic, literary elephant!
