Meanland: Reading in a time of change
The way we read is changing more profoundly now than at any time since the invention of movable type. E-books, electronic ink, digital readers; the book is reinventing itself at a dizzying rate.
But what does the future hold for readers, for publishers and for writers?
Across 2010 Meanjin and Overland – two of Australia’s finest literary journals – come together for a series of events and articles investigating the impact of new technology, economic change and shifting notions of intellectual property on reading and writing in Australia.
Under the guiding hand and watchful eye of Meanjin editor Sophie Cunningham, the opening event in the series explores what reading might be like in fifteen years time. Discussing these weighty topics are Sherman Young, academic and author of The Book is Dead; Margaret Simons, media commentator and author of The Content Makers; literary critic Peter Craven; and broadcaster and M-book author Marieke Hardy.
Featuring
Marieke Hardy was born on or around the set of The Sullivans and has remained in the media ever since. From inauspicious beginnings as a lisping child actor in The Henderson Kids II, the granddaughter of Frank Hardy has both appeared in and written for many Australian dramas, from Something in the A... Read more
Margaret Simons is Associate Professor in the School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University. In 2015, she won the Walkley Award for Social Equity Journalism. Her recent books include Six Square Metres, Self-Made Man: The Kerry Stokes Story, What’s Next in Journalism?, Journalism at ... Read more
Sophie Cunningham is the author of five books, the most recent of which is City of Trees: Essays on Life, Death & the Need for a Forest. She is a former publisher, former editor of Meanjin, former Chair of the Literature Board of the Australia Council and was a co-founder of The Stella Prize.... Read more
Peter Craven is one of Australia’s best-known literary critics. He edited Scripsi with Michael Heyward and was the founding editor of the Black Inc. Best Of annuals (Essays, Stories, Poems) and of Quarterly Essay. His work appears regularly in the Age, Australian, Sydney Morning Herald and Austral... Read more
Associate Professor Sherman Young is Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching in the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University. He is also the Deputy Head of the Department of Media, Music and Cultural Studies, where he teaches new media theory and production. His research focuses on the cultural impac... Read more
