Collection 03: Susan Johnson further literary papers, ca. 2000-2016

MLMSS 10110/Boxes 1-9
MLMSS 10110/Boxes 10X-11X

sub-fonds

ca. 2000-2016

Textual Records, Clippings, Ephemera

1001816

2.12 metres of textual material (9 boxes, 2 outsize boxes)

Susan Johnson is a highly regarded Australian author of literary fiction, memoir, short stories and essays. She has been a full-time writer since 1985 and has published eight novels, several of them being shortlisted for major prizes. She has also published journalism and essays on mainly literary matters for newspapers and magazines inlcuding The Guardian, The Times, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and Q Magazine of The Courier-Mail. In 1999 she returned to full-time journalism for a period of two and a half years as editor of an 18-page arts and culture section of The Age. She is currently Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing, Queensland University of Technology.

Reference:
Library correspondence file

This collection includes drafts of novels and short stories, copies of newspaper articles and speeches, correspondence, notebooks, research material and royalty statements arranged in folders.

BOX 1
‘My Hundred Lovers’ edited manuscript, September 2011

Letter from Queensland Premier advising of successful Individual Fund Grant application, June 2016; Ebook royalty statement, 01/01/15-30/06/15; draft resignation letter to agent, Margaret Connolly, August 2010; draft of short story - third part of a continuous story, first part by Kerry Greenwood, second by Cate Kennedy; drafts - published and unpublished - of stories written for The Courier-Mail

Brisbane Writers Festival 2010 session information + speech notes; Sydney Writers Festival 2016 participation records, program information and lanyard

‘Life in Seven Mistakes’, first Random House author pages of the novel, August 2010

Allen & Unwin publicity summary, various festival itineraries, programs, session information etc including Byron Bay 2012, Mudgee 2012, Noosa 2016, Queensland Literary Awards ceremony booklet 2012 (mostly related to ‘My Hundred Lovers’); Queensland University of Technology students lecture notes, 2015; Brisbane Square Library lecture notes, 2016; printed copies of blog posts (We Heart Writing, 2015; Bookdout, 2015)

Brisbane Writers Festival 2015, program, session information; Perth Writers Festival 2016, program, session information, itinerary, lanyard

BOX 2
‘Lovelife: The Autobiography of a Body’ [‘My Hundred Lovers’] manuscript

‘The Landing’ (then called Profit + Loss) early version, loose pages

‘In Copenhagen’ short story drafts for Jim Pavlidis ‘Seven Stories’ collection

‘The Landing’ launch speech; hand-written calendar, notes and research; Allen and Unwin sales and marketing plan; reviews

Loose papers including notes, contacts, Stella Award, correspondence with publishers, News Queensland, ca. 2001-2013

BOX 3
Material related to Charlie Hebdo bombings (Elle magazine 16 January 2015)

‘My Hundred Lovers’ original edited manuscript

Resignation acceptance letter from Michael Gwenda, editor, The Age, 2001; permission to access letter re Kate Llewellyn, 2001; Queensland Literary Awards 2013 material including shortlist certificate; launch speech for the short story collection ‘Toe Tag Quintet’ by Matthew Condon; email correspondence with Sandra Hogan, 2016; Queensland Literary Awards board resignation letter, 2013; launch speech for anthology on refugees edited by Tom Keneally and Rosie Scott, 2013; letter to son Caspar, 2012; obituary speech for Peter James Cheney, 2015

‘Seven Stories’ anthology material

Mavis Felton obituary speech, 2013; Bruce Dawe anthology including poem ‘Dog Heaven’ (for Susan Johnson); Allen and Unwin 2012 catalogue; Woodford Folk Festival talk, 2011; cards and letters from artist Davida Allen, artist Leigh Hobbs, Australian Children's Laureate and friend, private letter from boyfriend Jess Halpern (‘Ivan’), 2011-2013; draft cover for ‘The Broken Book’

Ray Mathew Lecture, National Library of Australia, 2011

BOX 4
‘A Better Woman’ abridged version for ABC recording, 2010

‘The Landing’ edited manuscript, 2015

Unpublished feature article featuring former Qld Premier Anna Bligh, transcripts of interviews

Notes for a novel, 1993 ‘Divorce Day’

‘Bright Sadness’ unpublished novel notes

Notes for novel, London, ca. 2002-2003

BOX 5
Queensland Premiers Prize for Fiction short-list certificate for ‘The Broken Book’, 2005; Sandcliffe Writers Festival participation and speech, 2016; hand-written notes on Richard Yates' ‘Revolutionary Road’ for Women of Letters event; notes for interview with Radio National's Life Matters program with Richard Aedy re non-fiction book ‘On Beauty’; QUT job application; review, Nikki Gemmell; speech notes to former high school Nambour State High School; Avid Reader, August 2012

Perth Writers Festival, 2013; Byron Bay Writers Festival, 2012; Woodford Folk Festival talk, 2012/13; Dr Ruth Cilento obituary (mother of friend Adele Smout); letter to son Elliot, 2013; Griffith Review story, ‘Truck of Kisses’ manuscript, 2011; blog entry ‘Excited passions: some thoughts of The Writer as Saint’; Sydney Writers Festival participation records, including speeches, 2012

Application for Arts Queensland funding for Greece trip, 2016; royalty statements and Public Lending Right and Educational Lending Right payment advice, 2011-2015

Australian Society of Authors Writers' Congress, 2013; published and unpublished newspaper articles (including grey hair essay); Guardian UK hard-copy of article

Newswrite, issue 211, Oct-Nov 2013; questions for In Conversation with Susan Johnson; notes on writing about sex; copied pp 26-29 of ‘My Hundred Lovers’; Walkley Awards Media Conference material, 2011

Letters and cards from Kathryn Favell (National Library of Australia), Dr Anne Pender, Sandra Hogan, Simone Bocognano (Paris), Anita Heiss and others; resignation letters, 2011; other correspondence, references

Papers relating the Stella Prize

Queensland Literary Awards and committee material, 2013

BOX 6
‘The Landing’ proofs

‘Lovelife’ [‘My Hundred Lovers’] notes and manuscript pages, 2011

‘Lovelife’ [‘My Hundred Lovers’] loose and disordered manuscript pages, including 2009 draft

BOX 7
‘My Hundred Lovers’ loose and disordered manuscript pages including 2009 draft

‘On Beauty’ research material including drafts

BOX 8
Letters, cards and correspondence including from Leigh Hobbs, Peter Porter, Dr Anne Pender, Steve Ballard, Sandra Hogan, publishers, invitation from Australian High Commission, London, ca. 2001-2016; Educational Lending Right/Public Lending Right payments and royalties ca. 2001-2009

Replacement page for ‘The Broken Book’; IMPAC Award longlisting and letter, 2006; Melbourne Writers Festival workshop on writing about love, 2008; ‘Message from Chaos’ cover proof

Handwritten notes (possibly for ASA speech); articles by or about Susan Johnson, ca. 1987-2009; email correspondence with Sandra Hogan, 2005

‘Seven Stories’ publication, 2012; The European English Messenger, Autumn 2009; Wet Ink, Autumn 2006; Antipodes, December 2004

Daniel Morecombe requiem mass program and media schedule, December 2012; Grandmother's eulogy notes

BOX 9
Women of Letters speech written on paper towel; working notebook, 2008; notebook, visit to Haworth, Bronte country; five small working notebooks

BOX 10X
Scrapbook containing newspaper and magazine clippings mainly reviews of Susan Johnson’s books or articles written by her, most are loose, ca. 1986-2016

BOX 11X
Loose newspaper clippings of articles mostly written by Susan Johnson, some book reviews and writers festival programs, ca. 1975-2013

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Copyright status:: In copyright - This collection has multiple rights owners
Rights and Restrictions Information:: Written permission required from Susan Johnson or her heirs for access to this material.
Approval for publication required: From copyright holder
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy copyright holder