Whangarei Women-Write On!

I took time off work this afternoon to attend the opening of the latest exhibition at the Whangarei Museum in Manau.

I was honoured to be selected to be one of the local women writers featured in the exhibition including Daphne de Jong, Jane Mander and my friend Rosalie Carey. Several of my artist's books, and the assemblage 'Charnal Grounds' were displayed beautifully in a big glass cabinet (my whole career I've been hoping to have a glass cabinet to myself!). They also had a small wall display of some Mags' photographs of Love Letters at Your Feet, and some printouts of Bibliophilia's more book-related posts for people to leaf through.

Downstairs was a related exhibition on the history of writing with a dozen antique typewriters (and a couple of early 1980's computer keyboards). My favourites were the old portable writing desks, folding out into a sloping felt writing surface and filled with all the accouterments of nineteenth century correspondence: quill pens, pen knife, ink well, blotters, wax and seal as well as other mysterious items like funny tiny trowels.