 Patrons
of the Future
Ms Sonja Chalmers
A Romantic Patron since 2007
When did you start reading ABR?
That must have been in the mid-1980s (so long ago!). I was
running the marketing department at Oxford University Press in
Melbourne. A certain future ABR Editor was right next door,
marketing the science and medical books. During my years at OUP,
the Editor at ABR I had most to do with was Rosemary Sorensen.
Why
does cultural philanthropy matter to you?
Cultural philanthropy is all about endorsing the importance
of the arts and its role in shaping, improving and enriching society.
Cultural philanthropy is really like a blood donation to the arts.
It can provide a valuable injection of income for writers, artists
and cultural organisations. It can add prestige to a literary
prize. It can give a writer or artist a head start in life. It
can provide security, encourage productivity and allow new literature
and art to flourish. In the end, giving to the arts is the right
thing to do. In years to come I hope that cultural philanthropy
has a huge, transforming impact on our society.
Why
ABR in particular?
Partly because my best friend runs it! Australian writing
is distinctive and uninhibited and it tells the world who we are,
why we are and what we are. It is vital that we promote our own
literature and ideas to the wider community. ABR does this
wonderfully well. It is a strong independent voice promoting Australian
literature to a global audience.
What
do you enjoy most about the magazine?
The debates, essays, gossip – and learning about books I’d
love to read.
During
Sonja Chalmers’s career in marketing and public relations,
she held senior positions at Oxford University and the Victoria
State Opera. These days she helps to run two cattle stations in
the Northern Territory and is Director of Eastern Desert Art and
the Utopian Aboriginal Art website (www.utopian-aboriginalart.com.au).
If you wish to become a Patron, please contact the Editor, Peter
Rose, on (03) 9429 6700 or at abr@vicnet.net.au.
|
|
|
We
have speculated in the past about literature’s relative slowness
to foster the sort of cultural philanthropy that is a mainstay of
art galleries, libraries, museums, symphony orchestras and theatre
companies. Why this has been the case may be of interest to literary
historians, but meanwhile ABR is keen to get on with the
task of generating private support for the cause of good writing,
independent critique and a lively intellectual climate.
Sponsors, advertisers, government ministries, the Australia Council
and, above all, our loyal subscribers keep ABR in print,
but our resources are miniscule by comparison with similar national
literary reviews in Europe and North America.
In order to pay our writers better, to attract new ones, to introduce
new features, to present additional and more lucrative prizes, and
to contemplate extracurricular publishing projects and events, we
need more money – simple as that. This support is crucial if
we are to maximise ABR’s undoubted potential.
Accordingly, we have much pleasure in announcing the ABR
Patrons’ Scheme, full details of which appear here. We encourage
our readers – indeed, all passionate believers in literary
values – to consider becoming founding ABR Patrons.
This discerning cohort will have the satisfaction of knowing that
its generosity will help to entrench and diversify the magazine
for serious readers and writers.
For information
about the Patrons' programme,
please contact click
here.
|
|
