The Australian Association of Writing Programs

An APWN workshop on foodwriting, run entirely online for 2 weeks asynchronous in the last 2 weeks in May: Mon 17 May to Fri 28 May 2010.

Title:
Foodwriters and Foodwriting: Opening up a field in writing studies in Australia and New Zealand

Convenors:
Associate Professor Donna Lee Brien (Central Queensland University) and Dr Adele Wessell (Southern Cross University)

Description:

This asynchronous workshop will explore the emergent field of food studies in relation to studies in writers and writing, and gauge interest in studies in this area. It will focus on engaged discussion, and exploring a field as well as future publication possibilities for writers, students and postgraduate candidates, and teachers.

Food writing, including for cookbooks and in travel and food memoirs, makes up a significant, and increasing, proportion of the books written, published, sold and read each year in Australia and other parts of the English speaking world. Food writing also comprises a similarly significant, and also growing, proportion of the magazine, newspaper and journal articles, Internet weblogs and other non-fiction texts written, published, sold and read in English. Furthermore, food writers currently are producing much of the concept design, content and spin-off product that is driving the expansion of the already popular and profitable food-related television programming sector.

However, despite this high visibility in the marketplace, and while food and other culinary-related scholarship are simultaneously growing in reputation and respectability in the academy, this considerable part of the contemporary writing and publishing industry has, to date, attracted little serious study. This is despite the publishing success of food related works. This workshop will, therefore, investigate the potential of food writing as a viable component of writing and other university courses in Australia and New Zealand, and, especially, postgraduate study and research.

Readings:

By Donna Brien: link and pdf.

By Adele Wessel: link and pdf.