Arteles Catalogue 2023-2020

Fall into Focus program / NOVEMBER 2023
Rachael Mead
Australia
affirmpress.com.au/author/61973
About
I'm a novelist, poet and arts reviewer living on unceded
Peramangk country in South Australia. I've had an eclectic
life, working as an archaeologist, environmental campaigner
and seller of books both old and new. Just over a decade
ago, after burning out at my job as an environmental policy
analyst, I discovered that all my various careers sat upon
a single foundation – a love of language. Since remaking
myself as a writer, I've published four collections of poetry
and two novels. Like my working life, my writing is hard to
pin down, ranging from nature poetry to feminist retellings
of ancient myths to a novel-in-stories about paramedics.
My most recent book, The Art of Breaking Ice, is a historical
novel about the first Australian woman to travel to Antarctica.
The Amazoniad
My time at Arteles was one of intense productivity and
creative rejuvenation. In the weeks leading up to the
residency, I’d found myself imaginatively blocked. Work on
the first draft of my novel had completely stalled and I arrived
stressed and fearful that the whole project teetered on the
cusp of failure. In desperation, I set ludicrous objectives
only to surprise myself, week after week, by meeting them.
Snow came early and stayed, making walks in the forest an
extraordinary experience that energised my writing practice.
All sense of blockage evaporated. I not only completed
the third act of my draft but fleshed out the plot for the
troublesome midsection. Arteles percolated through my work
– the forest and lakes, the sensory observations of snow, the
conversations with residents, the sense of community. As the
weeks progressed, I found the beauty of the landscape and
the intellectual stimulation of the residents and staff were
all acting in concert to refill my creative well. This was an
incredibly valuable time, and I have no doubt the experience
of this landscape and ideas generated while being here will
flow through my work, now and into the future.