Farewell to 2009
President Arnold Zable begins his final editorial of 2009 with this exciting news
‘To begin at the end, this afternoon I was shown around the new Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas at the State Library. The centre is still being renovated, but some of the key players have moved in. They include the directors and staff of the Melbourne Writers Festival and the Victorian Writers Centre.
Melbourne PEN is being provided with a desk, and we can begin to use it in February, next year. Finally we have a stable and central address, Melbourne International PEN, at the Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas. The facilities include meeting rooms, the boardroom, which is ideal for committee meetings, an auditorium that will seat 200, and rooms for more informal gatherings.
There will be a coffee shop at street level near the entrance, with seating both inside and on the pavement, which is due to open in March.’
To read more, download our December 2009 newsletter