New Australian Fiction 2022: An Interview with Suzy Garcia
New Australian Fiction 2022 - Kill Your Darlings
This year’s edition of Kill Your Darlings’ New Australian Fiction showcases fourteen short stories from Australia’s most exciting authors.
In this interview, Elena Tjandra spoke to the anthology’s editor (and fellow Mary Martin bookseller) Suzy Garcia about the theme of uncertainty, the editing process and the enduring appeal of fiction.
First up, congratulations on the anthology. This is a much-anticipated volume – how do you feel now that it’s been released?
Excited for it to be read. Bookshops and libraries have really supported the book, stocking it generously, so I know that it is out there in the world and getting into readers’ hands, which is the important thing!
The anthology explores uncertainty in a number of ways. Can you tell us how this theme came to be? Did contributors respond to a prompt or did common threads emerge as you read across the submissions?
We don’t set a theme, and the stories are wide-ranging, but I do think a common thread that arose was that almost all have a narrative tension that explores feelings about an unknown future. It’s a collection that embraces the strange and unsettling. I think this probably is a natural consequence of these stories being written in the ‘uncertain times’ we are living in. It also makes for compelling reading, thankfully!
You’ve talked about the uncertainty that characterised the last few years as you worked on the previous KYD collection with Rebecca Starford. Looking back over the last two years, have our understandings of flux and stasis changed? `
It’s funny to me to talk about the ideas in the introduction now, as I was actually in the thick of covid when I was writing it! But looking over the past year (in a fever haze, no less) I felt awe for the writers who continued to be creative and courageous on the page.
If there is a difference I noticed between working on the two editions, it’s that the writers who turned up in 2022 had to have so much tenacity, because at that point, with the state of flux set in, so many of us were feeling burned out or uninspired. My hope for the 2022 edition is that people will read it and feel heartened by the talent, by the storytelling, and push past any illusions of stasis, which I think we sometimes cling to in times of upheaval. (I am already planning 2023, so I’m already thinking ahead!)
“My hope for the 2022 edition is that people will read it and feel heartened by the talent, by the storytelling, and push past any illusions of stasis, which I think we sometimes cling to in times of upheaval.”
Can you walk us through what you do as a series editor?
Ha! I’m a bit like an octopus, juggling many balls. The role entails reading submissions; coming up with a shortlist with our readers; commissioning writers; structural and copyediting; briefing the designer, proofreader, typesetter; organising the print run and distribution; reading the final 101 times to make sure not a single error is in it (and there will probably still be one!); sending the book out for review; helping with marketing and PR; and so on and so forth…
I was lucky enough to do all of this under the mentorship of Rebecca Starford, who was incredibly helpful and provided so much guidance.
The collection features some names that are very familiar to readers, as well as some debut writers. What was it like working with experienced and emerging writers?
This being my first edition as series editor, it was daunting, exciting, challenging, inspiring and every emotion! I was so lucky to be working with these talented and patient writers. The established writers (including short story powerhouses like Elizabeth Tan, Chloe Wilson and Maxine Beneba Clarke!) were very kind and responsive, taking away fears I had about being a newbie, and the emerging writers had so much enthusiasm. I learned so much during the process, and I am (I bloody hope!) a better editor for it.
Are there any stories that have stuck with you in particular?
I’m too close to it, I can’t choose between them. I will say that the ‘newest’ or less known writers (Raeden Richardson, Whitney Chen, Nina Newcombe, Jacqui Davies, Will Cox…) are names to watch. For example, Raeden Richardson is working on a novel right now, and I know I’ll definitely be reading it when it comes out because his story ‘A Quiet Word from Your Local’ is a firecracker.
KYD has been publishing New Australian Fiction for the last four years. Why is it important to showcase this work?
An anthology like this is important because it connects a diverse range of local writers and their stories directly to readers, which I think is vital considering how time poor people are and how much other media is competing for readers’ attention. In the first three editions Rebecca really established a level of quality and a readership. There is also something about print. I don’t think people really like reading fiction online, so this series, widely available around the country, is notable for not only providing a platform for short fiction but also for getting it read. And I love that we feature both new and established writers, evening the playing field somewhat, amplifying new voices.
The New Australian Fiction series is also a bit like a time capsule, capturing a sliver of the literary landscape every year. I hope it has many more editions to come!
More broadly, what is it about fiction that is so transporting and important in this world?
It seems incredibly human not to just see the world as it is, but also more than what it is. Imagination helps us push against what we think is possible, experiment with ideas, reach for more...
Do you have any go-to reads in times of uncertainty?
Not really. Life is short and there’s so many things I want to read, so I’m always onto the next book that catches my eye. The exceptions here for me are poetry and music, there are certain lines or songs that are like talismans. Working as a bookseller and an editor, I read a lot of ‘new’ things, and I’d like to read a bit more widely, make space for some older books and classics I haven’t got around to yet. I wouldn’t mind revisiting some faves, but I’ll probably have to save rereading those for retirement!
What role do arts and literary publications play in Australian cultural life? I sometimes get this question myself, so I’m keen to hear your thoughts!
There are so many different ways I can answer this! But I’ll follow my strongest instinct here.
I think one of the biggest issues in the local literary and publishing industry are the challenges writers face to create the work and develop their craft. The economic strains influence this at every stage from writing to publication. We see this come up when debuts are churned out, but lasting careers seem few and far between (not to mention the cultural cringe and sometimes dismissive attitudes to local literature). Arts and lit mags (like your mag, Debris, which really is stellar!) give writers access to the editing process on a smaller scale, a way for them to improve their craft with thoughtful feedback, and to begin publishing a body of work.
I think they also offer spaces that are less about market, with room for risk, for inventiveness. They are spaces for new voices to come through, or they should be!
