Guide to the Papers of Carmel Bird [MSS 194]

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Manuscript Name Papers of Carmel Bird
Manuscript Number MSS 194
Last Updated August 2021
Extent 172 cm (14 boxes + 4 folios)
Location Special Collections, UNSW Canberra
Abstract The papers document Bird's writings from 1983, and include notebooks, notes, research material, manuscript and typescript drafts, page and galley proofs, reviews and one computer disc.

Scope and Content

This collection comprises diaries, notebooks, notes, research material, manuscript and typescript drafts, page and galley proofs, reviews and one computer disc.

Date Range of Content

1983-1997

Organization

This collection has been rearranged into seven artificial series to describe and preserve context and relationships.

Biographical Note

Carmel Bird was born 30 August 1940 in Launceston, Tasmania. She was educated in Tasmania, and received a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English and French, and Diploma of Education from the University of Tasmania. She studied, travelled and lived in California, France and Spain, and taught French and English, before returning to Australia to live in Melbourne. She is a teacher, writer and reviewer and has been publishing since 1983. She has taught and been writer-in-residence at various secondary schools, colleges and universities in Australia and overseas since 1961, and has been invited to read at schools, universities, libraries, festivals, La Mama, Mietta's and at Harold Park 'Writers in the park' series. She was the founding editor of Writer's diary; co-editor of Syllable : new writing magazine and Fine line; former fiction editor of Voices : the quarterly journal of the National Library of Australia (1995), former fiction editor of New post (formerly Australasian post) and Turnstyle.

Bird has written in a variety of genres, including novels, short stories, children's books, essays, textbooks and reviews. Her short stories have been published in various Australian anthologies and journals. She is widely reviewed in Australia and well regarded by critics and public alike in Australian and the United States. Her writing has been recognised with the award of numerous grants from the Literature Board of the Australia Council.

Bird's publications include Births, deaths and marriages (1983)
Faceless woman (by Ania Walwicz, Gilli Smyth and Bird, 1984)
Cherry ripe (1985)
The writing on the wall : collection of poetry and prose by women (edited by Bird, 1985)
The woodpecker toy fact : and other stories (1987, also titled Woodpecker point & other stories 1988)
Dear writer (1988)
The Bluebird Cafe (1990)
Australian short stories (edited by Bird, 1991)
Relations : Australian short stories (edited by Bird, 1991)
The common rat (1993)
Not now Jack - I'm writing a novel (1994)
The white garden (1995)
Crisis : the long journey home (written under the pen name Jack Power, 1996)
Red hot notes (edited by Bird, 1996)
Automatic teller (1996)
Dear writer : the classic guide to writing fiction (revised edition, 1996)
The mouth (1996)
Daughters & fathers (edited by Bird, 1997)
Red shoes (1998)
The stolen children : their stories : including extracts from the Report of the National Inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their families (edited by Bird, 1998)
Crisis (1999)
The cassowary's quiz (2000)
The Penguin century of Australian stories (edited by Bird, 2000)
Unholy writ (2000)
Book discussion notes for the Victoria Council of Adult Education series on Australian writer's including Discussion notes on Joan Barfoot's Plain Jane (1996), Discussion notes on Thea Astley's Coda (1996) and Discussion notes, two viewpoints on Helen Garner's The first stone (by Christine Allinson and Bird, 1999).

Bird's first book of the 'Mandala trilogy ' The white garden was short-listed for seven major awards including the 1996 Miles Franklin Award and the 1996 National Book Council Banjo Award, her essay 'Freedom of speech' was runner-up in the 1994 Island-North Essay Competition and The Bluebird Cafe was short-listed for three major awards including the Miles Franklin.

Administrative Information

Access

The collection is available for research.

Restrictions on Use

No copying is permitted without the permission of the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Papers of Carmel Bird, Special Collections, UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy, MS 194, Series [Number], Folder [Number].

Provenance

The collection was acquired by the library in several instalments from 1987-1997.

Additional Information

Related Material

Further material relating to Carmel Bird is located in the papers of Carmel Bird, at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, NLA MS 958, Papers of Carmel Bird.

Access Terms

Personal Names

Bird, Carmel, 1940- -- Archives.

Topical Subjects

Women authors, Australian -- 20th century -- Archives.

Australian literature -- 20th century -- Women authors.

Occupations

Authors

Series List and Descriptions

 

Series 1 Correspondence, 1983-1996

 

Folder 1
Business correspondence with Richard Ingram of Coriander Press, Julia Taylor of Pan Macmillan Publishers Australia and University of Queensland Press, 1983-1996

 

Series 2 Diary and Notebooks, 1986-1994

This series, folders 1-10 comprises one diary and nine notebooks, which are generally arranged in chronological order. The notebooks contain biographical notes; course notes; glued in letters, notes, newspaper clippings; research notes, writing ideas and manuscript and typescript drafts of letters, criticisms, reviews, reader's reports and various stories by Bird.

Folder 1
Appointment diary, 1988

Folder 2
Notebook with personal and course notes, and prose notes and drafts, including The woodpecker toy fact : and other stories (1987) and The Bluebird Cafe (1990), and newspaper clippings (incomplete, few pages removed), 1986- January 1987

Folder 3
Notebook with personal and course notes, and prose notes and drafts, including The woodpecker toy fact : and other stories (1987), Dear writer (1988) and The Bluebird Cafe (1990), and newspaper clippings (incomplete, few pages removed), 1987-13 March 1988

Folder 4
Notebook with prose notes and drafts, including book reviews, letters, The Bluebird Cafe (1990), The common rat (1993) and 'Wild lavender', and newspaper clippings (incomplete, few pages removed), 28 March 1988-30 November 1989

Folder 5
Notebook with course notes, and prose notes and drafts, including The Bluebird Cafe (1990), The common rat (1993) and 'Wild lavender', and newspaper clippings (incomplete, few pages removed), 1989

Folder 6
Undated notebook with course and prose notes and drafts, including The Bluebird Cafe (1990), and newspaper clippings (incomplete, half the pages removed)

Folder 7
Notebook with notes, and prose notes and drafts, including The Bluebird Cafe (1990) and The common rat (1993), and newspaper clippings (incomplete, few pages removed), 1990

Folder 8
Notebook with notes, and prose notes and drafts, including The common rat (1993) and Dear writer : the classic guide to writing fiction (revised edition 1996); criticism entitled 'Nobody ever writes about pus anymore except perhaps Gillian Mears : fads, fashions and forbidden fruit in Australian fiction' appeared in Australian book review, no. 130 May 1991, p. 14-15; review of Personal best 2 : stories and statements by Australian writers entitled 'The art of developing tales in the darkroom trays' appeared in The Age, Saturday extra, 15 June 1991, p. 7, and newspaper clippings (incomplete, few pages removed), 24 February 1991-3 January 1993

Folder 9
Notebook with notes, and prose notes and drafts, including The common rat (1993), Automatic teller (1996), Dear writer : the classic guide to writing fiction (revised edition, 1996), 21 May 1990-17 December 1992

Folder 10
Notebook with notes, and prose notes and drafts, including The woodpecker toy fact : and other stories (1987), 'Julia paradise ', The white garden and index to Not now Jack - I'm writing a novel (incomplete, few pages removed), 1986-1994

 

Series 3 Novels, 1985-1996

This series comprises notes, manuscript and typescript drafts of Cherry ripe (1985), The Bluebird Cafe (1990), The white garden (1995) and Crisis : the long journey home (by Jack Power, 1996). Correspondence regarding publication is included in Series 1; research material, notes and drafts for the novels are included in the notebooks in Series 2, and page and galley proofs are included in Series 6.

3.1, Cherry ripe (1985)

This subseries, folders 1-4 comprises unnumbered and extensively annotated typescript drafts, and page and cover proofs relating to Bird's first published novel, which was published under her own imprint Power Press, Richmond North, Victoria in 1985.

Folder 1
Typescript and photocopy typescript draft with ms annotations, 102 p. and book design mock-up, 1984-1985

Folder 2
Photocopy typescript draft with ms annotations, 102 p.

Folder 3
Author's draft, annotated photocopy typescript, 102 p.

Folder 4
Page proofs (incomplete), 23 July 1985; back cover mock-ups; book launch flyers,

3.2, The Bluebird Cafe (1990)

This subseries, folders 1-13 comprises unnumbered and extensively annotated typescript drafts and a dust jacket proof relating to Bird's second published novel, which was published by McPhee Gribble, Melbourne in 1990.

Folder 1
Typescript and photocopy typescript draft with ms. annotations, p. 1-5; typescript and photocopy typescript draft with ms. annotations (incomplete), October-November 1987; uncorrected photocopy typescript draft with ms. annotations, 51 p., October-November 1987

Folder 2
Original draft, typescript and photocopy typescript with ms. annotations and white-out corrections 101 p., April 1988

Folder 3
Notes, typescript and photocopy typescript drafts with ms. annotations (3, incomplete), April 1988

Folder 4
Notes and typescript and photocopy typescript draft with ms. annotations and white-out corrections, 91 p., 20 April 1988

Folder 5-6
Photocopy typescript drafts with ms. annotations, 91 p. (2), 20 April 1988

Folder 7
Photocopy typescript with ms. annotations, 105 p., April 1989

Folder 8
Photocopy typescript draft with ms annotations, 133 p.; notes and epigraphs for each book

Folder 9
Copy to Hillary, typescript and photocopy typescript draft with ms. annotations, 132 p.

Folder 10
Computer and photocopy typescript draft with ms. annotations, 146 p., November 1989

Folder 11
Photocopy of folder 10 with ms. annotations, 119 p.

Folder 12
Photocopy typescript draft with ms. annotations, 146 p.

Folder 13
Final draft sent to typist, typescript and photocopy typescript with ms. annotations, white-out and cut and paste corrections, 146 p., 1990; dust jacket proof

3.3, The white garden (1995)

This subseries, folders 1-8 comprises unnumbered and extensively annotated typescript drafts and proofs relating to Bird's third published novel, which was published by University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia in 1995. The white garden is book one of the 'Mandala' trilogy.

Folder 1
Photocopy typescript draft (incomplete), 203 p., [1994]

Folder 2
Photocopy typescript draft with ms. annotations (incomplete), 227 p., [1994]

Folder 3
Computer typescript draft with ms. annotations, 132 p., [1994]

Folder 4
Computer typescript draft with cut and paste corrections (incomplete), 214 p., [1994]

Folder 5
Computer and photocopy typescript draft with ms. annotations, 214 p., [1994]

Folder 6
Annotated page proofs, 174 p., December 1994

Folder 7
Blue annotated page proofs, 219 p.

Folder 8
Peach annotated page proofs, 219 p.

3.4, Crisis : the long journey home (1996)

This subseries, folders 1-6 comprises research material, unnumbered and extensively annotated typescript drafts, reader's report and proofs relating to Bird's fourth published novel, which was published by Random House Australia, Milsons Point, NSW, 1996. Crisis was first published under the pen name Jack Power, and later published with the title Crisis under the author's own name, and published by Vintage, Milsons Point, NSW in 1999.

Folder 1
Research material, 1994-1995

Folder 2
Computer typescript draft with ms. annotations

Folder 3
Final computer typescript draft, 139 p.

Folder 4
Reader's report from Carl Harrison-Ford, 19/12/1995

Folder 5
Copy-edited draft, 139 p.

Folder 6
1st author's proof copy with ms. annotations, 279 p., 9/2/1996

 

Series 4 Short Stories, 1983-1993

This series comprises notes, layouts, flyers, typescript drafts and proofs of Births, deaths and marriages (1983), The woodpecker toy fact and other stories (1987) and The common rat (1993) and three unpublished short stories. Correspondence regarding publication is including in Series 1; research material, notes and drafts for the short stories are included in the notebooks in Series 2, and page and galley proofs are included in Series 6.

4.1, Births, deaths and marriages (1983)

This subseries comprises illustrations, an agreement and a flyer relating to Bird's first published collection of short stories, which was published by Bird, Richmond, Vic. in 1983.

Folder 1
Book layout illustrations; printing agreement between Coriander Press and Bird; flyer, 1983

4.2, The woodpecker toy fact : and other stories (1987)

This subseries comprises a copy-edited draft relating to Bird's second published collection of short stories, which was first published by McPhee Gribble/Penguin, Fitzroy, Victoria in 1987 and later published as Woodpecker point & other stories by New Directions, New York in 1988.

Folder 1
Copy-edited draft of 'Woodpecker point', 50 p.; annotated photocopy page proofs of the short story 'Mother of the bride'

4.3, The common rat (1993)

This subseries, folders 1-4 comprises the final draft, page proofs and cover proof relating to Bird's third published collection of short stories, which was published by McPhee Gribble/Penguin, Ringwood, Victoria in 1993

Folder 1
Final draft, typescript, photocopy typescript and photocopies of previously published versions with ms. annotations, 134 p., Easter 1992

Folder 2
Copy-edited draft (incomplete), 121 p.

Folder 3
Copy-edited draft (incomplete), 131 p.

Folder 4
Cover proof; typescript photocopies with ms. annotations of short stories entitled 'The common rat,' 'I see the chopper going over' and 'Red Riding Hood virus'

4.4, Unpublished Short Stories

This subseries comprises three unpublished short stories by Bird.

Folder 1
Photocopies of short stories entitled 'Climbing the hills of nowhere ' 'Regular victims' and 'The vision'

 

Series 5 Other Prose, 1988-1997

This series comprises notes, typescript and computer typescript drafts of prose writings for a selection of Bird's published work, including two writers' guides entitled Dear writer (1988), later published as Dear writer : the classic guide to writing fiction (1996) and Not now Jack - I'm writing a novel (1994); two anthologies edited by Bird entitled Red hot notes (1996) and Daughters & fathers (1997), and reviews. This material is arranged chronologically and correspondence relating to this series is included in Series 1; research material, notes and drafts are included in the notebooks in Series 2; page and cover proofs are included in Series 6, and a computer disc containing a draft is included in Series 7.

5.1, Dear writer (1988)

This subseries comprises a typescript draft of Dear writer , which was published by McPhee Gribble/Penguin Books, Fitzroy, Victoria in 1988.

Folder 1
Photocopy typescript draft with ms. annotations, 71 p.

5.2, Not now Jack - I'm writing a novel (1994)

This subseries, folders 1-3 comprises notes and computer typescript drafts of Not now Jack - I'm writing a novel, which was published by Picador, Sydney in 1994, and is a sequel to Dear writer (1988).

Folder 1
Computer and photocopy typescript with ms annotations and cut and paste inserts

Folder 2
Computer and photocopy typescript drafts with ms. annotations

Folder 3
Annotated photocopy page proofs; manuscript and computer typescript source list; computer typescript index; flyers; review, 1993-1994

5.3, Dear writer : the classic guide to writing fiction (1996)

This subseries comprises page proofs of Dear writer : the classic guide to writing fiction , which was published by Vintage, Milsons Point, NSW in 1996, and is a revised version of Dear writer (1988).

Folder 1
Copy-edited draft, 100 p.

5.4, Red hot notes (1996)

This subseries, folders 1-5 comprises permission to publish forms and typescript drafts of Red hot notes, edited by Bird and published by University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, Qld in 1996. This anthology is a collection of short stories, essays, poems, biographies and untitled extracts by Australian writers in which a dominant concern is the meaning of music in the life of the character or the writer.

Folder 1
Permission forms, 1994

Folder 2
Drafts of stories: typescripts, photocopies, facsimiles and photocopies of previously published versions with ms. annotations (incomplete), 1995

Folder 3
Introduction: research material, computer typescript drafts with ms. annotations (3); drafts of the preliminary pages; front cover examples; back cover quotes, 1995

Folder 4
Author's biographical details, 1995

Folder 5
Copy-edited draft, [1996]

5.5, Daughters & fathers (1997)

This subseries, folders 1-2 comprises a copy-edited draft and page proofs of Daughters & fathers , edited by Bird and published by University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, Qld in 1997. This collection of autobiographical essays explores the meaning of father/daughter relationships in the life of the writer.

Folder 1
Copy-edited draft

Folder 2
Blue page proofs, 239 p., 1996

5.6, Reviews, 1985-1992

This subseries comprises typescript drafts of reviews by Bird for The Age, The Australian, Australian book review, Lot's wife and The Sydney morning herald. Correspondence regarding publication is including in Series 1, and research material, notes and drafts for the novels are included in the notebooks in Series 2.

Folder 1
Typescript and photocopy typescript drafts with ms. annotations of reviews for The Age, The Australian, Australian book review, Lot's wife and The Sydney morning herald, 1985-1992

Including My look's caress : a collection of modern romances, edited by Beth Yahp , Margo Daly and Lorraine Falconer; The Australian women's weekly book of family memories : how to preserve your living history, by Bob Price; Australian icons : things that make us what we are, Peter Luck; The floor of heaven, John Tranter; Poppy, Drusilla Modjeska; Come in spinner, Dymphna Cusack and Florence James; The queen of the Tambourine, by Jane Gardham; The lyre in the pawnshop : essays on literature and survival, 1974-1984, Fay Zwicky; The gentle arts : 200 years of Australian women's domestic and decorative arts, by Jennifer Isaacs; The Faber book of contemporary Australian short stories, edited by Murray Bail; The Book of Sei, by David Brooks; The unborn child speaks to the sea, by Susan Schwartz; The cast changes : poems, by Jennie Fraine; The bushwhacked piano, by Thomas McGuane; This boy's life : a memoir, by Tobias Wolff; Regards to the Czar, by Margaret Coombs; The stories of Tobias Wolff, by Tobias Wolff; Latecomers, by Anita Brookner; A friend from England, Anita Brookner; Dream people, by Barbara Hanrahan; Parcel parcel, and other stories, by Jean Thornton; City to city, by Laurie Clancy; Wayward girls and wicked women : an anthology of stories, edited by Angela Carter; The fortunes of Mary Fortune, by Mary Fortune, edited with an introduction by Lucy Sussex; Wayward women : a guide to women travellers, by Jane Robinson; Julia Paradise, by Rod Jones; Lovers' knots : a hundred-year novel, by Marion Halligan; Other people's trades, by Primo Levi; Troppo man, by Gerard Lee; A lease of summer, by Jean Bedford; No fixed address : an amorous journey, by Aritha Van Herk; Bear, by Marian Engel; Exit visa, by Marcus Clark; Flawless jade, by Barbara Hanrahan; Wilderness tips, by Margaret Atwood; A little stranger, by Candia McWilliam; The writing book : a workbook for fiction writers, by Kate Grenville; The ladies of Missalonghi, by Colleen McCullough; The book of letters : how to write a letter for every occasion, by Peter Breen; Storytrack : a practical guide to writing for children in Australian and New Zealand, by Sally Farrell Odgers; The new writer's survival guide : an introduction to the craft of writing, by Dianne Bates; Twinkle, twinkle, Southern Cross : the forgotten folklore of Australian nursery rhymes, by Robert Holden; Coming out from under : contemporary Australian women writers, by Pam Gilbert; Eclipsed : two centuries of Australian women's fiction, [selected by] Connie Burns and Marygai McNamara; Personal best 2 : stories and statements by Australian writers, edited by Garry Disher; The Penguin best Australian short stories, edited by Mary Lord; From the verandah : stories by nineteenth century Australian women, edited by Fiona Giles; Longleg, by Glenda Adams and Flying lessons, by Susan Johnson

5.7, Miscellaneous, 1987

This subseries comprises an essay written by Bird and a copy of her resumé.

Folder 1
Photocopy typescript of an essay for Writer's block entitled 'Faithful to the word I love '; photocopy of her resumé, 1987

 

Series 6 Folios, 1983-1996

This series, folders 1-6 comprises research material, notes, page, galley and cover proofs and a poster of Births, deaths and marriages (1983), Cherry ripe (1985), The common rat (1993), Not now Jack - I'm writing a novel (1994), Dear writer : the classic guide to writing fiction (revised edition, 1996) and Red hot notes (1996). Correspondence regarding publication is included in Series 1 and research material, notes and drafts of the novels are included in the notebooks in Series 2.

Folio 1
Research material; layout notes and poster of Births, deaths and marriages; cover and page proofs of Cherry ripe; cover proof and galley proofs (incomplete) of The common rat; page proofs of Not now Jack - I'm writing a novel; cover proof of Red hot notes , 1983-1996

Folio 2
Author's and proofreader's first page proofs of Dear writer : the classic guide to writing fiction, 22/4/1996

Folio 3
Page proofs of Births, deaths and marriages, 1983

Folio 4
Aluminium printing plates of Births, deaths and marriages, 1983

Folio 5
Bromide plates of Births, deaths and marriages, 1983

Folio 6
Galley proofs of Cherry ripe, 1985

 

Series 7 Computer Disc, 1995

This small series contains one computer disc containing a draft of 'A choir story' (1994). Correspondence related to this series is included in Series 1 and typescript drafts are included in Series 5.

Folder 1
Computer disc containing a draft of 'A choir story, ' by Timothy Doyle from Red hot notes, 1995