Why I turned down an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2011 Sydney Writer’s Festival

[Bob]

This is a great blog about living with ME. It's written by Mischa Hiller, who has ME, and who wrote the (award winning) novel Sabra Zoo.


Why I turned down an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2011 Sydney Writer’s Festival
Mischa Hiller
Dec 8th 2015
https://medium.com/@mischahi/why-i-...the-2011-sydney-writers-festival-48186343a6a4

Why I turned down an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2011 Sydney Writer’s Festival

This was written in 2011 after being shortlisted for the overall Commenwealth Writers’ Prize to be announced at the Sydney Writer’s Festival.

Imagine my delight on hearing that my novel, Sabra Zoo, had won the Europe and South Asia regional Commonwealth Prize for Best First Book. I wrote Sabra Zoo many years ago, and it was taken up quickly by a literary agent, who eventually found a home for it at publishers Telegram, who did an excellent job of turning it into a book. It was well received, and we were all rightly proud of it. Now the book is one of four going on to the final stage of the Commonwealth Prize, held in Sydney this year, and it is paired up with David Mitchellʼs The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, which is in the running for the meatier Best Book Prize. Mitchell, along with the other finalists, will be accompanying his book to Sydney, where all the finalists will partake in week-long publicity at the Sydney Writersʼ Festival, culminating in the winnersʼ announcement on 21st May.

I, however, wonʼt be flying to Sydney with David Mitchell, as I have Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)...

Read the rest here:
https://medium.com/@mischahi/why-i-...the-2011-sydney-writers-festival-48186343a6a4


This article was written in 2011, but I think it hasn't been published until now. The author has just promoted it in a Tweet.

It includes: a description of the illness; a helpful discussion re the nature of ME vs 'fatigue'; a short discussion of the PACE Trial; and a discussion of various ME criteria. It covers quite a range of important issues, yet it's succinct.
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[snowathlete]

It must really suck to be in that position. But I totally get it. My brother got married 100 miles away two weeks ago and I couldn't go. Doesn't matter how much you want to travel for something, the disease just makes it impossible.

 

[barbc56]

Bless her. All that hard work and creative endeavor and not to be able to see the recognition she deserves. I hope she can hold on to the thought that she has created something others admire but I'm sure it's not quite the same.

Barb

 

[taniaaust1]

Is that link working?, my computer isnt getting it up

 

[Bob]

Is that link working?, my computer isnt getting it up

The link's working ok for me Tania.

 

[alex3619]

It must really suck to be in that position. But I totally get it. My brother got married 100 miles away two weeks ago and I couldn't go. Doesn't matter how much you want to travel for something, the disease just makes it impossible.

I was contacted privately about two really great jobs with large multinationals, in the mid 1990s, when I was working on my PhD candidacy. I had to decline both. Its not a great feeling.

 

[barbc56]

@snowathlete

I also missed my younger daughter's wedding. We did Skype it, but it's not quite the same. But better than nothing and felt just as proud.

I've been thinking about starting a thread brainstorming creative ways to handle these situations when we can't be there. My daughter was the one who thought about skyping.

Barb