by Claire Dunn
To the wild women of the Bellingen Valley for preventing me from mouldering away at my desk: Olivia and Jude for consistently feeding me love and sauerkraut and letting me sprawl on your floors; Tori, Zeah and the girls for reminding me for whom I wrote; and Sam, Emilie, Sharma, Thea, Emma and the playback crew. You’ve shown me how to live with mountains and rivers flowing in your veins.
To the Byron crew. What welcome serendipity to find David Roland, a kindred spirit, walking a parallel path to mine. It has been a blessing to negotiate together the bumpy road of memoir. Anneli Knight’s unfailing and buoyant enthusiasm for my writing was a burst of warmth at just the right times, as was the camaraderie of my colleagues Willa and Ali. The Northern Rivers Writers’ Centre is a remarkable resource for regional writers and certainly helped midwife this book. Both the residential mentoring program under the excellent mentorship of Marele Day and the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival’s “Pitch Perfect” competition were invaluable stepping stones. Nestled in the Byron hinterland, Laurel Cohn provided astute editorial assistance that helped me build strong structural bones and a clear narrative arc. Her support and encouragement extended far beyond the job description and were chicken soup for this writer’s soul.
Another fine writer’s resource, Varuna, the Writers’ House, gave me a two-week residency in the Blue Mountains, allowing me to write brave and fierce amidst its solid walls.
To the friends who diligently waded through my early drafts – Susie Russell, Loosie Craig, Robert Gordon, Carol Perry, Emma Brindal, Caiyloirch Marques, Bobbi Allan and Dorin Hart – my heartfelt thanks for seeing the potential and urging me onwards.
To Beth Emily Hill, Sunni Boulton and Terry Gaechter, whose inboxes were revolving doors for my chapters and my churnings, many thanks for being fabulous cheerleaders, sharp readers and great friends.
I am blessed with a circle of friends too numerous to mention here. To all of you who journeyed with me I am ever grateful. The particular assistance and leg-ups offered by Daniel Beaver, Jane Elworthy, Suzanne Atherton, Simon Etherington, Jarra Hicks and Jess Allan are much appreciated. To my beloveds Emma Pittaway and Amie Illfield, thank you for helping me stand with some grace in the fire. I am so lucky to have such wise women walking beside me. Zoe, you redefine the meaning of unconditional support. I’m so proud of us! You helped get this book over the finish line with me intact. Enormous love.
My family has been there alongside me for every hard-won page. Mum, Dad and Liv, your unflagging support for me and my crazy projects never ceases to amaze me. You are the rock that this book is built on. We did this together. Nige, Nick, Mike, Harriet, Leah, Dwayne and all the kiddies, thank you for being a wonderful familial nest to fly back to.
To the all crew at Black Inc: Jeanne Ryckmans for championing it from the beginning, Imogen Kandel and Elisabeth Young. To my fantastic editor, Nikola Lusk, for believing in the project and working tirelessly to make the book the best it could be, your guidance and insightful suggestions were the perfect fit for this book. Thank you for easing me through the final stages with such collaborative grace. Gratitude also to my agent, Gaby Naher, for being an ever enthusiastic ally, and to Anne Deveson for taking the time to consider my pages and share authorial wisdom over tea.
I am indebted to the wisdom of many teachers, some of whom I have had the good fortune to study with – Joanna Macy and Tom Brown Jr – and others whose work has deeply informed mine, including Bill Plotkin, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Marion Woodman, Jon Young, Starhawk and Oriah Mountain Dreamer. Malcolm Ringwalt from the Earth-Heart Institute, my journey would not have run nearly as deep or wide without your visionary teachings and guidance. Many thanks. Vivian Revitt, thank you for seeing me and keeping me true to my muse. To Lou, the wildest and brightest heart I have ever known, I think you would have loved this book.
The year itself would not have been possible without the vision of Kate Rydge and Sam Robertson. May the ripples continue to flow from your generosity. Kate B and Carmel, you were fairy godmothers for us all that year. To all the instructors for your infectious passion and generous sharing of knowledge. To the Blady Bunch – my co-conspirators and warriors of the heart – I am blessed to have been able to share the adventure with every one of you. You truly are family. Thank you for giving this book your blessing. You all hold a book of that year inside you that I could not tell. They are your stories alone.
And finally, to the wild plants and animals who continue to be my greatest inspiration, and the indigenous people of this land, I offer my greetings and deepest gratitude. To all the “edgewalkers” and “bridgebuilders” who continue to plant green shoots amidst the concrete, I give my thanks and fall into step beside you.