One of the hardest things I’ve had to do as an author

One of the hardest things I’ve had to do as an author is to cull my bookcases in two states, letting of 100s of books across genres. Books that have enriched my life, challenged my thinking, raised my awareness, helped me be a better writer.

I consoled myself by doing the following:

I donated most of my non-fiction First Nations titles (collected while researching and writing my PhD, published as Dhuuluu Yala: to talk straight) to the ATSISU and the @BlackfullaBookclub.I donated books to the University of Queensland Great Book Swaps in 2021 supporting the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.I gave books to friends and colleagues who will experience the same joy I did when I read them.I gave my gorgeous kids picture books to my siblings and friends with toddlers.

And this is the big one…

5. Letting go of many of the books I’ve collected over decades of appearing at festivals here and abroad, writing and academic conferences, round tables and workshops. Books by authors I admire and respect, books by those who have motivated and supported me throughout my career. I couldn’t keep their books, but I’ve read them and sharing them with others now brings me some joy, because I’d also rather others experience their words than just hold them selfishly on my shelves.

I’ve kept all the autographed title pages though (see above), because each one holds a special memory, and I want to cherish them, because those moments in my writing career have led me to where I am today.

Thanks to a fab idea by author Phillipa Moore, I’m pasting all those pages into a new ‘annual collaging journal’. 2021 has some fabulous moments to share and I am now considering this recent cull, one of those moments. Giving is a good thing.

How do you decide what to cull and where your books will go?