The Australian Women's Register

The bulk of the MS 7365 collection comprises papers relating to Sara Dowse’s work as a writer, including research material, correspondence, newspaper cuttings and drafts of her novels, reviews and short stories. There are papers relating to her work as head of the Office of Women’s Affairs, papers relating to grant applications, and personal correspondence with family and friends. There are extensive files on West Block, Canberra tales, Schemetime and Silver city, and also on the National Women’s Advisory Council, Australian Labor Party, and Australian National Word Festival (150 boxes). The Acc08.112 instalment comprises draft chapters of the unpublished manuscript “Bessarabia” based on a visit to Russia and Moldova in 1993; three poems, two unpublished, “The lady in the spoon” published in The Canberra times?; drafts and photocopies of articles by Dowse; and, articles about Dowse (1 box). The Acc08.120 instalment comprises drafts and research material for articles, essays, stories, speeches and an unpublished novel. There are also papers associated with Dowse’s chairmanship of the judging panel for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards 2006, and correspondence (2 boxes). The Acc08.149 instalment comprises 19 boxes of 3.5 inch floppy disks, including, in various forms email correspondence; early drafts of Schemetime, Sapphires, Digging, and Reading the Peninsula; current and “backburner” projects – Liza book/s, Hollywood essays, “Path to Fortune” thriller, Van der Velde novel; essays, stories, APA project, lectures, poetry, book reviews; transcripts of Russian, Israeli and US interviews; visual images. Two audio cassettes: one containing a recording of an interview of Dowse by Margaret Throsby, the other a recording of a talk given by dissident Chinese Dai Qing to Canberra PEN (1 box). The Acc09.180 instalment comprises papers reflecting Dowse’s career as a writer. They comprise diaries, correspondence, notes, research notes, newspaper cuttings, photographs and drafts of her writing, including fiction, biography, articles and early and unpublished stories. There are papers relating to a National Library of Australia Harold White Fellowship, grant and job applications, conferences and public appearances, and personal correspondence with family and friends. Literary papers include extensive files relating to a biography of Lisa Fitch; drafts of Hollywood, Sass, Border crossing, Sapphires and Fleeting; and, scripts of West Block. Some of these titles are accompanied by written comments from members of the Seven Writers’ group (also known as “The Canberra Seven”) and Penny Pollitt (14 boxes).