Peter Bishop
Peter considers himself an oddity in the world of professionals. “I’ve never felt like a professional, but I did have the good fortune to be given a job I was uniquely able to do: from 1994 to 2010 I was Creative Director of Varuna –The Writers’ House in the Blue Mountains of NSW and I had the privilege of being at the centre of a wonderful conversation among writers from everywhere in Australia. Varuna is a place where writers can engage in this endless and fascinating conversation. It’s unique in the world. Since 2010 I‘ve been exploring my own writing world. I’m too busy writing to think about publishing, but something interesting will emerge from me one day. When I’m asked if I’m writing fiction or non-fiction I’m stumped. It definitely isn’t fiction. It’s a kind of autobiographical non-fiction that bears witness to the shifting truths of my imagination rather than the ordinary facts of my life. I love the essay as a form because it can be any form you want it to be, and my motto comes from the poet William Blake: Damn braces; bless relaxes”