Meet Associate Producer Fiona Wallace
Hello there!
My name’s Fiona (she/her) and I’m one of the new Associate Producers for the 2022 Independent Publishing Conference.
I originally hail from a very small country town in Western Australia known for the Tin Horse Highway: a 15km stretch of road dotted with horse-themed caricatures made from oil drums, machinery parts and other odds and ends. In 2021 I moved to Melbourne, which has felt like a world away from the red, salty dirt country I grew up in. I can’t say I’ve enjoyed the cold or the lockdowns we’ve had here, but I’ve found myself very quickly falling in love with the vibrancy and energy of the people and the city … oh and the coffee, the food, the bars, the conversations, the trams and the fact that everyone here also seems to be a night owl.
Previously I graduated with honours in a Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology and proceeded to work with children with speech, language and literacy disorders and difficulties. However, a few years down the track I decided to transition from this career path—call it a quarter-life crisis, early-career burnout or the effects of the pandemic—to the arts through studying a Master of Creative Writing, Publishing and Editing at the University of Melbourne. I’m loving my studies so far, and already seeing how I can continue to further my passion for supporting those whose voices are typically unheard or ignored.
I’m very excited to be taking on my new role at The Small Press Network and to be celebrating the work of small and independent publishers in Australia. Stay tuned to our socials to hear about all the good work happening in our industry!
Please feel free to get in touch with me via Twitter or LinkedIn. You can also check out my website here where I explore my two life passions—editing and feminism—and hope to encourage systemic change in the publishing industry.