The spiffy new Library at the Dock in the Docklands is a fitting venue to photograph the newly appointed, inaugural director of the Melbourne UNESCO City of Literature office. The modern, well-appointed building is another feather in the cap of our already highly decorated town - in terms of bookish attractions - and is testament to the cultural precedence of literature in Melbourne.
As the inaugural director of the City of Literature office, based at the Wheeler Centre, David Ryding is keen to preserve and expand upon our reputation as a world leader in reading and writing.
“There’s a whole reason we’re a City of Literature, with our magnificent organisations, bookshops and libraries,” Ryding says. “The office has a role to play to make sure those organisations are sustainable, both in development opportunities and funding opportunities, it has a role to play in promotion across all the areas - because they’re quite disparate when you think about it - and obviously in promoting us as a City of Literature to new audiences.”
Ryding, who is from Perth, has spent the past few years in Sydney as the executive director of the NSW Writers Centre. He’s no stranger to Melbourne’s literary scene, though - he was director of the Emerging Writers Festival from 2007 to 2010.
“I was the director that moved it from a two-day festival to a 10-day festival,” Ryding says.
“And a lot of advances, including what was its vision for sustainability ... was around about my time. That sounds very immodest but it’s very true.”
Such is the burgeoning popularity of the Emerging Writers Festival, it will travel to Adelaide for the first time next month.
“It’s a great example of something that’s world-leading, but that’s not an isolated example,” Ryding says. “There’s so many things that we do here that make us a City of Literature, and that’s just one way we’re showing the rest of the world what we can do.”
Minister for the Arts Heidi Victoria said Ryding stood out from an impressive group of candidates who applied for the role of director.
“David’s national experience and involvement with a range of literary and arts organisations, his deep knowledge of Victoria’s literary scene and his passion for writing position him well for this role," Ms Victoria said.
“Working with the sector, David will ensure that our City of Literature status continues to flourish, and has an impact on the whole community. I wish him great success in the role."
UNESCO’s City of Literature program is part of its Creative Cities Network, designed to promote socio-economic and cultural development in both the developed and the developing world through creative industries. Melbourne was the second named City of Literature (after Edinburgh) in 2008.
