Jottings of a Jazzman: Selected Writings of Len Barnard
As many of you already know, since his death four years ago, I have been working on the writings of Len Barnard with a view to having a book printed for posterity.
Jottings of a Jazzman is not a history of Australian jazz, nor is it a biography, so it cannot be compared with books written by people such as Graeme Bell, John Sangster, Andrew Bisset and others. It is simply a collection of Len’s writings, and these cover music, literature, friends and family, as well as his many varied observations about life in general. There is also a valuable section in the book that provides biographical and other details about the various people mentioned across Len’s writings. This information was compiled by Bill Haesler.
Now, thanks to very welcome financial assistance from the Australian Jazz Convention Trustees, the material is currently with a professional designer.
In a few weeks, I hope to be able to send the final files to the printer, and this is my reason for contacting you all. I need to raise $6000 to cover printing costs, and I am hopeful that Australian jazz organisations—and perhaps some individuals—around the country may feel inclined to contribute some small amount each so that the burden is shared by many. If you can spread the word to as many people as possible, I would be most grateful.
All financial contributions will be acknowledged—very gratefully—in
the book and if the publication does happen to make a profit, all moneys contributed will be refunded to the financial supporters, in pro rata terms.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have about Jottings of a Jazzman. Thank you for taking the time to read this missive. I hope you will consider my request.
Loretta Barnard, Sonnet Editorial
email: lorettab@idx.com.au
Ph: 02 9997 6463; Mob: 0410 608 956
