The cost of living is continuing to bite small arts businesses nationwide. ArtsHub recently reported La Mama will pause public performances in 2025 due to its inability to secure organisational funding from Creative Australia for the 2025-28 period.
And now, as first reported in trade publication, Books and Publishing,Small Press Network (SPN) has announced it will cease operations temporarily for two months to assess its ongoing viability and to seek financial support from the community at large. A letter from the board of SPN explained: ‘While we had an uptick in member numbers during the pandemic, membership has since dropped. Additionally, the costs of delivering the annual conference via a hybrid live/online format eroded SPN’s financial position.
Thuy On is the Reviews and Literary Editor of ArtsHub and an arts journalist, critic and poet who’s written for a range of publications including The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Sydney Review of Books, The Australian, The Age/SMH and Australian Book Review. She was the Books Editor of The Big Issue for 8 years and a former Melbourne theatre critic correspondent for The Australian.
Her debut, a collection of poetry called Turbulence, came out in 2020 and was released by University of Western Australia Publishing (UWAP). Her second collection, Decadence, was published in July 2022, also by UWAP. Her third book, Essence, will be published in 2025.
Threads: @thuy_on123 Instagram: poemsbythuy
