Why are we doing this?

extempore has been a long time coming. As a publication it has its genesis in 'Mini Mag' a small handmade publication with a circulation of 2 (my brother and me!) that I used to produce from time to time when we were kids living in suburban Melbourne in the early seventies. Yes it's about the music - that's where the specific idea of extempore as a journal about, responding to or inspired by jazz and improvised music came from. But it's also about a general yearning on my part to create tangible things. I like to bake my own bread and make food 'from scratch'. And my own notebooks with an old bookbinding press I picked up on eBay... In addition, I've always loved reading interviews with people who create beautiful art, music or text. Interviews, well done, provide a window into the creative process that I know many of us find endlessly fascinating - whether we are creatively engaged, or simply appreciate those who are.

The interviews with writers that appear in the Paris Review were an early inspiration for extempore. I still read them avidly to find out how my fellow writers do what they do.

Then, jazz and improvised music came into my life and changed it. That was in part because of the musicians. The jazz scene in Australia has some wonderful people in it and many of them have made me feel welcome and included although I am essentially an outsider in their world. I've been welcomed and encourged as an enthusiastic listener and a writer. My own ability to create has been positively affected by these people, their music and their attitude.

The response from inside the community to the idea of extempore has always been a mixture of sceptical, cynical, enthusiastic and supportive. Everything from 'What are you, some kind of masochist?' to 'Wow!' From outside, it's being perceived as 'difficult to categorise'. Oh well, I guess that goes with the territory! I hope the journal provides access into the music that inspired it in the first place, for those who need a doorway or a window...

Whatever extempore ends up being I am happy to report that it was born in gratitude, and is being created with care and attention. Some fantastic writers, editors, artists and musicians and an amazing designer are contributing and working behind the scenes. While my heart is in my mouth, I'm having fun, rising to the challenge and am daily growing more excited at the thought of holding the first issue in my hands.

Miriam (the masochist)

Why are we doing this?

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