Elaine Castillo and Beejay Silcox with Andra Putnis The program described the session as follows: With the brilliant book under threat, it’s time to raise the stakes – by reading in a way that brings us more joy and satisfaction! We get more from books when we think deeply about the questions they unleash. Join … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2026: 6, How to read for joy
ACT Book of the Year Award
Canberra Writers Festival 2026: 5, Indigenous Futurisms
John Morrissey, Jacob K Gallagher and Lisa Fuller The program described the session as follows: First Nations speculative fiction takes us to other realms and distant planets while tackling home truths. This panel will talk celebrating diverse worldviews, surviving and thriving beyond apocalypse, reframing timelines (and time) and much more. An event for those that … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2026: 5, Indigenous Futurisms
Canberra Writers Festival 2026: 4, Miranda Riwoe: A short history of longans
Mirandi Riwoe with Qin Qin for the first time in a couple of years, today I ventured away from my favourite Festival location - the National Library - to a couple of other cultural institutions just across the way, the National Archives of Australia this morning, and the National Portrait Gallery this afternoon. The program … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2026: 4, Miranda Riwoe: A short history of longans
Canberra Writers Festival 2026: 3, AI and All the Lonely People
Steve Toltz and Elaine Castillo with Beejay Silcox The program described the session as follows: Join internationally acclaimed authors Steve Toltz and Elaine Castillo for a conversation with Beejay Silcox about how setting out to explore loneliness led to the creation of two satirical, darkly funny and moving novels about human connection. In a world … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2026: 3, AI and All the Lonely People
Canberra Writers Festival 2026: 2, Cutting Edge Cli-Fi
Johanna Bell, Inga Simpson with Jennifer Pinkerton The program described the session as follows: The facts of climate change and the large-scale loss of animal and plant species are all around us. To truly understand, we need new creative forms that speak to the grief, absurdity and banality of our situation as well as capture … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2026: 2, Cutting Edge Cli-Fi
Canberra Writers Festival 2026: 1, ACT Book of the Year
A preamble The Canberra Writers Festival is back in 2026, and is celebrating its 10th anniversary, which is just wonderful. Last year's Artistic Director, Andra Putnis (author of Stories my grandmothers didn't tell me, my review) is also back. But what isn't back is the old theme, "Power Politics Passion", which has gradually receded into … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2026: 1, ACT Book of the Year
Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 1, ACT Book of the Year
A preamble The Canberra Writers Festival is back in 2025, with a new Artistic Director, author Andra Putnis whose biography-memoir, Stories my grandmothers didn't tell me I reviewed earlier this year. The Festival's theme continues to be "Power Politics Passion", albeit not as dominating in promotion as it used to be. The ACT Book of … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 1, ACT Book of the Year
ACT Book of the Year Award 2023 shortlist and winner
This year I attended, for the first time, the announcement of the ACT Book of the Year award, which was held at the Woden Public Library. For some reason our award doesn't get the media recognition or attention that it deserves. Sure, it is not one of the wealthiest literary prizes in the country, and … Continue reading ACT Book of the Year Award 2023 shortlist and winner
Monday musings on Australian literature: the ACT Book of the Year Award
I think it's time I dedicated a post to the Book of the Year Award made in my own jurisdiction. I briefly introduced it back in 2018, and then wrote recently about its 2022 shortlist. But today, I want to document it a bit more thoroughly. (For the record, the 2022 winner has now been … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: the ACT Book of the Year Award
ACT Book of the Year Award 2022 shortlist announced
For some reason - perhaps because I don't write about every award every year - I've only written once before about the ACT Book of the Year Award. It is an award presented by the ACT Government. Unlike most of the state government awards, the award is limited to ACT Writers, and, like the Stella, … Continue reading ACT Book of the Year Award 2022 shortlist announced
