The event opened with a Welcome to Country given by Aunty Kathryn Fisher, a First Nations elder from Magandjin (Meanjin). She was born and grew up on Cherbourg Aboriginal Reserve, and is linked to the Turrbal People through kinship ties. She talked about our shared histories and, interestingly, quoted Albert Einstein's statement that "The world … Continue reading Stella Prize 2026 Winner announced
Literary events
Monday musings on Australian literature: Why festivals?
I did have another plan for today's Monday Musings, but it seemed wrong to ignore the elephant in the room, that is, the dire situation facing the Adelaide Festival's Writers Week. Australians will not need me to explain what has happened, but for those of you not across the events, I'll briefly explain. The Adelaide … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Why festivals?
Helen Garner and Sarah Krasnostein in conversation with Beejay Silcox
Last night's ANU/Meet-the-Author event was a sold-out affair, in a 500-seat theatre. And why not? Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper, and Sarah Krasnostein are among Australia's top writers of narrative nonfiction, and they have just produced a book about the Leongatha mushroom murders. Indeed, it's only because they have written about it that I am interested … Continue reading Helen Garner and Sarah Krasnostein in conversation with Beejay Silcox
Sofie Laguna in conversation with Karen Viggers
I don't know how it has happened, but tonight's conversation between Sofie Laguna and Karen Viggers is the first ANU/Meet-the-Author event I've attended this year. I did book one featuring Omar Musa a month ago, but I came down with laryngitis, as did, I believe, his interlocutor. (The show went on, with Karen Viggers, in … Continue reading Sofie Laguna in conversation with Karen Viggers
Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 7, All things Austen: Jane Austen anniversary special
Susannah Fullerton, Devoney Looser and Emily Maguire with Jonty Claypole and Sophie Gee. The program described the session as follows: Celebrate all things Austen at this major event! Over 200 years after Jane Austen’s works first appeared, her insights on life, love, and society remain timeless. Join popular Secret Life of Books podcasters Sophie Gee … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 7, All things Austen: Jane Austen anniversary special
Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 6, Poems of love and rage
Evelyn Araluen, Maxine Beneba Clarke and Omar Musa with Jacqui Malins The program described the session as follows: An electrifying highlight of this year’s program, our poetry panel features some of Australia’s most acclaimed and innovative poets putting love and rage on the page. Overland Poetry Prize winner Evelyn Araluen (The Rot) joins Maxine Beneba … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 6, Poems of love and rage
Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 5, Our worlds, our way
Evelyn Araluen, Jasmin McGaughey and Lisa Fuller with Casey Mulder The program described the session as follows: Join this exciting First Nations panel including Evelyn Araluen, Jasmin McCaughey and Lisa Fuller to explore how culture and Country influence each author’s writing. Spanning poetry, YA and children’s novels, how do Indigenous worldviews emerge? As First Nations … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 5, Our worlds, our way
Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 4, Finding Elizabeth Harrower
Susan Wyndham with Julieanne Lamond The program described the session as follows: A literary biography can be a truly fascinating exploration of the life of an author beyond their pages, and so it is with Susan Wyndham's Elizabeth Harrower: The woman in the watch tower. Harrower wrote some of the most original and highly regarded psychological … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 4, Finding Elizabeth Harrower
Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 3, Reckoning
Kate Grenville and Paul Daley with Craig Cormick The program described the session as follows: Kate Grenville’s ancestors were ‘the sharp edge of the moving blade’ of colonisation through the Hawkesbury region – the subject of her bestseller The Secret River. Now in Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place, she reflects on the reckoning that comes with … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 3, Reckoning
Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 2, What happened in the outback
Garry Disher and Gail Jones with Michael Brissenden The program described the session as follows: Join two of Australia's most highly regarded writers speak about the lure of the Australian outback with its landscapes, characters and unsettled complexity. Here we have different tales of desperate searches to uncover what has happened to two women in … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2025: 2, What happened in the outback
Whispering Gums 