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
Literary events
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
Monday musings on Australian literature: ConSYDeration, and some poetry
Back in March, I wrote a Monday Musings on the Blake Poetry Prize, which is a poetry prize managed by the Liverpool Powerhouse in conjunction with WestWords. WestWords is one active organisation, and is clearly good at finding partners to further its aims. Based in Parramatta in Western Sydney, the WestWords Centre for Writing describes … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: ConSYDeration, and some poetry
Jessy Wu in conversation with Jasper Lindell
It was unfortunate that this Meet-the-Author event coincided with school and university holidays, not to mention a cold Canberra evening, resulting in a small turnout, because the conversation spoke particularly to the career and life challenges facing millennials and Gen Z. This is not to say that it didn't also speak to older generations, because … Continue reading Jessy Wu in conversation with Jasper Lindell
ACT Literary Awards 2026
Last night, I attended the presentation of the ACT Literary Awards (as I have attended for the last few years). These awards are made by Marion (previously, the ACT Writers Centre), and were again emceed by CEO, Katy Mutton, and Board Chair, Emma Batchelor. The dress code was "Smart Casual to Creative Cocktail Attire". Ms … Continue reading ACT Literary Awards 2026
Shaun Micallef in conversation with Adam Shirley
We got to this week's Meet the Author evening early, and found the author, Shaun Micallef, signing books, so I bought a copy and got in line. When it came to my turn, I told him that only he could get me to read a book about vampires, to which he answered, teasingly but also … Continue reading Shaun Micallef in conversation with Adam Shirley
