It's a curious thing, isn't it? When I write my book reviews, I spend very little time on the content, focusing mostly on themes, style and context, but when I write up festivals and other literary events I find it hard to be succinct about the content. Perhaps this is because I can always go … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2019, Day 1, Session 4: Bruce Beresford and Ladies in black
Literary events
Canberra Writers Festival 2019, Day 1, Session 3: Simon Winchester in conversation with Richard Fidler
And then it was time to hop into the car, and drive over the lake for the sold-out session (as indeed was my first session of the day), Simon Winchester in conversation with Richard Fidler. There was no time for lunch! Why did I choose this session? Why not? It's Simon Winchester! This session was … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2019, Day 1, Session 3: Simon Winchester in conversation with Richard Fidler
Canberra Writers Festival 2019, Day 1, Session 2: Defining moments – True Crime Panel
The reason for my second choice for the day - a panel discussion on true crime - may not seem quite so obvious as my first, so I'll explain. I don't read a lot of crime, but I do watch it, and I have a slightly more than passing interest in true crime. I loved … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2019, Day 1, Session 2: Defining moments – True Crime Panel
Canberra Writers Festival 2019, Day 1, Session 1: Capital culture
It's Canberra Writers Festival time again. The theme continues to be Power, Politics, Passion, reflecting Canberra's specific role in Australian culture and history. I understand this. It enables the Festival organisers to carve out a particular place for itself in the crowded festival scene, but the fiction readers among us hunger for more fiction (and, for … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2019, Day 1, Session 1: Capital culture
National Bookshop Day 2019
Time for another National Bookshop Day, given my last posts were in 2013 and 2012. In those posts I named some of my favourite Canberra bookshops, particularly the National Library Bookshop, Paperchain and Beyond Q (secondhand booksellers). They are still among my favourites, but, since then, two more excellent bookshops have opened, Muse (which runs Festival Muse about … Continue reading National Bookshop Day 2019
Lecture and Book Launch: Australia’s first naturalists
I don't usually write up book launches, mostly because the speeches are brief, and I hope to eventually read and review the book itself. However, as the title of this post tells, the launch for Penny Olsen and Lynette Russell's book, Australia's first naturalists, was also billed as a lecture, hence this exception. Australia's first … Continue reading Lecture and Book Launch: Australia’s first naturalists
Stan Grant in conversation with Mark Kenny
Who could resist a conversation involving Australian journalist, author and academic, Stan Grant? Not many, it seems, which is why this ANU/The Canberra Times conversation event was held in a bigger venue than usual, Llewellyn Hall, and just as well, because the audience was indeed bigger than usual. Such is the drawcard of Stan Grant … Continue reading Stan Grant in conversation with Mark Kenny
Sydney Writers Festival 2019, Live and Local (Session 3)
And now my final event from the Sydney Writers Festival live-streamed (#SWFLiveAndLocal).program at th National Library of Australia. "I do not want to see this in print", Sunday 5 May, 4.30pm Panel: Annabel Crabb (convenor), with Samantha Maiden, Sharri Markson, Niki Savva Australian journalist Annabel Crabb, as cheeky as ever, introduced the session as being one … Continue reading Sydney Writers Festival 2019, Live and Local (Session 3)
Sydney Writers Festival 2019, Live and Local (Session 2)
I returned to the National Library of Australia today for two more live-streamed events from the Sydney Writers Festival (#SWFLiveAndLocal). As I did last year, I'll write each event up in separate posts, so here is the first of my Sunday events. Andrew Sean Greer: Less (Conversation), Sunday 5 May, 3.00pm Conversation: Andrew Sean Greer with … Continue reading Sydney Writers Festival 2019, Live and Local (Session 2)
Sydney Writers Festival 2019, Live and Local (Session 1)
As in 2018, selected Sydney Writers Festival events were live-streamed this year to 35 sites, including Canberra's National Library of Australia (#SWFLiveAndLocal). I had planned to attend most of Saturday's events, but then our annual day-trip to our friends' place in the country came up, and that's unmissable, so I only attended the last event … Continue reading Sydney Writers Festival 2019, Live and Local (Session 1)
Whispering Gums 