In yesterday's post on the Yarra Valley Writers Festival (YVWF) crime panel, I mentioned Sulari Gentill's intitiative which saw four Australian crime writers taking Australian crime to the USA last year. Called On the Run: Australian Crime Writers in America, it's such an inspired project that I thought it deserved its own post, a Monday Musings post, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: On the Run (Aussie crime writers in America)
Literary events
Yarra Valley Writers Festival 2020 (online): If I tell you I’m going to have to kill you (Crime panel)
This is my second report of the sessions I attended of the first Yarra Valley Literary Festival. I hope to write up more, but you can also check Lisa's blog for her posts. She did not, however, attend Christos Tsiolkas - see my post - nor this crime panel. Like Lisa, I really read crime, but … Continue reading Yarra Valley Writers Festival 2020 (online): If I tell you I’m going to have to kill you (Crime panel)
Yarra Valley Writers Festival 2020 (online): Road to Damascus (Christos Tsiolkas with Angela Savage)
Today I attended several sessions of the first Yarra Valley Literary Festival, which the organisers turned around and converted to an online event with the arrival in our lives of COVID-19. I plan to write up a couple more sessions over the next week, when time permits, but you can also check Lisa's blog for her … Continue reading Yarra Valley Writers Festival 2020 (online): Road to Damascus (Christos Tsiolkas with Angela Savage)
Writers in Residence: An Online Festival
With information coming from every which way, I'm not sure how I heard about the Writers in Residence online festival. Organised by The Writers Bloc and inspired by Isol-Aid, its aim was to "ask some of Australia's most exciting emerging writers to read from their new books" and share "what they've been reading in isolation". It … Continue reading Writers in Residence: An Online Festival
Writing War: A panel discussion about war and historical writing
In its original guise, I would not have been able to attend Writing war: A panel discussion featuring Nigel Featherstone, Melanie Myers and Simon Cleary because it was going to be held in Brisbane's Avid Readers bookstore. However, in one of those lucky COVID-19 silver linings, the discussion was transformed into an online ZOOM discussion and, hey presto, … Continue reading Writing War: A panel discussion about war and historical writing
World Poetry Day 2020
I have written two World Poetry Day posts before, in 2016 and 2018, so why not again in 2020, particularly given, more than any year, we are probably in need of hearing what poets have to say - of being soothed, inspired, entertained, or yes, even admonished by them. Awarnessdays.com says of World Poetry Day: … Continue reading World Poetry Day 2020
My literary week (16), values and truth
Wow, it's been a year since my last literary week post. How did that happen? I have had many literary weeks since then - haha - including a few that I even thought writing about, but each time something got in the way. This time, though, I'm not letting it ... Family values ... I … Continue reading My literary week (16), values and truth
Author event: Heidi Sze on her book Nurturing your new life
A book primarily intended for postpartum mothers is not really the sort of book Whispering Gums' readers would expect to see here, but let me explain. Melbourne-based Heidi Sze started her food blog, Apples Under My Bed, the same year I started mine. However, that's not our link. Rather, it's that later that year, Daughter … Continue reading Author event: Heidi Sze on her book Nurturing your new life
The Constructive Critic (Panel discussion)
For some reason that I can't quite explain - a sudden rush to the head methinks - I agreed to be part of a panel being organised by the ACT Writers Centre for this year's Design Canberra Festival. The panel, called The Constructive Critic, was described as a unique panel discussion about art criticism across … Continue reading The Constructive Critic (Panel discussion)
Helen Garner in conversation with Sarah Krasnostein
To say I was thrilled when Son Gums' partner offered to buy tickets for us to see Helen Garner in conversation (last Saturday) would be an understatement. I have never seen Garner live before so that would be one bucket-list item ticked had I a bucket list! The fact that the conversation was to be … Continue reading Helen Garner in conversation with Sarah Krasnostein
Whispering Gums 