In 2019, I wrote a detailed wrap-up of that year's Canberra Writers Festival, and I thought to do one this year, though I didn't have the fascinating stats I had in 2019. However, with this year's festival bumping up against November, which is a very busy month in the blogosphere, I've decided to scale down … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Final thoughts on Canberra Writers Festival 2024
Canberra Writers Festival
Canberra Writers Festival 2024: 6, The case for critics
Presented in partnership with Sydney Review of Books and Radio National’s The Bookshelf This was my final session of the festival, and it felt the perfect choice after five sessions focussing on authors and their novels. The program described it this way: Derided, disparaged and cursed to the heavens, book critics are depicted as literature’s … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2024: 6, The case for critics
Canberra Writers Festival 2024: 5, Your favourites: Anita Heiss
In conversation with Astrid Edwards Astrid Edwards is a podcaster who conducted a "conversation" I attended at last year's Festival (my post), while Wiradyuri writer Anita Heiss (my posts) has made frequent appearances on my blog. This was my second (and final) "Your favourites" session at the Festival, though there were more in the program. … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2024: 5, Your favourites: Anita Heiss
Canberra Writers Festival 2024: 4, Your favourites: Robbie Arnott
In conversation with Karen Viggers Karen Viggers is no stranger to this blog (my posts), and I have read Robbie Arnott's previous novel, Limberlost (my review). One of several "Your favourites" sessions with loved authors, this one was described as Robbie Arnott’s fiction is steeped in the wild: women return from the dead as walking … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2024: 4, Your favourites: Robbie Arnott
Canberra Writers Festival 2024: 3, Get thee to the nunnery
Emily Maguire and Charlotte Wood with Kate Mildenhall I chose this session primarily because of Charlotte Wood, given I’d seen Emily Maguire the day before, but her presence was plus, as was having author Kate Mildenhall conduct the conversation. Here is the session's description in the program: Emily Maguire and Charlotte Wood have both written … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2024: 3, Get thee to the nunnery
Canberra Writers Festival 2024: 2, History repeating
Another preamble What I didn't say in my first post on this year's festival is that the venue where I attended the sessions today is a favourite of mine - and not only because it's where I spent most of my working career. This year, some strands of the festival are being held at the … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2024: 2, History repeating
Canberra Writers Festival 2024: 1, The most interesting man in OzLit
A preamble The Canberra Writers Festival is back in 2024, with last year's wonderful Artistic Director, the writer and critic Beejay Silcox. The Festival's theme continues to be "Power Politics Passion", although that tagline is not quite so visible on the website. This is good - to my mind at least. Last year, under Beejay … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2024: 1, The most interesting man in OzLit
Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 4, Into the Wild
How good was it that my two sessions today involved books my reading group has done this year, Debra Dank's We come with this place, and, in this session, Robbie Arnott's Limberlost. The session, subtitled "Robbie Arnott in conversation with Astrid Edwards", sounded broader in ambit: Robbie Arnott’s fiction is steeped in the wild: women … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 4, Into the Wild
Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 3, A Jewel of a Book
Which book you are presumably wondering? The session's subtitle will give you a hint: Debra Dank in Conversation with Evelyn Araluen. The book, then, is Debra Dank's We come with this place, which won a record four prizes in this year's NSW Premier's Literary Awards (as I described in my post). The session description commenced … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 3, A Jewel of a Book
Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 2, Celebrating the classics
When I saw the line-up for this session - Debra Dank, Evelyn Araluen, Ellen Van Neerven and Yasmin Smith - I was in. I have read and admired writing by three of these writers and was keen to attend that rare thing, an all First Nations panel. Its topic was described as follows: A new … Continue reading Canberra Writers Festival 2023: 2, Celebrating the classics
Whispering Gums 