On Friday night I went to my fourth consecutive Seymour Biography Lecture at the National Library of Australia. A highlight on the Library's calendar, it's an annual lecture devoted to life-writing, and was endowed by the Seymours in 2005. This year's speaker, Richard Fidler, was, at first glance, a surprising pick - but a very popular one. He … Continue reading Telling and writing the story: Richard Fidler’s Seymour Biography Lecture
National Library of Australia
Monday musings on Australian literature: New Territory 2018
Last year, some of you will remember, I was a mentor for the ACT Writers' Centre ACT Lit-bloggers of the future program. It was great fun, and I really enjoyed working with Angharad and Emma over the six-months the program lasted. I wrote a couple of posts about the program, but if you'd like to … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: New Territory 2018
Sydney Writers Festival 2018, Live-streaming (Session 1)
May is such a busy month for birthdays and anniversaries in the Gums world that I hardly ever get to the Sydney Writers Festival, even though it is not much more than 3 hours drive away. I was consequently thrilled to discover that this year the National Library of Australia, Canberra, would be one of … Continue reading Sydney Writers Festival 2018, Live-streaming (Session 1)
Unbreakable: Conversation with Jelena Dokic
If you are a fan of professional tennis you will probably have heard of Jelena Dokic who hit the world stage during the 1999 Wimbledon Championships. She was just 16 years old, and, as Wikipedia writes, "achieved one of the biggest upsets in tennis history, beating Martina Hingis 6-2, 6-0. This remains the only time … Continue reading Unbreakable: Conversation with Jelena Dokic
A paradox of empowerment: Kim Scott’s Ray Mathew Lecture
Why was Raimond Gaita's Seymour Biography Lecture booked out, but not Kim Scott's Ray Mathew Lecture*. Both lectures, held at the National Library of Australia, are endowed by generous benefactors and are free. Don't get me wrong. I love that Gaita was booked out, but so should double Miles-Franklin-winner Noongar-author Kim Scott have been. His novel, That deadman … Continue reading A paradox of empowerment: Kim Scott’s Ray Mathew Lecture
Truth, Truthfulness, Self, Voice: Raimond Gaita’s Seymour Biography Lecture
This week Mr Gums, Brother Gums and I went to one of the highlights of Canberra's literary calendar, the Seymour Biography Lecture at the National Library of Australia. It's an annual lecture devoted to life-writing, and was endowed by the Seymours in 2005. This is the third one Mr Gums and I have attended, the first in 2015 being … Continue reading Truth, Truthfulness, Self, Voice: Raimond Gaita’s Seymour Biography Lecture
Monday musings on Australian literature: ACT Litbloggers under way
A few weeks ago I posted on the ACT Litblogging program for which I am a mentor. But, I'll just recap in case you missed that post. Titled ACT Lit-bloggers of the Future, this is a collaborative program between the ACT Writers Centre and the National Library of Australia (NLA). It provides for two emerging ACT-region … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: ACT Litbloggers under way
Telling Indigenous Australian stories
This weekend is particularly significant for indigenous Australians. No, let me rephrase that: it's significant for all Australians because what happens to indigenous Australians marks who we are as a nation. And, right now, who we are is not wonderful. Anniversaries galore If you're Australian, you'll know what I'm talking about, but for everyone else, the … Continue reading Telling Indigenous Australian stories
Monday musings on Australian literature: NLA Publishing, and some free e-Books
I was idly following links around the 'net over the weekend and somehow ended up at NLA Publishing's site. For those of you who don't know, they are the publishing arm of the National Library of Australia. I first mentioned them back in 2011 when I referred to publisher Alec Bolton as the person who established … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: NLA Publishing, and some free e-Books
Here I stand: David Marr’s Seymour Biography Lecture
This week Mr Gums and I went to our second Seymour Biography Lecture, an annual lecture devoted to life-writing which was endowed by the Seymours in 2005. Our first, last year, was given by Robert Drewe who discussed memoir as a form of life-writing that is differentiated from but as valid as autobiography. It was a wonderful lecture, so … Continue reading Here I stand: David Marr’s Seymour Biography Lecture
Whispering Gums 