I write again from bed, still recovering from this ridiculously prolonged cold. Despite not feeling the best for much of the second weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed the 2012 Melbourne Writers Festival and my roles as Morning Read MC and official blogger. There were five Morning Read sessions, each featuring four (diverse) writers. The audience seemed … Continue reading Melbourne Writers Festival 2012: summary
MWF
Birds of a feather: Melbourne Writers Festival 2011 diary, part two
Left: A burrowing owl In the back of my notebook is the beginning of a drawing of an escalator. I was hiding between things, being alone; couldn't sit still, started tweeting. Should have gone outside and found some birds. I attended the session Birds of a Feather mainly because I love to hear people … Continue reading Birds of a feather: Melbourne Writers Festival 2011 diary, part two
Lab coats, lit journals & marrying frogs: Melbourne Writers Festival 2011 diary, part one
It’s that time of the year again, where authors, poets, thinkers and drinkers congregate in Melbourne, and we go along to hear their thoughts about work and life. As I was away in the lead-up, I'm not doing any chairing or official duties this year. I get to go along and enjoy the talks, readings, … Continue reading Lab coats, lit journals & marrying frogs: Melbourne Writers Festival 2011 diary, part one
Melbourne Writers Festival 2009 diary part seven: debuts, exquisite short fiction, the bleak outsider, and erotic celebration
Friday 28/8 Debut With Style was chaired by Mr McSweeney's, Eli Horowitz, and on the panel were Evie Wyld, Reif Larsen, Hitomi Kanehara (pictured below) and Lisa Unger. All had a different experience of 'debuting'. Larsen had a 'burning desire' to write The Collected Works of TS Spivetand the publication was almost a bonus. Unger wrote … Continue reading Melbourne Writers Festival 2009 diary part seven: debuts, exquisite short fiction, the bleak outsider, and erotic celebration
Melbourne Writers Festival 2009 diary part two: Grenville, Michaels and the 'engine of curiosity'
Stories everywhere: The guy in the ACMI cafe shares my love of David Bowie, and they make a mean ham toastie. The title of the session Oranges are the Only Fruit alludes the the Orange Prize, which guests Anne Michaels and Kate Grenville have both won. Peter Clarke was a generous and intelligent chair, steering … Continue reading Melbourne Writers Festival 2009 diary part two: Grenville, Michaels and the 'engine of curiosity'
It begins! Melbourne Writers Festival 2009 diary part one: champagne, the city, Mieville's guns, Amsterdam's awards and Schlink's guilt
Thursday 20/8 The elevator ride up to the Text Publishing par-tay on Thursday evening was devastatingly long (I'm a semi-claustrophobe, to add to my other semi-disorders). I met up with Kathy Charles beforehand (a Text author) to discuss my launching of her book, Hollywood Ending. The champagne flowed, the conversations were half-chewed like the piece … Continue reading It begins! Melbourne Writers Festival 2009 diary part one: champagne, the city, Mieville's guns, Amsterdam's awards and Schlink's guilt
The Danger Game by Kalinda Ashton
Sleepers Publishing August 2009, Australia 9781740668132 Three children - one insular, one bold, and one stubborn and growing - dare each other to undertake dangerous or humiliating tasks in the 'danger game'. Their lives are daring enough, with an unstable father and a mother on-edge, and mature secrets inside each of their little heads. Only two of … Continue reading The Danger Game by Kalinda Ashton
Bike, tram and bar launches
Wow, what a week! On Monday afternoon I fell off my bike, gorifying one knee, but it is starting to heal up. Unfortunately my bike is still f**ked. The front brake is in love with the front wheel and won't let go of it. Hopefully I'll get a chance to get it looked at soon. … Continue reading Bike, tram and bar launches
Big fat round-up post + May haiku comp winners
Hey gang. Are you cool? Be cool. Only got about a quarter of the response to this month's haiku comp - doh! The them was 'the richness of the internet'. Thinking I might have to do it only every two months, or perhaps the topic was hard? Nonetheless, there were a few good'uns. The winner … Continue reading Big fat round-up post + May haiku comp winners
Melbourne Writers Festival 2008 Diary – Part 3
Saturday August 30 I've known for years I have to do something about the fact I've only read three of John Marsden's books. And now he's gone and adapted my favourite Shakespeare tragedy Hamlet. Unmissable. Especially when he talked with such genuine passion about his influences in the session 'Old Wine in New Bottles' on … Continue reading Melbourne Writers Festival 2008 Diary – Part 3
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