At a wonderfully attended and entertaining launch last Wednesday night, the 2013 Emerging Writers’ Festival program was revealed to all (with immediate ticket sales, which is always nice). It’s been an intense period, getting it ready to go online and behind-the-scenes, but it’s worth it.
Last night, as I was tucking Keira into bed, she asked me how far away the festival was, and if she could come to anything? Her only experience in the past has been on short stints with me at Page Parlour, down at Federation Square – no mean feat when you’re young and get wriggly easy (or if you’re an adult too, for that matter) – and it’s nice to see her taking an interest.
So, with her request in mind, I thought I would put together a little ‘family friendly event’ guide for parents interested in coming along with their tribe.
There’s a few things I can recommend, and they fall on our second weekend of the festival. In a new, exciting partnership, it will be held among the various rooms and settings around Abbotsford Convent, itself an attractive visiting place for families, at any time. There’s plenty of room to wander, get food, and relax: lending itself nicely to the weekend theme of writing and well-being.
Wild, Wild Life: An Evening of Animal Stories – Saturday 1 June, 6.30pm
“Ready to go wild? Join us for an intimate night of storytelling with a non-human edge. Writers and illustrators explore their side, telling ferocious stories. We’ve matched these talented storytellers with a sound artist to provide a soundtrack of calls from the wild. Whales, birds, tigers, donkeys, dogs and more feature in this unique program.
Featuring OSLO DAVIS, REBECCA GIGGS, LK HOLT, LAURA JEAN MCKAY, MARC MARTIN, JOSEPHINE ROWE and KHAIRANI ‘OKKA’ BAROKKA. With a wild soundtrack by MICHAEL PRIOR.”
What I love about this – apart from the talent – is that children under the age of 12 can get in for free!
The Slow Canoe Reading Winter’s Picnic – Sunday 1 June, 1pm
“Slow Canoe Readings are a wonderful new reading event in Melbourne. Bring your rug for a special indoor picnic with a series of lunchtime stories hosted by the storytelling collective Slow Canoe Readings. The stories will be themed around food to grow your appetite. Hear some of the best new work by Australian emerging writers.
With singer-songwriter, AL PARKINSON, cartoonist MIKE BAYLISS, fiction writer ISABELL LI, non-fiction writer ELLENA SAVAGE and the winner of a special competition run by SLOW CANOE READINGS!”
This is free! And, also, how romantic and fun does a mass indoor picnic sound?
Within the Writers’ Retreat main programming of panels, topics up for discussion include nature writing, food writing, work-life balance, being active and many others. I’ll be appearing on the panel below.
FAMILY, PARENTHOOD AND WRITING, Saturday 1 June, 11 am – 12pm
“Words have long held the power to seduce, subvert and persuade so what don’t you want your family to read? Some of your own writing may touch on sensitive topics, too. Maybe you are writing a personal memoir with certain passages you don’t want your parents to read? How do writers balance their family life with creative work?
With KAREN ANDREWS, BRENDAN RYAN, MONICA DUX and VANESSA RUSSELL.”
Admission is free! (I KNOW) Read the full line up here.
If you’re planning on coming to any EWF event, let me know! I know a bunch of my friends came last year for the first time and loved it – so trust me, you’ll be glad you did! I’ll be at most things, I’ll probably see you there!
