The program for the Melbourne Writers Festival was released late last week to much excitement and fanfare (including a site crash, I believe, due to traffic). After getting home from my travels to Sydney, I sat down to go through it thoroughly and was very impressed. So many excellent events and I really love the ever-increasing presence of practical and immersive workshops – I’m teaching one, as it happens, but more on that at the end of the post.
Although I’ll highlight 10 sessions, I just want to say that I originally had about 20 tabs open in my browser. It was hard to whittle the list down!
So here we go, my top picks for the festival (in no particular order) include:
Eleanor Catton on Reading
Not only is Eleanor Catton a talented writer with a Booker Prize under her belt, but she created and funded her own grant to give writers time to read. Very interested to hear more.
The Politics and Pleasures of Walking
Will Self and Sophie Cunningham will be talking about what walking means. I’m a big fan of walking, even more so these days when my running has taken a backseat. I ran into one of my blogging students last month and he told me about the Coast to Coast Walk in England, from the Lakes District to Robin Hood’s Bay (that explained all the hikers we passed as we drove through the North York Moors National Park on our way to Whitby). I would love to do that one day. The physical benefits are obvious, too: I remember Stephen Fry losing a large amount of weight a few years ago by walking and listening to audio books.
Blurred Lines: Fact vs Fiction
I remember Miles Allinson from when I published Miscellaneous Voices and being impressed with his writing, and I’ve heard a lot of buzz about Oliver Mols in recent times. Together they’re talking about a part of writing I find really intriguing (and tricky) – navigating that line between fiction and fact.
Seminar: Podcasting Toolkit
Podcasting is huge at the moment and a lot of people would like to get started but don’t know how. Well, don’t worry – you’re in very experienced hands with Dion and Jess from The ReReaders, one of the few podcasts I listen to regularly. I’m sure they’ll set you in the right direction!
Health & Happiness Dot Com
A session which I’m sure will draw a big crowd, Leo Babauta and Sarah Wilson will be in conversation with Festival Director Lisa Dempster, talking about health, wellness and community, among other subjects. Given the controversies that have befallen the digital wellness world this year, such as Belle Gibson, and the consequential sadness and anger by those affected, I’m sure there will be a lot to talk about.
Women in Media: Keeping up Appearances
From the website: “How do women in media deal with the pressure to look ‘good’ and behave ‘properly’? Is there room to defy the overwhelming expectations of the public gaze? Find out from two women on the TV frontline: Ita Buttrose and Jessica Rowe.”
Annabel Crabb & Kate Grenville: Wives & Mothers
Honestly, they had me at ‘Annabel Crabb & Kate Genville’.
Bringing Your Brand to Life
A session that will appeal to some people more than others, I definitely fall into the ‘yes’ camp. If you have an online presence and want to explore or develop it further, or if you just want the concept of ‘branding’ explained, then Lucy Feagins will be able to help. She’s one of the best there is.
The New Gothic
I’m a sucker for the gothic genre – I read it, I write it (well, ‘dabble’ is a better description), and even wrote a Masters thesis about it. It will never go away, because when done well it is masterful and transcendent. As any fan of Angela Carter or Margaret Atwood or the Bronte sisters – for starters – will tell you.
Good (Enough) Mothers
There is an abundance of mother/parenting/creativity balance sessions this year, so it was hard to narrow these down, but I liked this line in the session description: “(they) talk about why they choose not to live up to society’s unrealistic expectations of motherhood”. Yes, and amen.
Here’s my workshop:
Workshop: Blogging for Beginners
“Give your new blog the best possible start in life with advice from writer, publisher and blogger Karen Andrews. Tips on identifying quality content, blogging to gain wider exposure and monetisation will see your baby grow up big and strong. With a maximum capacity of 20 people, book early to avoid disappointment.”
Sat 22 Aug 3pm
Northcote Town Hall – Studio 2
I’ve got so much to pack into two hours! I’d love to see you there.
Have you had a chance to look at the program yet? What do you think? Lots of free events too (for example, the gothic one I mentioned above is free), and that’s great to see.
