Looking for things to see at The Sydney Writer’s Festival?
Come along and hear some experts from Booktopia chat about the wonderful world of books…
Caroline Baum
Lost and Found
What: Writers Ailsa Piper (Sinning Across Spain) and Cheryl Strayed (Wild) have both turned to travel in a bid to find redemption and connection. They talk with Caroline Baum about the call of the road and the journeys which led them to become who they are today. Ailsa trekked 1300 kilometres across Spain from Granada to Galicia in a bid to walk off the sins of others, while Cheryl trekked 1770 kilometres along the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada in order to save herself.
When: Thursday, May 23, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
Where: Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay, 22 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay, $20/$14.
The 21st Century Author
What: Digital sharing and collaborative consumption are disrupting traditional economic models and reinventing not just what people consume, but how they consume. In this new environment how, can an author monetise their work and how will books transform as they compete for space in the digital world? Social innovator Rachel Botsman, (What’s Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption), who says we are ‘wired to share’, shows how technology will change the role of authors and looks at the potential impact on their ideas. She talks to journalist Caroline Baum.
When: Thursday, May 23, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
Where: Wharf Theatre 2, Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay, $20/$14.
Claire Messud: The Woman Upstairs
What: The New York Times bestselling author Claire Messud’s The Woman Upstairs is one of the most exhilarating reads of the year – the confession of a woman awakened, transformed and betrayed by desire for a world beyond her own. Messud speaks to Caroline Baum about this ‘scorching social anatomy, red-hot psychology, galvanising story’. Claire has been awarded both an Addison Metcalf Award and a Strauss Living Award by the American Academy of Arts.
When: Friday, May 24, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
Where: Pier 2/3 Main Stage, Pier 2/3, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay, $20/$14.
Rachael Treasure and Rural Romance
What: Author, mother, regenerative agriculturalist and ‘lover of life’, Rachael Treasure, talks to Caroline Baum about her latest novel, The Farmer’s Wife, and the phenomenon of rural romance that she kick-started with her first novel, Jillaroo. Her other bestselling books include The Stockman, based on her experience with working dog education, The Rouseabout, inspired by her wild times at Australia’s Bachelor and Spinster (B&S) Balls and The Cattleman’s Daughter.
When: Saturday, May 25, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Where: Pier 2/3 The Loft, Pier 2/3, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay, Free, no bookings.
Kate Atkinson: Life After Life
What: What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right? Life After Life follows Ursula Todd as she lives through the turbulent events of the last century, over and over. Kate Atkinson, at her most profound and inventive, speaks to Caroline Baum. ‘Kate Atkinson’s new novel is a box of delights. Ingenious in construction, indefatigably entertaining . . . If you wish to be moved and astonished, read it’ (Hilary Mantel).
When: Saturday, May 25, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Where: Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay, 22 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay, $20/$14.
John Purcell
Books to Live By
What: A great book recommendation is indeed a wonderful thing. Booksellers, with their wealth of knowledge and eyes on the most exciting new books, are often the best people to tell us what to read. Getting the right books to the right people is their special skill.
Three of Sydney’s most in-the-know booksellers and tastemakers, John Purcell, Morgan Smith and Barbara Horgan, share some of their secrets with Walter Mason and recommend their favourite books.
When: Thursday, May 23, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
Where: Sydney Dance 2, Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay, Free, no bookings
Haylee Nash
Forest for the Trees: Writers & Publishing in 2013
What: A one-day seminar looking at the current state of publishing for Australian writers. The seminar brings together writers, publishers, marketers and agents to discuss what is happening in 2013. The conversation includes digital and independent publishing, as well as the challenges the industry is now facing.
Self-published authors share how they manage being a writer, a publisher and a promoter of their own work. The day concludes with a case study looking at the creative approach one publisher is taking to promote a debut author. Hear from the writer, agent and author about their unconventional strategy.
When: Thursday, May 23, 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM.
Where: State Library of NSW, Metcalfe Auditorium, Macquarie Street Wing, Macquarie Street, Sydney, $45/$35.
For more details on these or any other events go to www.swf.org.au
About the Contributor
Andrew Cattanach
Andrew Cattanach is a regular contributor to The Booktopia Blog. He has been shortlisted for The Age Short Story Prize and was named a finalist for the 2015 Young Bookseller of the Year Award. He enjoys reading, writing and sleeping, though finds it difficult to do them all at once.
Follow Andrew: Twitter
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