C&G Highlight: The Melbourne Writers Festival
It’s back! The Melbourne Writers Festival is set to return from the 25 August – 3rd September. Now in its third decade, the festival brings avid bookworms a full schedule packed with exhibitions, workshops and industry panels. From nonfiction to fantasy, children’s titles to cookery - there are page-turners waiting at every corner. In today’s blog, C&G have gathered a few highlights from one of our favorite annual festivals.
Start your Writers Festival off the in true Melbourne style – with a celebration! Kim Scott, award-winning Australian author, will deliver the opening night address. Scott’s work explores reconstructed narratives of Indigenous experience, probing the archives of history. There will be also be a dynamic musical performance of Indigenous song courtesy of The Mission Songs Project and DJ Sovereign Trax will bring a playlist of the best music from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to the dancefloor. It’s sure to be an immersive and enjoyable start to the festival, book your tickets here.
Joyce Carol Oates: Bearing Witness
You’ve heard her name, but have you heard her speak? Iconic American author Joyce Carol Oates will join the festival on August 26 to discuss how authors witness the world around them, and then reflect and critique it using imagined worlds. Oates will also discuss how fiction gives readers and writers the opportunity to understand complex issues in multifaceted ways, and from other’s perspectives. This is a rare chance to see a hero of literature – grab your tickets here.
This session we’ve highlighted for its relevance in our daily lived experience. In the age of Netflix, TV on demand and mobile streaming – it’s true that TV shows are created to be devoured - in binge watching sessions! How has this changed screenwriting as an art? Three local creatives, Megan Abbott (The Deuce), Brodie Lancaster (No Way! Okay, Fine) and Benjamin Law (The Family Law) will talk you through it. Tickets here.
Whether you’re a Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin or Ravenclaw – you’re invited to join this free all-ages celebration of 20 years of the boy who lived. There will be activities for younger fans such as the Harry Potter Dress Up Parade and a screening of The Philosopher’s Stone, but also panels, trivia and a live podcast for our fellow evergreen fans. This is sure to be a magical day for muggles and wizards alike, explore the full program here.
These recommendations barely scratch the surface of all there is to see and do at MWF 2017. Grab your tickets and event passes online and let us know what you’ll be attending!
