6 8 August A festival of ideas, conversation and storytelling real farmers, real food LOCAL PRODUCE LIVE MUSIC GREAT COFFEE GOURMET FOOD PROUD SPONSORS OF THE BYRON WRITERS FESTIVAL BANGALOW BYRON BAY Saturdays 7-11am Thursdays 7-11am Behind the hotel Cavanbah Centre O BANGALOW BYR N FARMERS FARMER A R K E T A R K E T M est. 2004 M est. 2002 L C L C O TI O TI CA EN CA EN L AND AUTH L AND AUTH 02 6685 8466 | [email protected] | WWW.BYRONBAYFN.COM.AU 2021 Friday Program 6 Saturday Program 8 Sunday Program 10 Satellite Events 13 Workshops 17 Writers 21 Welcome to the 25th Byron Writers Festival and indeed, welcome back to the Festival grounds on beautiful Arakwal Partners 32 Country, ancient home of storytelling. What a privilege it is to be able to gather as community once again – to Site Map & Directory 34 reassure, recalibrate and revitalise. We have missed you! Now more than ever our world needs writers and stories Travel 36 for healing. At the core of our Festival is the belief in the power of story as a means to connect, heal and make Tickets & Key Info 38 change. Story provides the framework for understanding. Never more so than when we are faced with the shock of a pandemic that has insisted we learn new ways of being Held on the land of the Arakwal and engaging. Bumberbin People of the Byron Shire we In 2021 we proudly bring more than 150 writers together pay respect to the traditional owners of to create a program brimming with energy and diverse this land and acknowledge them as the voices. They include memoirists, poets, medicos, environmentalists, commentators, politicians and original storytellers of this region. artists who together shape narratives of hope, mettle and change. Some of the themes we examine include Share your moments at #byronwf2021 loneliness and the importance of cultivating an inner life, satire, Canberra culture, disability and the many ways @byronwritersfestival people experience the world, connection to community, homelands and of course, nature. @byronwritersfestival We are honoured that Jiman-Bundjalung woman, @bbwritersfest Professor Judy Atkinson, will present the 2021 annual Thea Astley Address on the subject of Listening to Truth Telling. As she writes ‘Confronting the past may be hard, painful, BOARD shameful but pathways open, and we can see a future that Chair Adam van Kempen can hold all our Stories. For these Stories are our future.’ Deputy Chair Lynda Hawryluk When people gather at the Festival we are always Treasurer Cheryl Bourne heartened by the potential for positive and powerful Secretary Hilarie Dunn Members Daniel Browning, Marele Day, outcomes. Of course, the mainstay contribution to that Lynda Dean and Grace Lucas-Pennington energy comes from our local community, the lifeblood that Great ideas need great words. has sustained Byron Writers Festival over the past TEAM 25 years. Director Edwina Johnson Universities live on ideas and our best ideas need skilled writers to bring them to life. More than ever this year’s program is a collaborative effort Head of Programs and Operations Sarah Ma Words like ‘Coral IVF’ summarise four decades of Professor Peter Harrison’s work, that is and we specially thank our guest curators Tony Birch and Head of Development Emma Keenan Roanna Gonsalves for their generous creativity. They have Site Manager & Technical Production Mic Deacon regrowing the Great Barrier Reef. Words like ‘ecological jurisprudence’ can be shorthand broadened the program scope, depth and resonance. Travel Manager Cherrie Sheldrick for the work of our law academics who advocate at the highest levels for the legal rights Festival Administrator Emily Brugman of nature. Words like ‘regenerative agriculture’ describe courses that are teaching new On behalf of the Festival Board, our sincere thanks to the Communications Manager Anika Ebner generous funders, sponsors, fellow arts organisations, Partnerships Coordinator Aarna Hudson ways of farming, to heal and regenerate the land we use in our food production. staff, patrons and volunteers who all make this much-loved Head of Production Shien Chee Festival possible. Event Coordinator Sue Anderson Schools Manager Clare Sawyer Great ideas also need space to be heard and discussed. That’s why we have been a We look forward to welcoming you all and invite you to Publicist Clare McGregor enjoy the companionship and conviviality that is at the proud partner of the Byron Writers Festival since 1997, and why our student reporting Tour Manager Zacharey Jane team is there every year to cover the festival action. essence of Byron Writers Festival. Programming Consultants Jill Eddington, Marele Day Edwina Johnson and the Festival team And a massive army of volunteers Original artwork: Petals by Katrina Brennan for Studio A scu.edu.au Byron Writers Festival is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW PROGRAM FRIDAY 6 AUGUST SOUTHERN CROSS FIRST NATIONAL FEROS CARE GREENSTONE THE SATURDAY PAPER BELONGIL ROOM UNIVERSITY MARQUEE BYRON PAVILION MARQUEE PARTNERS MARQUEE MARQUEE 9.15 — Welcome to Country with Delta Kay and the Bunyarra Dancers 9.30—10.30 1 9.30—10.1� 7 9.30—10.30 14 9.15—10.15 20 8.45—9.15 26 8.30—10.00 33 Pathways to Home Pip Williams Secret Senses Marian Wilkinson Morning Music ABC North Coast Sam Coley, Sara El Sayed, in conversation with Sophie Hardcastle, Fiona Murphy, in conversation with with Evelyn Ida Morris and Live Broadcast with Peter Polites, Chair Lynda Hawryluk Zacharey Jane Madeleine Ryan Kerry O’Brien Peter Knight Bruce Mackenzie Chair JP Pomare Supported by Southern Cross University Supported by Greenstone Partners Featuring interviews with Supported by Feros Care 9.30—10.15 27 Sara El Sayed, Mimi Kwa, Matt Okine, Craig Silvey and 10.30—11.15 8 10.30—11.30 21 Zoe Daniel Kaya Wilson 10.45—11.45 2 Sarah Sentilles 10.45—11.45 15 YA Writers: Is Anything in conversation with Bruce Wolpe Strong: Racism and via live stream, in conversation Richard Flanagan Off-Limits? Resilience with Ashley Hay 10.15—11.15 34 in conversation with Isobelle Carmody, Helena Fox, Judy Atkinson, Aminata Conteh-Biger, Jennifer Byrne Will Kostakis, Chair Marc Fennell 10.30—11.30 28 Poetry: The World in a Julie Janson, Chair Sunil Badami Grain of Sand 9 On Edge: Drugs, Madness 11.30—12.30 and the Damage Done David Hallett, Jazz Money Finding Gerald Murnane 11.45—12.45 22 Chair Anne-Marie Te Whiu 12.00—1.00 3 12.00—1.00 16 James Dunk, Benjamin Gilmour, Peter Knight, Chair Michael Williams Consent When Life Becomes Story Stories of Love and Antony Loewenstein 35 Sophie Hardcastle, Kathryn Heyman Chair Linda Jaivin 11.30—12.15 Mimi Kwa, Fiona Murphy, Heartbreak Chair Mandy Nolan Veronica Heritage-Gorrie Kaya Wilson, Chair Caroline Baum Hayley Katzen, Will Kostakis, 10 in conversation with 12.45—1.45 Peter Polites, Chair Nevo Zisin Supported by Milligram 11.45—12.45 29 Daniel Browning First Do No Harm: Ethics Supported by Paradiso and Medicine 1.00—2.00 23 Take a Deep Breath: 1.15—2.15 4 Raina MacIntyre, John Rasko, No Shame: Women Writing Personal Trauma 36 1.15—2.15 17 12.30—1.15 The Mungo Panel: Has Norman Swan, Chair Paul Barclay Speaking Frankly Lech Blaine, Amani Haydar, Christine Jackman Supported by Rochdale Accounting & Homelands Ren Alessandra, Shu-Ling Chua, Rick Morton, Chair David Roland the Media Lost its Mojo? in conversation with Business Advisory Randa Abdel-Fattah, Louisa Lim, Lucy Peach, Chair Linda Jaivin Supported by Quarterly Essay Karen Middleton, Kerry O’Brien Sana Qadar Margaret Simons Antony Loewenstein Chair Osman Faruqi Chair Barrie Cassidy 2.00—2.45 11 2.15—3.15 24 1.00—2.00 30 Jack Beaumont Robert Dessaix Can Fiction be History? 1.30—2.30 37 in conversation with 2.30—3.30 5 in conversation with Julie Janson, Mirandi Riwoe, Poetry: Straight to the Sarah Kanowski Archie Roach 2.30—3.30 18 Nicole Abadee Jock Serong Heart of the Matter The Betoota Advocate: Chair Roanna Gonsalves in conversation with Supported by The Book Room Tony Birch, Erik Jensen Daniel Browning 12 Outback Spin Chair Lynda Hawryluk 3.00—4.00 Becky Lucas, Clancy Overell, Short Fiction Big Themes 3.30—4.30 25 2.15—3.15 31 Errol Parker, Chair Marc Fennell 38 Emma Ashmere, Roanna Gonsalves, Supported by Stone & Wood He She They: Talking What’s Your Family Like? 2.45—3.45 4.00—5.00 6 Mirandi Riwoe, Chair Chris Hanley About Gender Sara El Sayed, Mimi Kwa, Love and Control Supported by First National Byron Christopher Raja Amani Haydar, Alice Pung From Canberra to Jazz Money, Kaya Wilson, Chair Sunil Badami Chair Krissy Kneen Washington: What’s 3.45—4.45 19 Nevo Zisin, Chair Ren Alessandra Happened to Politics? 13 Young Guns Zoe Daniel, Karen Middleton, 4.15—5.15 3.30—4.30 32 Kavita Bedford, Sam Coley, Margaret Simons, Chair Peter Greste Evie Wyld Madeleine Ryan Traumatic States of Mind: Supported by 89 Degrees East via live stream, in conversation Chair Nicole Abadee Colonial History Communications with Jennifer Byrne Judy Atkinson, James Dunk, Mark McKenna Chair Julianne Schultz Auslan interpretation available. For details visit 6 Program subject to change. For updates visit byronwritersfestival.com/festival-program byronwritersfestival.com/access 7 PROGRAM SATURDAY 7 AUGUST SOUTHERN CROSS FIRST NATIONAL FEROS CARE GREENSTONE THE SATURDAY PAPER BELONGIL ROOM UNIVERSITY BYRON PAVILION MARQUEE PARTNERS MARQUEE MARQUEE MARQUEE 9.00—10.00 39 9.00—9.45 46 9.00—10.00 53 9.00—9.45 60 8.15—8.45 67 10.00—11.00 75 We Need to Talk Mehreen Faruqi What Life Has Taught Me Mark McKenna Morning Music Loneliness in the Age About China in conversation