MELBOURNE WRITERS FESTIVAL DIGITAL

7 A U G U S T – 16 AUGUST MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL WELCOME

In what meaningful and transformative how we connect with each other and our environment and, importantly, they will ways do we attend to the issues celebrate their books and writing that hold of our time? A perennial question our attention despite the world in which we asked throughout history by all who find ourselves. pay attention to the world. Recent Brimming with heart, intellect and curiosity, events have bluntly highlighted that I hope this Festival is the celebration and We respectfully acknowledge that today’s concerns – the climate crisis, refuge you need. globalisation and capitalism, and racial, I hope that it captures your attention. Writers Festival is created on cultural and economic inequity – are See you soon. the traditional lands of the Kulin Nation, all connected. To paraphrase Martin Gene Smith in particular the Wurundjeri and Boon Luther King Jr: injustice anywhere, Associate Director injustice everywhere. Wurrung people. We pay our respects Frustratingly, the conversations we’re having today about these problems are the same to Elders past, present and emerging. that were had decades ago. Jenny Odell, a guest at this year’s Festival, challenges us on this notion of repetition by declaring: ‘if you were reading a book whose pages began to seem more and more similar, until you were reading the same page over and over again, you would put that book down.’ Another SMITH perennial question: when we’re not happy with the circumstances of yesterday and today, what can we do to change those of tomorrow? Which book do we pick up next? To help you decide, this August more than 100 of the world’s most perspicacious writers GENE and thinkers will converge under the banner of the Festival’s theme, Attention. Through its lens, they will question who we give our attention to and why, unpack how crises and other major events force us to reconsider

2 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 3 7 & 8 AUGUST 8 AUGUST FINDING THE HEART KATE WRIGHT EVELYN OF THE NATION GRENVILLE ARALUEN FRI 7 AUG, 7–8 PM ‘When you read this book, you will be feeling the pulse of this beautiful country, Australia.’ The Uluru Statement, created in 2017, is a rallying cry to enshrine First Nations’ voices in the Australian Constitution. Torres Strait LAWRENCE Islander writer Thomas Mayor spent 18 months travelling across the country to garner support for the Statement – now, with Finding the Heart of the Nation, Mayor brings that journey to all Australians. Mayor is joined by academic Megan Davis and lawyer Teela Reid to discuss what THE OUTSET: DO NOT LAWRENCE WRIGHT: MEDITATIONS IN Black Lives Matter should mean in a land wrought by colonisation and in which First BELIEVE TOO QUICKLY THE END OF OCTOBER AN EMERGENCY Nations’ sovereignty was never ceded, and SAT 8 AUG SAT 8 AUG, 10–11 AM SAT 8 AUG, 11AM – 12PM PODCAST the vital importance of the Uluru Statement ‘Now, as I read the papers and watch the In his 1954 poem ‘Meditations in an in the fight for Indigenous rights. Stories are our survival and our delight. news, I have that same unsettled sensation Emergency’, Frank O’Hara declared, with Supported by Australian Communities They carve a path through the confusion of revisiting scenes that I have already ambiguous irony, ‘Destroy yourself, if you Foundation of unprecedented times. But behind each written.’ don’t know!’ story that’s told stands another, silenced When Lawrence Wright wrote The End of Join Evelyn Araluen, Toby Fitch, Ursula one. How can we attend to those unheard October – in which a deadly virus works its Robinson-Shaw and Darlene Silva truths and reach a more nuanced way around the world, leaving economic Soberano for poetic performances understanding of our past and the present? M AYOR meltdown, conspiracy theories, and mass responding to the increasingly precarious In the Festival’s opening address, acclaimed death in its wake – he understood that such state of the world, and a tribute to the late, author (A Room Made of a disaster was a possibility. But he had no radical poet, Sean Bonney (1969–2019), Leaves) considers truth, fiction and the idea it would be realised so soon. whose final book Our Death is a work of stories that urgently need our attention. Here, the author and New Yorker staff writer radiant fury, lament and refusal. sits down to discuss his brilliant and In partnership with Australian Poetry THOMAS all-too-prescient novel. With Claire Nichols.

4 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 5 8 AUGUST 8 AUGUST ADLER JOSHI BECKY AFTER MANAWATU AUSTRALIA PAUL SAT 8 AUG, 2–3 PM

In this daring collection of speculative KETAN fiction, 12 Indigenous writers and writers of colour offer up visions of Australia’s possible futures: after colonisation, after white supremacy, and after climate change. Authors Claire G Coleman and Omar Sakr sit down with After Australia editor Michael Mohammed Ahmad to discuss their contributions and the broader aims of this THE FIFTH ESTATE: bold, provocative and galvanising anthology. BECKY MANAWATU: THE FUTURE OF A MATTER SOCIALISM AUĒ SAT 8 AUG, 12–1 PM OF FACT SAT 8 AUG, 5–6 PM SAT 8 AUG, 4–5 PM ‘Democratic socialism is not a leap into the ‘I hadn’t said a word in so long because I was As certain branches across politics and the unknown. Capitalist industry has built the afraid of how I’d sound. I hoped it would stop media push mistruths, half-truths and lies foundations for a world beyond capitalism him, me not talking. Worry him a bit. But about the cause and severity of the climate and its crises.’ even when I didn’t say goodbye, he left.’ crisis in Australia, identifying reliable, In The 99 Percent Economy: How science-backed information is increasingly Written by Ngāi Tahu author and journalist Democratic Socialism Can Overcome the G COLEMAN a challenge. Becky Manawatu, Auē is a work of gritty, Crises of Capitalism, Paul Adler argues social realist fiction centring on the lives of But how do we identify misinformation in that the only way to save society from orphaned brothers: eight-year-old Arama the battle against climate change, and what catastrophic collapse is to adopt and teenager Taukiri. can we do to counter it? Academic Judith democratic socialism. Brett (The Coal Curse) and renewable Dealing with themes of domestic violence,

Adler joins Sally Warhaft for a discussion CLAIRE energy expert Ketan Joshi (Windfall) join gang culture, curdled masculinity and that elucidates how our current economy Graham Readfearn in conversation. fractured families, this award-winning debut serves about one per cent of the world from a uniquely New Zealand voice Supported by the Department of population, why it barely works for the rest captures remarkable insights into the minds Environment, Land, Water and Planning of us, and what we can do to change it – of children and young men. Join Manawatu before it’s too late. in conversation with Tara June Winch. In partnership with the Wheeler Centre

6 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 7 8 AUGUST 9 AUGUST CHARLOTTE KEVIN HANNAN SOPHIE McCONAGHY: THE N WA K M c

LAST MIGRATION NEILL SAT 8 AUG, 7–8 PM ‘The animals are dying. Soon we will be alone here.’ VICTORIA The highly anticipated The Last Migration is a haunting love letter to the natural world, to the wild places and creatures threatened by climate change. It’s also a profoundly observed story of one young woman’s quest to bear witness to the migration of the world’s last remaining flock of Arctic terns. Join author Charlotte McConaghy for an insight into what has been hailed as VICTORIA HANNAN: ‘an astounding meditation on love, trauma, KEVIN KOKOMO WE CAN’T and the cost of survival’. With Nadia Bailey. SUN 9 AUG, 10–11 AM KWAN: ‘She wanted to be taken apart and put back SAY WE together, a kettle filled, boiled, emptied and SEX AND refilled again.’ DIDN’T Winner of the 2019 Victorian Premier’s VANITY Literary Award for an unpublished KNOW SAT 8 AUG, 8–9 PM manuscript, Kokomo is the superbly written SUN 9 AUG, 11AM – 12PM debut from Melbourne-based author McCONAGHY ‘It looks like a Versace dress exploded all Victoria Hannan. We Can’t Say We Didn’t Know bears witness over my room.’ to human stories of devastation and hope Described as ‘a disarmingly profound novel from civilians – the children, families, Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan is about the violence and the softness of back with an intoxicating new story of love, refugees, doctors, dissidents, and asylum navigating the world as a young woman’, seekers – who are the collateral damage in lust, and the impossibly gilded lives of the Kokomo is both tender and fierce, elite, that flits from the sun-drenched isle the relentless politicking and war-mongering heartbreaking and funny, and announces of nations. of Capri to the grandeur of the Hamptons. a brilliant new voice in Australian fiction. Sex and Vanity is both escapist love story With Ronnie Scott. Challenging us not to look away, Walkley

CHARLOTTE and a witty exploration of Asian-American award-winning journalist Sophie McNeill identity. Join Kwan for a lively discussion confronts the horrors of an unsettled world on fame, fiction, and the Crazy Rich Asians and calls not for hope – but for courage. phenomenon. With Beverley Wang. With Sami Shah. In collaboration with PEN Melbourne

8 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 9 9 AUGUST 9 AUGUST JESSIE TU: ROBBIE JING-JING LEE: YUMNA A LONELY GIRL IS A ARNOTT HOW WE DISAPPEARED KASSAB DANGEROUS THING SUN 9 AUG, 4–5 PM SUN 9 AUG, 12–1 PM ‘He’d brought it up one day at home, was ‘No one here tonight will write about my beginning to tell Wang Di what happened work with the seriousness given to a man. during the invasion, but stopped when he Or somebody older. Or somebody white.’ saw that she was drawing back from him as he spoke, as if she were an animal, netted in Jessie Tu’s debut novel explores love, sex, the wild; and her face, how wide her eyes and female desire through the eyes of Jena had become, how very still.’ Lin, a Taiwanese-Australian former child prodigy whose journey of self-discovery At once an enthralling family mystery and a forms the heart of this book. meticulously-researched exposé of a dark chapter of history, How We Disappeared A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing has bears unflinching testimony to the been hailed as ‘gutsy, bold and surprising’. experience of Singaporean ‘comfort Join Tu in conversation on writing complex women’ during World War II. characters, the model minority myth, and A LET ME the intersections between power, sex and Join Jing-Jing Lee as she discusses her powerful and elegiac debut novel, which race. With Alice Pung. TOUCH has been hailed as an ‘unforgettable BE BRIEF image of how women were silenced and SUN 9 AUG, 5–6 PM OF disappeared by both war and culture’. Three writers discuss the unique pleasures With Adolfo Aranjuez. of writing short fiction, a form both technically challenging to write and MAGIC wonderfully satisfying to read. SUN 9 AUG, 3–4 PM LEE Join Yumna Kassab (The House of Youssef), TU ‘The universe is full of magical things Jo Lennan (In the Time of Foxes), and patiently waiting for our wits to grow Elizabeth Tan (Smart Ovens for Lonely sharper,’ Eden Phillpotts once wrote. People) in conversation with Veronica Robbie Arnott and Jan Carson have both Sullivan. written novels that bring that magic to the JESSIE fore – while still being grounded in the familiar world – in The Rain Heron and

The Fire Starters respectively. JING-JING The authors sit down to discuss magic, meaning, and why sometimes the only proper response to reality is to disregard it. With Angela Meyer.

10 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 11 9 & 10 AUGUST 10 & 11 AUGUST ENRIGHT MALCOLM BOWDITCH GEORGE FRIEDMAN: TURNBULL THE STORM BEFORE THE CALM TUE 11 AUG, 6–7 PM ANNE

CLARE ‘There is a fierce unity to America, and simultaneously there are deep differences that turn into mutual contempt at times of stress.’ In his ambitious and sometimes provocative treatise The Storm Before the Calm, political analyst George Friedman looks to the United States’ past to illuminate its present – and predict its future. Tracking cycles of crisis, order and reinvention that ANNE ENRIGHT MALCOLM TURNBULL: CLARE BOWDITCH: play out across government, foreign policies, economics and culture, Friedman IN CONVERSATION A BIGGER PICTURE YOUR OWN KIND predicts what’s to come in thrilling detail. SUN 9 AUG, 6–7 PM MON 10 AUG, 6–7 PM OF GIRL Join Friedman for a lucid and ultimately ‘People loved her. Strangers, I mean. I saw Candid. Compelling. Revelatory. Boasting MON 10 AUG, 8–9 PM optimistic diagnosis of America and its them looking at her and nodding, though more plot twists than a good thriller, Malcolm ‘This is the story I promised myself, aged discontents. With Richard Cooke. they failed to hear a single word she said.’ Turnbull’s political memoir A Bigger Picture twenty-one, that I would one day be brave Anne Enright’s new novel Actress is a takes you inside the world of Australia’s 29th enough – and well enough – to write.’ beguiling tale of fame, creativity, courage, prime minister – from assured rise, to eventful tenure, and dramatic fall. Your Own Kind of Girl is the wise, big-hearted survival, and the troubled love between and startlingly candid memoir from the a magnetic, capricious mother and the In this session, the ultimate political insider multi-talented Clare Bowditch. Told with daughter who’s unable to escape her Turnbull sits down with for a GEORGE James Button brutal honesty and playful humour, this FRIEDMAN long shadow. lively discussion of Australian democracy book captures the triumphs and tragedies Here, Enright sits down to discuss her funny, and his political career. Don’t miss the as well as the loves and losses that shaped unsentimental and shrewdly observed new former PM in his own words. her life and allowed her to find a sense of book – and delves into her craft, the writer’s Supported by the John Button Fund, her own place in her story. life, and her brilliant career. With Gail Jones. Melbourne School of Government, Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from the one of Australia’s best-loved storytellers. With Jess McGuire.

12 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 13 11 & 13 AUGUST 12 AUGUST GILLARD KATE GRENVILLE

JULIA JULIA ARE YOU PAYING

RIZVI JAMILA ATTENTION?

JULIA GILLARD: GUARDIAN HILL L AW

WOMEN AND AUSTRALIA’S JESS MWF GALA LEADERSHIP BOOK CLUB: WED 12 AUG, 7–8 PM

TUE 11 AUG, 8–9 PM MICHELLE KATE GRENVILLE Six of Australia’s most clear-eyed, insightful Former prime minister Julia Gillard and THU 13 AUG, 1–2 PM writers – 2020 Stella Prize–winner Jess Hill; economist and international development In this special MWF edition of Guardian actor and screenwriter Michelle Law; writer expert Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala have some Australia’s monthly book club, acclaimed JING McINTOSH PARRETT and founding editor of Liminal magazine strong ideas about the impact of gender on author Kate Grenville joins host Michael Leah Jing McIntosh; award-winning the treatment of leaders – so they wrote a for a lively Zoom conversation novelist Favel Parrett; Queensland Literary

Williams LEAH book about it. about fiction, history and her extraordinary FAV E L Award–winning poet Ellen van Neerven; Join the former PM for a discussion of new novel, A Room Made of Leaves. and award-winning poet and scholar Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Alison Whittaker – deliver addresses that Expect a broad-ranging discussion of explore, interrogate and challenge what Lessons and broader issues of gender bias, Grenville’s work, as well as the opportunity politics, and the long road to equality. holds our attention, what fails to, and why. to join in the conversation, ask questions, VAN NEERVEN WHITTAKER With Patricia Karvelas. and come together with other booklovers Join us for an unmissable gala event hosted In partnership with the Wheeler Centre in these socially distanced times. by Jamila Rizvi.

ELLEN Funded by the Victorian Government

In partnership with Guardian Australia ALISON through Women Victoria

14 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 15 13 AUGUST 14 AUGUST NAVIGATING KIRLI TAPSELL OUR FUTURE SAUNDERS TAKE IT THU 13 AUG, 6–7 PM provides a means FROM ME through which we might better understand FRI 14 AUG, 8–9 PM ourselves, and our relationships with our Host and dispenser of sexy advice Jess region and the world. Larissa McLean McGuire joins smart and attractive siblings Davies, Associate Professor in Language MIRANDA Benjamin Law and Michelle Law to solve and Literacy at Melbourne Graduate School your iso-love conundrums and long-distance of Education, is joined by Professor lockdown blues. Ken Gelder to explore the crucial role of Those who wish to participate may literature and reading in this time of climate anonymously submit their queries online. and social crisis, and the vital importance Those who don’t may drink and be quietly of teaching diverse Australian literature judgemental. in schools. In partnership with the Wheeler Centre With an introduction from Alexis Wright, BUBBLY WITH JAM Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature. SCIENCE VS AND CLARE Supported by University of Melbourne, FRI 14 AUG, 6–7 PM Faculty of Arts ROMANCE End the week on a high note with THU 13 AUG, 8–9 PM Jamila Rizvi and Clare Bowditch in this Two writers. Two scientists. One evening of live-streamed edition of Tea with Jam creative collaboration. and Clare, featuring special guest Join poets Raelee Lancaster and Kirli Miranda Tapsell. Saunders, and scientists Krystal de Napoli It’s time to take an early mark, grab a glass and Karlie Noon, as they use each other’s of sparkling, and settle in for an evening of WRIGHT discipline as a source of inspiration and honest conversation and song, as these BENJAMIN AW L offer up creative, genre-defying responses three Australian legends talk acting, born from where science and art collide. activism and following your own path. Hosted by Susie Anderson. Supported by the Science Gallery ALEXIS Melbourne, the University of Melbourne

16 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 17 15 AUGUST 15 AUGUST WA L L CASEY McQUISTON: BRADLEY MIKKI RED, WHITE & KENDALL ROYAL BLUE LOU SAT 15 AUG, 10–11 AM

‘That’s the choice. I love him, with all that, JAMES because of all that. On purpose. I love him on purpose.’ Casey McQuiston loves stories with big, beating hearts. Her bestselling novel, Red, White & Royal Blue is a delicious, frothy, very queer romantic comedy, and also one of the sharpest books you’ll read all year. The US author sits down with Will Kostakis to talk about why we need escapism, the DRAMAGEDDON pure joy of the rom-com, and what it’s like HOW CRISES SHAPE MIKKI KENDALL: SAT 15 AUG when your debut novel goes viral. PODCAST LITERATURE HOOD FEMINISM SAT 15 AUG, 11AM – 12PM SAT 15 AUG, 12–1 PM Dramageddon is a genre-bending choose- your-own-adventure podcast created by During times of crisis, we often turn to ‘It is past time to make the conversation a playwright Jean Tong and comedian Lou literature to make sense of the nuanced, inclusive, and intersectional one Wall. Each episode pits two queer people incomprehensible. But what is it like to that reflects the concerns of all women, not against the climate apocalypse in 2050. author such a work? just a privileged few.’ This MWF-themed special tests Candy Join James Bradley (Ghost Species) and ‘Real feminism (if such a thing can be Bowers and Nevo Zisin on their survival Caoilinn Hughes (The Wild Laughter), as defined) isn’t going to be found in replicating skills, forcing them to address ethical they discuss the growing genre of crisis racist, transphobic, homophobic, ableist, or questions such as: write or run? Publish or McQUISTON literature, the turbulent events that informed classist norms,’ writes Mikki Kendall in punish? Paperback or zombie snack? their latest books, and the responsibility Hood Feminism. It’s the end of the world; bring on the writers have to record and reflect on these In this session, author and cultural critic Dramageddon! troubled times. With Astrid Edwards. Kendall discusses how mainstream feminism

Produced by Xen Nhà with Queen Victoria CASEY Supported by the City of Greater fails to consider how race, class, sexual Women’s Centre, published by Broadwave Dandenong orientation and ability intersect with gender – and offers practical guidance on how we can do the work to enact meaningful change. With Santilla Chingaipe.

18 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 19 15 AUGUST 15 AUGUST STEFFENSEN MEGHA LAURA MAJUMDAR A BRIGHTER M c FUTURE PHEE-BROWNE SAT 15 AUG, 4–5 PM

VICTOR Everywhere we look, we’re faced with dire predictions about the future of the planet. How can coming from a place of hope give us the tools we need to create a better, fairer and more equitable world? Join Damon Gameau (2040: A Handbook for the Regeneration) and Jess Scully (Glimpses of Utopia) as they discuss the importance of optimism in creating concrete solutions for a more sustainable AUSTRALIA’S MEGHA MAJUMDAR: future. With Connor Tomas O’Brien. KYD: NEW RESPONSE TO A BURNING AUSTRALIAN FICTION CLIMATE CHANGE SAT 15 AUG, 3–4 PM SAT 15 AUG, 5–6 PM SAT 15 AUG, 2–3 PM ‘And then, in the small, glowing screen, An extraordinary showcase of emerging As we struggle to recover after last I wrote a foolish thing. I wrote a dangerous and established voices, New Australian summer’s devastating bushfires – and with thing, a thing nobody like me should ever Fiction 2020 is the second anthology of its the next fire season less than six months think, let alone write.’ kind curated by literary journal Kill Your away – urgent questions must be In this propulsive and mesmerising debut, Darlings. These stories, by writers from all addressed. What is missing from Australia’s a young Muslim woman’s Facebook post around Australia, explore some of the most climate change response? How can First lands her in jail on terrorism charges – and SC U L LY intriguing and urgent issues of our time, Nations’ knowledge and practices help us? the story that follows is a vivid portrait of including genetic experimentation, nuclear And what must change in the way we talk contemporary India’s social and political fallout and white-settler colonialism. about climate change? complexities. In this showcase, contributors Elizabeth JESS , and Join Ketan Joshi (Windfall), Rebecca Join author Megha Majumdar for a Flux Laura McPhee-Browne Mirandi present readings from their work Huntley (How to Talk About Climate discussion of power, nationalism, corruption Riwoe Change In A Way That Makes A Difference), and justice in a work that is both gripping and discuss their craft with Kill Your Darlings editor . and Victor Steffensen (Fire Country) in literary thriller and compassionate social Alan Vaarwerk conversation. With Adam Morton. commentary. With Roanna Gonsalves. Supported by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

20 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 21 15 AUGUST 16 AUGUST BRIT BENNETT: ELIZABETH ODELL MICHAEL CHRISTIE: THE VANISHING HALF STROUT GREENWOOD SAT 15 AUG, 7–8 PM SUN 16 AUG, 11AM – 12PM ‘There was nothing to being white ‘The leafy dome of the mosque; the upward- except boldness. You could convince soaring spires of the abbey; the ribbed vault JENNY anyone you belonged somewhere if of the cathedral—which faith’s sacred you acted like you did.’ structures weren’t designed with trees as Stella and Desiree, identical twin sisters, inspiration?’ run away from their small southern town ‘Genealogy isn’t a simple story,’ says in search of self-determined futures. Both Michael Christie. ‘In my own personal life light-skinned Black women, their lives take and experience, families are built much strikingly divergent paths as one passes as more than they are born.’ A novel that white, while the other marries ‘the darkest reckons with legacy, inheritance, nature and man she could find.’ sacrifice, Greenwood reveals layer by layer Brit Bennett sits down to discuss AN EVENING WITH CLOSING REMARKS: one family’s secrets – and the forest that The Vanishing Half, an expansive, binds them across generations. multi-generational saga that dramatically ELIZABETH STROUT JENNY ODELL Christie has constructed a time-hopping, exposes racial inequality and the emotional SAT 15 AUG, 8–9 PM SUN 16 AUG world-spanning, page-turning family saga PODCAST stakes of identity. With Areej Nur. ‘That Olive! She continues to surprise me, that’s as intricately constructed as the rings continues to enrage me, continues to sadden Jenny Odell’s How to do Nothing: Resisting of a tree. With Sophie Cunningham. me, and continues to make me love her.’ the Attention Economy proposes radical strategies for thinking beyond capitalist No one observes the beauty of ordinary narratives of efficiency, attention and value, lives quite as astutely as Elizabeth Strout. and preserving our inner lives through Ten years after she won a Pulitzer Prize for reflection, research, grounding and Olive Kitteridge, she has returned to intentional networks. BENNETT small-town Maine – and her flawed, MICHAEL CHRISTIE cantankerous and much-loved heroine – In the Festival’s closing address, Odell in the delightful Olive, Again. applies this framework to our current moment of historical urgency, illuminating BRIT BRIT The master storyteller sits down to discuss how ‘resisting in place’ – existing within, but her career, her craft, and what compelled not accepting the condition of the present – her to revisit Olive after all these years. can offer a throughline to liberation. With Kate Torney.

22 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 23 16 AUGUST 16 AUGUST FLYNN CHARLOTTE S I LVA PATRICK RADDEN WOOD KEEFE: FOLLOWING THE EVIDENCE SUN 16 AUG, 5–6 PM CHRIS ‘For civilians in Northern Ireland, whether

MARLEE Catholic or Protestant, the routine bombings could make life impossible: suddenly you were taking your life into your hands when you went to the shop for a dozen eggs.’ Patrick Radden Keefe (Say Nothing) takes complicated histories and transforms them into riveting works of narrative journalism – whether a deep-dive podcast into the THE LANGUAGE IN WHICH TWO MARLEE SILVA: MY alleged CIA origins of a 90s power ballad or a sweeping, switchblade-sharp account of OF ANIMALS FRIENDS DISCUSS TIDDA, MY SISTER the 1972 disappearance of Jean McConville SUN 16 AUG, 12–1 PM READING SUN 16 AUG, 4–5 PM in Northern Ireland. What would happen if we could understand SUN 16 AUG, 3–4 PM ’I got your back, you’ve got mine. It’s this Join Radden Keefe as he reflects on a what animals were saying? Chris Flynn Books are often seen simply as a source of bond that’s kept all our mob together. lifetime of following the evidence, and the (Mammoth), Erin Hortle (The Octopus and I) diversion and pleasure. But they are more An unspoken rule to ensure we survive.’ fascinating, compelling, and sometimes and Laura Jean McKay (The Animals in than that. They can offer not an escape Marlee Silva is a 24-year-old Gamilaroi/ outlandish stories he’s uncovered along That Country) have each explored this from real life, but a richer engagement with Dunghutti writer, podcast host and the the way. With Raf Epstein. question in their latest books – with the business of living. co-founder of social media phenomenon fascinating results. Tiddas 4 Tiddas. Her debut book My Tidda, Two great readers – Charlotte Wood Harnessing both the surreal and the serious, My Sister showcases the voices of First PATRICK (The Weekend) and Tegan Bennett RADDEN KEEFE these works pose inventive and urgent Nations women, celebrating and Daylight (The Details) – sit down to discuss questions about our place in the world how they find comfort, refuge and power acknowledging the resilience, strength and and what it means to be human. in both reading books and writing them. beauty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait With . Islanders across the country. Elizabeth McCarthy With Nicole Abadee. Hear Silva talk about developing this powerful book and her ongoing goal to elevate Indigenous female excellence. With Bridget Caldwell-Bright.

24 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 25 THE MWF INTERVIEW: WORKSHOPS READ ALL EMERGING VOICES Sit down with leading authors to get granular SPARGO-RYAN about your creative practice and gain from ABOUT IT their immense experience in these online WRITING ‘A writer, I think, is someone who pays writing workshops. Following the workshops, ANNA THROUGH DOWNES B RYA N T participants will have the chance to submit attention to the world,’ wrote Susan Sontag. their written work for feedback. TRAUMA In this specially commissioned series,

acclaimed writers Helen Garner, Sisonke ANNA In collaboration with Writers Victoria IN MEMOIR Msimang, Christos Tsiolkas and Ali Cobby Full $140 SUN 9 AUG, 10AM – 1.30PM Eckermann reflect on what has held their KATERINA Concession/Writers Victoria Members $120 attention in their lives, their careers, and How do we reckon with trauma in our writing? their writing. Limited places available. How can writing memoir be an opportunity to MON 10 AUG TUE 11 AUG Book now to ensure you don’t miss out. understand how our experiences have shaped us? Approached with nuance and clear-eyed Discover what it means to explore vulnerability in critique, this series considers how the MOORE RAJA your writing with author and inaugural winner of events of the last few months have shaped,

The Horne Prize, Anna Spargo-Ryan. altered, or shaken up the locus of our CATH individual and collective attentions. In this workshop, you’ll discover how to write about trauma with nuance, humour and Supported by Guardian Australia

compassion and how to blend memoir with CHRISTOPHER analysis to talk about difficult subjects in WED 12 AUG THU 13 AUG novel ways. MSIMANG TSIOLKAS RAMSEY CARSON HUGHES E WA

JAN THE WRITING SISONKE SISONKE CRAFT THAT CHRISTOS OF SHORT CAOILINN UNFORGETTABLE SCENE FICTION SAT 8 AUG SUN 9 AUG FRI 14 AUG

SAT 8 AUG, 5–8.30 PM SAT 15 AUG, 5–8.30 PM Discover your next great read in this GARNER COBBY ECKERMANN From her short story collection There’s only so much exposition, interiority five-part interview series with some of the country’s most exciting emerging talent.

(Children’s Children) to her flash fiction and descriptive prevarication a writer can ALI anthology (Postcard Stories), Irish writer get away with before a novel dies on the Each Festival weekday will highlight a new HELEN voice in Australian writing, introduced and Jan Carson’s short fiction demonstrates page. As in Caoilinn Hughes’ The Wild a mastery of the form. Laughter, the beating heart of fiction interviewed by a fellow author. In this workshop, she unpacks the tools you resides in its scenes. Anna Downes interviewed by Sarah Bailey need to develop ideas, conduct research, In this workshop, Hughes shows how scenes SAT 15 AUG SUN 16 AUG Cath Moore interviewed by Wai Chim hold your reader’s attention, and master function at both the micro and macro levels, Christopher Raja interviewed by Zoya Patel plot, structure, character and pacing within and demonstrates how to create a tight form. unforgettable scenes through details, setting, Ewa Ramsay interviewed by Julie Koh dialogue, action, and sensory precision. Katerina Bryant interviewed by Jenny Valentish

26 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 27 FOR THE TEENS! FOR THE KIDS! Join Real Pigeons creators Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood and bestselling MARNEY LISA authors Sally Rippin and Gavin Aung Than for fun storytelling and drawing FULLER activities in this two-part video series! These fun and interactive videos will make kids laugh, gasp, think and wonder. Suitable for ages five and up. ELLIE

McDONALD WOOD BEN ANDREW

READINGS YA PRIZE: THE SNEAK LISA FULLER SUN 16 AUG, 2–3 PM RIPPIN AUNG THAN PEEK Lisa Fuller, a Wuilli Wuilli woman and SUN 9 AUG, 2–3 PM descendent of Gooreng Gooreng and Craving your next thrilling read? Get the Wakka Wakka peoples, weaves her culture SA L LY jump on two of the most exciting YA books and spirituality into her storytelling. Her new GAVIN on the horizon, as Will Kostakis and Ellie book Ghost Bird is a page-turning thriller Marney share a sneak peek from their about a girl’s search for her missing twin, latest works. and was recently named the winner of the Discover the action-packed conclusion to Readings YA Prize 2020. Kostakis’ epic fantasy Monuments series in Fuller sits down to discuss her action- Rebel Gods: Monuments Book 2, and take packed novel, her writing process, and the a first look at Marney’s None Shall Sleep, importance of First Nations Australian a dark YA thriller about two teenagers representation. With Amie Kaufman. REAL PIGEONS MEET REAL PIGEONS MEET recruited into the FBI in the 1980s. SALLY RIPPIN SUPER SIDEKICKS SUN 9 AUG, ON DEMAND 8AM – 8PM SUN 16 AUG, ON DEMAND 8AM – 8PM Stories, mysteries, and writing fun! Comics, heroes, and drawing fun!

28 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 29 WHAT’S ON? WHAT’S ON? FRIDAY 7 AUGUST WEDNESDAY 12 AUGUST Time Session Time Session 7–8 PM Finding the Heart of the Nation The MWF Interview: Cath Moore WRITING 7–8 PM MWF Gala: Are You Paying Attention? SATURDAY 8 AUGUST Read All About It: Sisonke Msimang WRITING THURSDAY 13 AUGUST The Outset: Do Not Believe Too Quickly PODCAST The MWF Interview: Christopher Raja WRITING 10–11 AM Lawrence Wright: The End of October 1–2 PM Guardian Australia’s Book Club: Kate Grenville 11AM – 12PM Meditations in an Emergency 6–7 PM Navigating Our Future 12–1 PM The Fifth Estate: The Future of Socialism 8–9 PM Science Vs Romance 2–3 PM After Australia 4–5 PM A Matter of Fact FRIDAY 14 AUGUST 5–6 PM Becky Manawatu: Auē The MWF Interview: Ewa Ramsay WRITING 5–8.30 PM The Craft of Short Fiction WORKSHOP 6–7 PM Bubbly with Jam and Clare 7–8 PM Charlotte McConaghy: The Last Migration 8–9 PM Take It From Me 8–9 PM Kevin Kwan: Sex and Vanity SATURDAY 15 AUGUST SUNDAY 9 AUGUST Read All About It: Helen Garner WRITING Read All About It: Christos Tsiolkas WRITING Dramageddon PODCAST Real Pigeons Meet Sally Rippin KIDS 10–11 AM Casey McQuiston: Red, White & Royal Blue 10–11 AM Victoria Hannan: Kokomo 11AM – 12PM How Crises Shape Literature 10AM – 1.30PM Writing Through Trauma in Memoir WORKSHOP 12–1 PM Mikki Kendall: Hood Feminism 11AM – 12PM We Can’t Say We Didn’t Know 2–3 PM Australia's Response to Climate Change 12–1 PM Jessie Tu: A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing 3–4 PM Megha Majumdar: A Burning 2–3 PM The Sneak Peek TEENS 4–5 PM A Brighter Future 3–4 PM A Touch of Magic 5–6 PM KYD: New Australian Fiction 4–5 PM Jing-Jing Lee: How We Disappeared 5–8.30 PM Writing That Unforgettable Scene WORKSHOP 5–6 PM Let Me Be Brief 7–8 PM Brit Bennett: The Vanishing Half 6–7 PM Anne Enright in Conversation 8–9 PM An Evening with Elizabeth Strout

MONDAY 10 AUGUST SUNDAY 16 AUGUST The MWF Interview: Anna Downes WRITING Read All About It: Ali Cobby Eckermann WRITING MWF Schools’ Program Closing Remarks: Jenny Odell PODCAST 6–7 PM Malcolm Turnbull: A Bigger Picture Real Pigeons Meet Gavin Aung Than KIDS 8–9 PM Clare Bowditch: Your Own Kind of Girl 11AM – 12PM Michael Christie: Greenwood 12–1 PM The Language of Animals TUESDAY 11 AUGUST 2–3 PM Readings YA Prize: Lisa Fuller TEENS The MWF Interview: Katerina Bryant WRITING 3–4 PM In Which Two Friends Discuss Reading 6–7 PM George Friedman: The Storm Before the Calm 4–5 PM Marlee Silva: My Tidda, My Sister 8–9 PM Julia Gillard: Women and Leadership 5–6 PM Patrick Radden Keefe: Following the Evidence

30 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 31 MWF SCHOOLS’ MWF SCHOOLS’ PRIMARY SECONDARY

The MWF Schools’ Program brings a series of free videos and education Featuring an inspiring line-up of authors speaking on a broad range of resources to teachers and students, available online from 10–28 August. topics, this program will engage and empower young readers and writers (and their grown-ups) to contemplate different ways of enacting change.

DREISE CONSTABLE ARJA FULLER THE VALUE HOW TO SAVE LET’S TALK OWN VOICES LEE OF LISTENING THE WHOLE ABOUT LISA STORYTELLING R AWA H GREGG YEARS 1–3 STINKIN’ CONFLICT YEARS 8–10 Why is it so important to PLANET YEARS 8–10 Young adult fiction is cherish and sustain YEARS 3–5 Rawah Arja, author of often used as a conduit Australia’s Indigenous to explore complex and Lee Constable is into The F Team, explores the cultures? Join talented difficult topics, and all things science, technology, and sustainability, and nature of conflict in her writing and uses themes of storyteller Gregg Dreise for an entertaining session Lisa Fuller’s prize-winning debut novel Ghost Bird is no knows all too well the worrying impact that discarded cultural difference and masculinity as a lens through on the importance of understanding culture and different. She discusses how she uses the tale of a young things and unwanted waste have on our environment. which to test her characters. connecting to and honouring heritage. Aboriginal girl’s disappearance in a small Queensland Follow along as she and Captain Garbology (her She reveals the inspiration behind her novel, discusses town as a launchpad to explore questions of colonisation, Gregg uses music, performance, and art to share the super-powered alter ego) embark on a compost-filled, the craft of writing conflict, and shares how she creates inter-generational trauma and injustice, and how writing value of storytelling, reveals what we can gain by rubbish-laden adventure through landfills and engaging and nuanced stories that speak to the power her novel was a corrective to the popular retelling of actively listening to stories and communities different wastepaper baskets to unlock the secrets to saving our of leadership, teamwork, and bridging differences. colonial history in Australia. to our own, and demonstrates how, by doing this, planet. But you’d better hurry – it’s getting stinky and the world becomes a better place. Fuller writes the book she wished she’d had in her youth time is running out! and discusses the power in First Nations Australians seeing themselves and their age-old culture between the pages.

WILKINSON FRAILLON KOSTAKIS FOX THE POWER ON RESILIENCE QUEER, BUT ON KINDNESS LILI

PRIMARY & SECONDARY WILL OF CREATING ZANA MAKE IT YEARS 9–10 YEARS 6–8 STORIES FUNNY HELENA Helena Fox, winner of the YEARS 2–4 Zana Fraillon, multiple YEARS 8–10 2020 Victorian Premier’s award-winning author of Literary Award in the What are the elements Join award-winning The Bone Sparrow, shares Young Adult category, needed for a good story? author Will Kostakis the inspiration behind her explores topics of grief, Award-winning author Lili Wilkinson shares how (The First Third, Monuments, and its recent sequel novels. In her latest book The Lost Soul Atlas, her mental illness, and the importance of community in writing can be a tool for self-expression and creativity, Rebel Gods) for an exploration of why queer protagonist Twig must choose between a blissful future her work. Her novel, How It Feels to Float, makes a and the power of humour and imagination in bringing a characters in fiction tend to be the comic relief – without painful memories and an arduous journey to find compelling case for kindness – both to each other story to life. and often at their own expense. his father and piece together his former life. and to oneself. She discusses where ideas come from and how to turn Kostakis discusses how this can impact a young Fraillon speaks about writing resilient characters as well In this thoughtful session, Fox discusses the value them into narratives, just like the characters in her person’s confidence and sense of self, and, drawing as treacherous villains, and the pleasures of building of listening, of compassion, and how sometimes latest book Hodgepodge: How to Make a Pet Monster 1 from his own work, shows how queer characters don’t vibrant worlds filled with difficult challenges. simply being there for someone can be an act of who turn a weird assortment of ingredients into a have to be laughed at to be loved. great kindness. unique, fart-prone monster called Hodgepodge.

32 MWF.COM.AU/SCHOOLSMWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 33 SUPPORT MWF ARTISTS Browse the festival bookstore at mwf.com.au or visit readings.com.au #MWFDIGITAL ARTISTS TICKETS ACCESS

Nicole Abadee 24 Kate Grenville 4, 14 Ewa Ramsey 27 Tickets to MWF Digital can be booked MWF is committed to making the Festival Paul Adler 6 Victoria Hannan 9 Graham Readfearn 7 online at mwf.com.au accessible for everyone. This year, all video Michael Mohammed Ahmad 6 Jess Hill 15 Teela Reid 4 sessions are close-captioned. Susie Anderson 16 Erin Hortle 24 Sally Rippin 29 Evelyn Araluen 5 Caoilinn Hughes 19, 26 Mirandi Riwoe 21 PAY WHAT YOU CAN Plain text and large text versions of the Adolfo Aranjuez 11 Rebecca Huntley 20 Jamila Rizvi 15, 17 This year, we invite you to pay what you can to access MWF Digital program are available at Rawah Arja 33 Gail Jones 12 Ursula Robinson-Shaw 5 MWF Digital sessions. Choose from FREE, $5, $10, $20 mwf.com.au Robbie Arnott 10 Ketan Joshi 7, 20 Omar Sakr 6 or $50 per ticket and enjoy MWF at home. Gavin Aung Than 29 Patricia Karvelas 14 Kirli Saunders 16 Vision Australia Radio is a proud partner of To book tickets and view MWF Digital sessions, simply Nadia Bailey 8 Yumna Kassab 11 Ronnie Scott 9 MWF again in 2020. Vision Australia Radio create an online account at mwf.com.au Sarah Bailey 27 Amie Kaufman 28 Jess Scully 21 will feature audio description of some MWF Brit Bennett 22 Patrick Radden Keefe 25 Sami Shah 9 There are no booking fees if you choose to access Digital sessions. Find out more at sessions for free. Fees may apply to bookings from $5. Tegan Bennett Daylight 24 Mikki Kendall 19 Marlee Silva 25 radio.visionaustralia.org Clare Bowditch 13, 17 Julie Koh 27 Darlene Silva Soberano 5 Visit our website for details. Candy Bowers 18 Will Kostakis 18, 28, 33 Anna Spargo-Ryan 26 MWF Digital sessions are approximately 45–60 minutes. For more information on accessibility, email James Bradley 19 Kevin Kwan 8 Victor Steffensen 20 All sessions run on AEST. [email protected] or call 0434 517 357. Judith Brett 7 Raelee Lancaster 16 Elizabeth Strout 22 Katerina Bryant 27 Benjamin Law 17 Veronica Sullivan 11 James Button 12 Michelle Law 15, 17 Elizabeth Tan 11 WORKSHOPS JOIN THE CONVERSATION Bridget Caldwell-Bright 25 Jing-Jing Lee 11 Miranda Tapsell 17 Workshops are 3.5 hours. Participants can submit their Jan Carson 10, 26 Jo Lennan 11 Jean Tong 18 written work for feedback following the workshop. Follow the conversations at #mwfdigital Wai Chim 27 Megha Majumdar 20 Kate Torney 22 Full $140 on Twitter and Instagram @melbwritersfest Santilla Chingaipe 19 Becky Manawatu 7 Christos Tsiolkas 27 Concession/Writers Victoria Members $120 and Facebook @melbournewritersfestival Michael Christie 23 Ellie Marney 28 Jessie Tu 10 Claire G Coleman 6 Thomas Mayor 4 Malcolm Turnbull 12 Limited places available. Book your tickets early – Lee Constable 32 Elizabeth McCarthy 24 Alan Vaarwerk 21 workshops sell out fast! Richard Cooke 13 Charlotte McConaghy 8 Jenny Valentish 27 Sophie Cunningham 23 Andrew McDonald 29 Ellen van Neerven 15 Megan Davis 4 Jess McGuire 13, 17 Lou Wall 18 CONTENT Krystal de Napoli 16 Leah Jing McIntosh 15 Beverley Wang 8 Subscribe to the MWF eNews to get Festival content Anna Downes 27 Laura Jean McKay 24 Sally Warhaft 6 delivered straight to your inbox. Gregg Dreise 32 Larissa McLean Davies 16 Alison Whittaker 15 Writing Ali Cobby Eckermann 27 Sophie McNeill 9 Lili Wilkinson 32 Each morning of the Festival, a new written piece Astrid Edwards 19 Laura McPhee-Browne 21 Michael Williams 14 will be published on the MWF Blog, including: Anne Enright 12 Casey McQuiston 18 Tara June Winch 7 commissioned works by famous Australian authors; Raf Epstein 25 Angela Meyer 10 Ben Wood 29 interviews between emerging and established writers; Toby Fitch 5 Cath Moore 27 Charlotte Wood 24 and artist Q&As. Elizabeth Flux 21 Adam Morton 20 Alexis Wright 16 Podcast Chris Flynn 24 Sisonke Msimang 27 Lawrence Wright 5 Keep an ear out for the MWF Podcast throughout the Helena Fox 33 Claire Nichols 5 Nevo Zisin 18 Festival. Subscribe to hear every episode on Apple Zana Fraillon 32 Karlie Noon 16 Podcasts and Spotify. George Friedman 13 Areej Nur 22 Lisa Fuller 28, 33 Connor Tomas O'Brien 21 Streamed Events Damon Gameau 21 Jenny Odell 23 All live-streamed and on-demand sessions are free. Helen Garner 27 Favel Parrett 15 Sessions include Science Vs Romance, Bubbly with Jam and Clare and Take it From Me. Ken Gelder 16 Zoya Patel 27 Julia Gillard 14 Alice Pung 10 Roanna Gonsalves 20 Christopher Raja 27

36 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 37 COMPANY SUPPORT US THANK YOU Melbourne Writers Festival brings people For the past few months, MWF has been DONORS Major Partners together to celebrate words and stories, working tirelessly to produce its first digital and share the human experience. Since festival. We continue to connect, challenge, LITERARY EPIC $20,000+ John Jerome Myers, Maria Myers AC AO 1986, the organisation has entertained and inspire the literary community through & Allan J Myers AC QC, Hart Line Fund hundreds of thousands of Melbourne’s our program of some of the world’s best (a sub-fund of the Australian Communities readers as Australia’s boldest and most writers and thought-leaders. Foundation) exciting literary festival. We call upon your generosity to keep MWF Official Bookseller going strong. Your gift is part of the In 2020, we continue our commitment to NOVEL $10,000+ groundswell of community support that we Paul Andrews, Trustee of the Robin writers and readers, presenting a digital depend on to continue our mission of Campbell Foundation, Barlow Foundation, program that will inspire moments for creating a bolder and more creative society Maureen Wheeler AO & Tony Wheeler AO Cultural Partners connection, discussion and inspiration. through the power of words. If you love to read or have enjoyed MWF in NOVELLA $5,000+ BOARD the past, please consider donating today. BB & A Miller Fund (a sub-fund of the Australian Communities Foundation), Donations over $2 are tax-deductible. John Jerome Myers (Chair) Finkel Foundation, Rosemary Geer, We gratefully welcome and celebrate gifts Astrid Edwards (Deputy Chair) Dr Leonie Kelleher OAM, Leg Up Foundation, of any size. Fahim Ahad (Treasurer) Dr George & Rosa Morstyn Joanna Brand (Secretary) Phillip Benedetti SHORT STORY $1000+ Jason Mifsud SUPPORT MWF SCHOOLS’ Fahim Ahad, Phillip Benedetti, Official Suppliers Jamila Rizvi The MWF Schools’ Program is made Sally Browne Fund (a sub-fund of the possible by our generous donors. Australia Communities Foundation), Ann & Michael Cohn, Dominic & Natalie Your gift will connect young people STAFF Dirupo, Astrid Edwards, Jo Grigg, with their literary heroes and help them Rebecca MacFarling CEO Rebecca MacFarling & Paul Warnes, Festival Supporters become the passionate readers and Gene Smith Associate Director Bernard Marin AM, McLeod Family thinkers of the future. APRA AMCOS, Australian Communities Foundation, Sonia Nair Program Manager Foundation, Jamila Rizvi, Mark Rubbo OAM, Australian Poetry, City of Greater Dandenong, Alexia Jordan Marketing & Partnerships Ricci Swart, Bernadette Trifiletti, Kill Your Darlings, PEN Melbourne, Queen Victoria Manager Michael Webster, Janet Whiting AM Women’s Centre, The Wheeler Centre, Writers Victoria Jessica Harvie Festival Administrator To make a donation, please email Gemma Pass Marketing Coordinator [email protected] or HAIKU $500+ Schools’ Program Partners Winnie Tsang Development Coordinator visit mwf.com.au/support Mary and John Barlow, Joanna Brand, Nadia Bailey Copywriter & Content Producer Karen Fehring, Barbara Long, Jacob Boehme First Nations Advisor Jan McDonald, Cecilia J Myers, Ruth Pearce, Ingrid Laguna Education Advisor Robert Sessions AM, Linda White Joey Chen Bookkeeper Schools’ Program Supporter Graphic Design Sweet Creative SCHOOLS’ PROGRAM AMBASSADORS Victorian Association for the Teaching of English Publicity CPR Communications Paul Andrews, Jim Hart & Public Relations

38 MWF.COM.AU #MWFDIGITAL 39 #MWFDIGITAL MWF.COM.AU