Sydney Writers' Festival 2008 - Online Program
Saturday, May 24 2008print Print This Page

• Monday, May 19 2008 •
10 : 00
352: 42 books about art
A new exhibition by artist David Sequeira.
University of Sydney, Art Gallery
10:00 to 16:30
Free Event
New Media Exhibition  More Info
• Thursday, May 22 2008 •
10 : 00
351: Adrian Cook: Portraits. Sydney Writers’ Festival 2007
An exhibition of black and white portraits taken by Adrian Cook at Sydney Writers’ Festival’s 10th Year Anniversary in 2007.
Pier 2/3, Downstairs
10:00 to 17:00
Free Event
New Media Exhibition  More Info
• Saturday, May 24 2008 •
09 : 30
 
197: CBCA Writing Masterclass with Bernard Cohen
A masterclass for young writers aged 9-13 years with Bernard Cohen.
NSW Writers’ Centre
09:30 to 15:30
Ticketed Event
Children & Young Adults Workshops  More Info


 
200: Digital Storytelling 2 Day Workshop – Day 2
Join this collaborative and creative writing group to capture your chosen slice of the past.
Powerhouse Museum
09:30 to 16:00
Ticketed Event
New Media Workshops  More Info


 
196: Exploring Multilingual Spaces – Walsh Bay
Readings by members of Auburn Poets and Writers Group.
Bangarra Theatre
09:30 to 10:30
Free Event
Poetry, Culture & Heritage, Fiction Reading  More Info


 
198: John Gray in Conversation  * SOLD OUT *
John Gray speaks about his new book, 'Black Mass', a powerful argument about apocalyptic religion and global conflict.
Pier 2/3, Downstairs
09:30 to 10:30
Ticketed Event
Current Affairs In Conversation  More Info


 
203: The Whale Warriors: Peter Heller in Conversation
Award winning travel writer Peter Heller discusses 'The Whale Warriors'.
Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay
09:30 to 10:30
Ticketed Event
Current Affairs, Travel In Conversation  More Info


 
204: Vincent Lam in Conversation  * SOLD OUT *
Vincent Lam talks about writing life and death with Steven Gale.
Sydney Theatre, Richard Wherrett Studio
09:30 to 10:30
Ticketed Event
Fiction In Conversation  More Info


 
199: Wibke Bruhns in Conversation
Wibke Bruhns discusses the search for her father, executed for treason in WWII.
Pier 2/3, Upstairs Writers’ Salon
09:30 to 10:30
Ticketed Event
Life Writing, History, Nonfiction In Conversation  More Info


 
201: Workshop: Food Is Five Senses with Helen Greenwood  * SOLD OUT *
Writing about food is not just about using taste and smell but also touch, seeing and hearing.
Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts, Woolley Room
09:30 to 12:30
Ticketed Event
Food & Drink, Industry Workshops  More Info
10 : 00
 
310: Heroes and Criminals
Steve Toltz, Chris Womersley and Michael Robotham discuss good people who do bad things.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 2/3
10:00 to 11:00
Free Event
Fiction Panel  More Info


 
205: Lakelands Olives – Olive Oil Tasting
Enjoy free tastings of Lakelands Olives’ delicious oils.
Pier 4/5
10:00 to 16:00
Free Event
Food & Drink Special Event  More Info


 
206: Love and Money
Anne Manne looks at the value our society places on love and economics.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 1
10:00 to 11:00
Free Event
Current Affairs Lecture  More Info


 
208: Mo Hayder in Conversation
British crime writer Mo Hayder discusses her latest outstanding, if disturbing, novel 'Ritual'.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 4
10:00 to 11:00
Free Event
Crime, Fiction In Conversation  More Info


 
209: The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif
Najaf Mazari and Robert Hillman discuss an Afghani refugee’s extraordinary journey.
Sydney Philharmonia Choir Studio
10:00 to 11:00
Free Event
Current Affairs, Life Writing Panel  More Info
11 : 00
 
214: Bob Carr in Conversation with Maxine McKew
Bob Carr talks about the books that have captured his attention with Maxine McKew.
Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay
11:00 to 12:00
Ticketed Event
Culture & Heritage, Fiction, Life Writing In Conversation  More Info


 
215: Debra Adelaide in Conversation
Debra Adelaide discusses her new darkly comic novel, 'A Household Guide to Dying'.
Sydney Theatre, Richard Wherrett Studio
11:00 to 12:00
Ticketed Event
Fiction In Conversation  More Info


 
213: Heather O’Neill in Conversation
Heather O'Neill’s discusses her debut novel, 'Lullabies for Little Criminals' – one of Wendy’s favourite discoveries of 2007.
Pier 2/3, Upstairs Writers’ Salon
11:00 to 12:00
Ticketed Event
Fiction In Conversation  More Info


 
212: Michael Pollan in Conversation with Caroline Baum
Michael Pollan speaks about his latest book, 'In Defence of Food: An Eater's Manifesto'.
Pier 2/3, Downstairs
11:00 to 12:00
Ticketed Event
Food & Drink, Science & Environment In Conversation  More Info


 
211: Readings from the 2008 Commonwealth Prize Shortlist
Readings from shortlisted authors Michelle de Kretser, Mireille Jachau, Marcella Polain and Sara Knox.
Bangarra Theatre
11:00 to 12:00
Free Event
Fiction Reading  More Info


 
210: Triumph Over Adversity
Successful businesswomen Pauline Nguyen and Sabina Wolanksi discuss their inspirational memoirs.
Bangarra Mezzanine
11:00 to 12:00
Free Event
Life Writing Panel  More Info
11 : 30
 
216: Foreign Correspondents
Foreign correspondents Leigh Sales and Kirsty Needham discuss their work.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 1
11:30 to 12:30
Free Event
Nonfiction, Current Affairs Panel  More Info


 
218: Loretta Napoleoni in Conversation
Loretta Napoleoni talks about her new book, 'Rogue Economics', with Lloyd Cox.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 4
11:30 to 12:30
Free Event
Nonfiction, Current Affairs In Conversation  More Info


 
217: Memory
Venero Armanno and Stefan Merrill Block discuss the holes, the fissures and the depths of memory in their novels.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 2/3
11:30 to 12:30
Free Event
Fiction Panel  More Info


 
219: Cutting Edge: Matt Costello in Conversation
Matt Costello talks about story, creativity and interactivity with Christy Dena.
Sydney Philharmonia Choir Studio
11:30 to 12:30
Free Event
New Media, Scriptwriting In Conversation  More Info
12 : 00
 
71: Pitcairn: Paradise Lost
Journalist Kathy Marks discusses her documentation of a society gone badly astray in 'Pitcairn: Paradise Lost'.
Justice & Police Museum
12:00 to 13:00
Free Event
Culture & Heritage, History Author Talk  More Info
12 : 30
 
225: Based on Truth
Vicki Hastrich, Judy Johnson and Rachel Hennessy discuss recreating the historical events of ordinary lives.
Sydney Theatre, Richard Wherrett Studio
12:30 to 13:30
Ticketed Event
Fiction Panel  More Info


 
221: Conversations with the Mob
Photojournalist Megan Lewis captures the beauty, humour, sadness and friendship of a traditional Aboriginal tribe at odds with western culture.
Bangarra Theatre
12:30 to 13:30
Free Event
Culture & Heritage, Indigenous Lecture  More Info


 
224: Junot Díaz in Conversation with Ramona Koval
Junot Díaz discusses his highly acclaimed debut novel, 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.'
Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay
12:30 to 13:30
Ticketed Event
Fiction In Conversation  More Info


 
223: Luke Davies in Conversation
Luke Davies speaks about 'The God of Speed', his riveting portrait of Howard Hughes.
Pier 2/3, Upstairs Writers’ Salon
12:30 to 13:30
Ticketed Event
Culture & Heritage, Fiction, History In Conversation  More Info


 
226: Maggie’s Harvest: Lunch with Maggie Beer
Join Maggie Beer for a meal inspired by her latest book of memorable meals with family and friends.
The Wharf Restaurant
12:30 to 14:30
Ticketed Event
Food & Drink Literary Lunch/Dinner  More Info


 
220: The Poet Who Forgot
Catherine Cole talks to Charlotte Wood about her mentor/apprentice relationship with A.D. Hope.
Bangarra Mezzanine
12:30 to 13:30
Free Event
Life Writing, Poetry, History In Conversation  More Info


 
222: In Search of a Story
Peter Heller and Ian Klaus share their travellers’ tales.
Pier 2/3, Downstairs
12:30 to 13:30
Ticketed Event
Travel, Nonfiction Panel  More Info
13 : 00
 
227: Jan Wong at Campbelltown Arts Centre
Jan Wong discusses Beijing’s journey from communism to capitalism and her personal quest for absolution.
Campbelltown Arts Centre
13:00 to 14:00
Free Event
Culture & Heritage, Nonfiction, Life Writing Panel  More Info


 
231: Motherlove
Sophie Cunningham, Mireille Juchau and Camilla Noli discuss the ambivalence of mother love in their novels.
Sydney Philharmonia Choir Studio
13:00 to 14:00
Free Event
Nonfiction, Fiction Panel  More Info


 
230: Life In His Hands
Susan Wyndham discusses writing the true story of a neurosurgeon and a pianist.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 4
13:00 to 14:00
Free Event
Nonfiction, Science & Environment Panel  More Info


 
228: The Poetics of Ecology
John Burnside, Forrest Gander and Robert Adamson discuss the writing of ecology.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 1
13:00 to 14:00
Free Event
Poetry Panel  More Info


 
229: Writing and Research
Alice Pung, Gideon Haigh, Anne Manne and Sarah Benjamin discuss researching the finer details.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 2/3
13:00 to 14:00
Free Event
Nonfiction Panel  More Info
14 : 00
 
234: New African-Australian Writing with Assefe Bekele
Assefe Bekele discusses his theatre giving voice to emerging African communities.
Blacktown Arts Centre
14:00 to 15:00
Free Event
Culture & Heritage, Scriptwriting Reading  More Info


 
233: Hey! Nietzsche! Leave Them Kids Alone!
Craig Schuftan explores Nietzsche's ideas about music and opera using examples from The Stones to Australian Idol.
Bangarra Theatre
14:00 to 15:00
Free Event
Music Author Talk  More Info


 
236: Jon Lee Anderson and Andrew Bacevich in Conversation
Jon Lee Anderson and Andrew Bacevich talk about why Iraq isn’t over yet.
Pier 2/3, Downstairs
14:00 to 15:00
Ticketed Event
History, Current Affairs Panel  More Info


 
235: Murder Most Innovative
Kathryn Fox and Lenny Bartulin talk about breathing new life into the crime fiction genre.
Justice & Police Museum
14:00 to 15:00
Free Event
Crime Panel  More Info


 
239: Naldo Rei in Conversation
Naldo Rei speaks with Claire Scobie about his own extraordinary journey fighting for East Timor's freedom.
Sydney Theatre, Richard Wherrett Studio
14:00 to 15:00
Ticketed Event
History, Life Writing, Nonfiction In Conversation  More Info


 
289: Steve Toltz in Conversation
Steve Toltz discusses his blisteringly funny epic, 'A Fraction of the Whole'.
Pier 2/3, Upstairs Writers’ Salon
14:00 to 15:00
Ticketed Event
Fiction In Conversation  More Info


 
238: The Lives of Others
Hermione Lee and Simon Sebag Montefiore discuss the art of biography.
Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay
14:00 to 15:00
Ticketed Event
Life Writing Panel  More Info


 
232: The Sydney Readings: City Without End
Poets Peter Kirkpatrick, Brook Emery and John Tranter explore Sydney in their work.
Bangarra Mezzanine
14:00 to 15:00
Free Event
Poetry Reading  More Info
14 : 30
 
242: Writing Lives
Craig Sherborne, Andrew Riemer and Jacqueline Kent discuss the chronicling of lives.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 2/3
14:30 to 15:30
Free Event
Life Writing, Nonfiction Panel  More Info


 
241: Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature
Anthology editors and contributors discuss their groundbreaking collection.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 1
14:30 to 15:30
Free Event
Culture & Heritage, Current Affairs, Indigenous Panel  More Info


 
243: The Darker Side of Life
Philippe Claudel and Chris Womersley discuss their novels exploring corruption, innocence and redemption.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 4
14:30 to 15:30
Free Event
Fiction, Crime Panel  More Info


 
244: Writing Black
Gayle Kennedy and Cherie Dimaline talk about writing about indigenous lives.
Sydney Philharmonia Choir Studio
14:30 to 15:30
Free Event
Indigenous, Fiction Panel  More Info
15 : 30
 
248: Brazil
Carmen Michael and Thomas Kohnstamm talk about their Brazilian adventures with Claire Scobie.
Pier 2/3, Upstairs Writers’ Salon
15:30 to 16:30
Ticketed Event
Current Affairs, Life Writing Panel  More Info


 
245: From Poetry to Prose
Poets-turned-novelists, Rhyll McMaster, David Brooks and Marcella Polain, discuss changing genres.
Bangarra Mezzanine
15:30 to 16:30
Free Event
Fiction, Poetry Panel  More Info


 
249: Helen Garner in Conversation with Caroline Baum
Helen Garner discusses 'The Spare Room', her first novel in 15 years.
Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay
15:30 to 16:30
Ticketed Event
Fiction In Conversation  More Info


 
247: Michelle de Kretser in Conversation with Gail Jones
Michelle de Kretser speaks about her luminous new novel 'The Lost Dog'.
Pier 2/3, Downstairs
15:30 to 16:30
Ticketed Event
Fiction In Conversation  More Info


 
246: Writing for Performance with Pascal Daantos Berry
Pascal Daantos Berry explores writing for contemporary performance.
Blacktown Arts Centre
15:30 to 16:30
Free Event
Scriptwriting Author Talk  More Info


 
250: Under the Influence  * SOLD OUT *
Heather O’Neill and Luke Davies talk about love and addiction in their books.
Sydney Theatre, Richard Wherrett Studio
15:30 to 16:30
Ticketed Event
Fiction Panel  More Info
16 : 00
 
252: The Assimilation Agenda
Anna Haebich, Marcia Langton and Marilyn Lake discuss the legacy of decades of divisive racial politics and immigration policies.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 1
16:00 to 17:00
Free Event
Indigenous, Culture & Heritage, History Panel  More Info


 
253: PEN Voices: The 3 Writers Project
Gideon Haigh, Christos Tsiolkas and Mara Moustafine explore the prickly issues facing contemporary Australia.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 2/3
16:00 to 17:00
Free Event
Nonfiction, Current Affairs, Indigenous Panel  More Info


 
254: Pornstars, Princesses and Lost Boys
Emily Maguire and Sam de Brito consider contemporary Australian gender politics.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 4
16:00 to 17:00
Free Event
Current Affairs, Fiction Panel  More Info


 
251: Cafe Scientific: The Future of Food
Michael Pollan, local scientific experts and ABC personalities explore the good, bad and ugly of food production.
Bangarra Theatre
16:00 to 17:30
Free Event
Science & Environment, Nonfiction, Food & Drink Panel  More Info


 
255: Artistic Passion
Veny Armanno and Fiona Capp discuss writing protagonists with artistic impulses.
Sydney Philharmonia Choir Studio
16:00 to 17:00
Free Event
Fiction Panel  More Info
17 : 00
 
258: John Burnside in Conversation  * SOLD OUT *
John Burnside, one of Scotland's best-loved living writers, talks about his new novel 'Glister'.
Sydney Theatre, Richard Wherrett Studio
17:00 to 18:00
Ticketed Event
Fiction, Poetry, Life Writing In Conversation  More Info


 
257: The Lost Art of Oratory
Former politicians join former speech writers to discuss the potential for an Australian oratory.
Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay
17:00 to 18:30
Ticketed Event
Nonfiction, Current Affairs Panel  More Info


 
256: Commentariat
Leading media commentators discuss what power Op-Ed pages have in shaping national and international policy.
Pier 2/3, Downstairs
17:00 to 18:00
Ticketed Event
Nonfiction, Current Affairs Panel  More Info
17 : 30
 
260: Cockfighter’s Ghost Wine Tasting with Toni Patterson  * SOLD OUT *
Enjoy a tasting of Cockfighter’s Ghost wines as Master of Wine, Toni Patterson, shares her knowledge.
Pier 2/3, Upstairs Writers’ Salon
17:30 to 19:00
Ticketed Event
Food & Drink Special Event  More Info


 
259: Launch: Growing Up Asian in Australia
Alice Pung and Black Inc. launch 'Growing Up Asian in Australia'.
Bangarra Mezzanine
17:30 to 19:00
Free Event
Culture & Heritage, Life Writing Launch  More Info


 
261: Four on the Floor
Poets J.S. Harry, Jane Gibian, Michael Farrell and Alan Wearne read from their latest collections.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 4
17:30 to 19:00
Free Event
Poetry Reading  More Info


 
334: Robert Manne in Conversation
Robert Manne, one of Australia's foremost public intellectuals, has made extensive contribution to public debate in Australia. He speaks with Martin Krygier.
Sydney Dance Company, Studio 1
17:30 to 18:30
Free Event
Nonfiction, Current Affairs In Conversation  More Info


 
349: Readings from The Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelists
Sydney Philharmonia Choir Studio
17:30 to 18:30
Free Event
Fiction Reading  More Info
19 : 00
 
263: Hip Hop Projections 3
Spoken word, rap, DJing and dance with multimedia projections, showcasing local emerging artists.
CarriageWorks, Bay 20
19:00 to 21:00
Free Event
Music Performance