Who gets to call themselves a writer and why? Singer/songwriter Sarah Blasko, spoken-word artist Miles Merrill, Sudanese hip hop artist Emmanuel Jal and adventurer and journalist Chris Bray dissect their various approaches to being a ‘writer’, with SMH arts-journalist Benito di Fonzo.
EMMANUEL JAL (INTERNATIONAL) EMMANUEL JAL was seven years old when he was taken from his family home to become a child soldier with the rebel army in Sudan. Put into battle in Ethiopia, Emmanuel was beaten, starved and brutalised. He tried to escape but was hunted down and imprisoned. He was rescued by a British aid worker who smuggled him into Nairobi. Now a hip hop artist, Emmanuel has won worldwide acclaim for his unique style of hip hop with its message of peace and reconciliation. His music can be heard alongside Coldplay, Gorillaz and Radiohead on the fundraising album Warchild: Help a Day in the Life. He also featured on John Lennon’s Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur with the likes of U2, REM and Lenny Kravitz. His first book is War Child: A Boy Soldier's Story. emmanueljal.org
CHRIS BRAY (LOCAL) CHRIS BRAY has forged an exciting career by combining his passion for photography and writing together with his engineering degree to developing innovative approaches to adventuring. Chris is the Australian Geographic Young Adventurer of the Year and Spirit of Adventure awardee, as well as chairman of the Australia & New Zealand chapter of The Explorers Club. He has started several small businesses and is Canon’s ambassador for digital photography in Australia. When not traversing remote Arctic islands, writing articles or sailing the Southern Ocean, Chris is a successful speaker, encouraging others to reach for their own life goals.
ChrisBray.net
SARAH BLASKO is an ARIA Award-winning musician. She released her debut album in 2004, The Overture & The Underscore, which went on to receive four ARIA nominations. Her second album, What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have, was released in 2006 and went on to win Sarah the Best Pop Release ARIA at the 2007 awards. Sarah has recently finished recording her third solo album in Stockholm.
Click here to stream an exclusive preview track 'No Turning Back' from Sarah’s forthcoming album As Day Follows Night, released July 10.
MILES MERRILL is a spoken-word performer. Miles combines poetry with theatre, experimental audio, hip hop beats, stand-up and political confrontation. Born in Chicago and now living in Sydney, Miles has written and directed a show in the Sydney Festival and performed solo at the Sydney Opera House. Miles created The Night Words Festival and the national Australian Poetry Slam. In 2008 he toured China and Canada. He has also performed in Krakow’s Audio Art Festival, at The Ubud International Writer’s Festival and at hundreds of venues throughout Australia and the United States.
BENITO DI FONZO (LOCAL) BENITO DI FONZO is the author of the verse novel Her, Leaving As the Acid Hits and an arts writer for The Sydney Morning Herald. He co-hosted spoken-word night Bardflys for a decade. His poems and plays have been performed everywhere from The Sydney Opera House to London, Edinburgh, Rome, Adelaide, Ubud and Perth. Benito is currently working on his masters degree in screenwriting at the Australian Film Television Radio School.
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