Aussie Readers discussion

I'll keep a calendar of literary events for 2011 in this discussion. It will be updated regularly so come back and check from time to time. Feel free to add any festivals that I may have missed.

We are also looking for some volunteers to act as unofficial 'Roving Reporters' for the major festivals in 2011. That means that you would come back to this discussion and comment on what you thought of the festival. Did you meet any writers, see any great new books, find out any goss, etc! Your comments can be as brief or as descriptive as you like. Let Gail or I know if you'd like to be involved.:)

March 2011

Perth Writers Festival
Runs from 4th to 7th March.
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://perthfestival.com.au/events/pwf/

The 2011 Australian Romance Readers Convention
Bondi Beach, Sydney
Runs from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 March
Roving Reporter: Kat from Book Thingo will be posting some news from the convention for us!
Website: http://www.australianromancereaders.c...

Aboriginal Writers Festival
19th March
NSW Writers Centre, Sydney
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://www.nswwriterscentre.org.au/ht...

Ten Days On The Island: Literature Program
Tasmania
25th March - 3rd April
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://www.tendaysontheisland.com/201...

April

The 50th Annual Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention
Runs from 21st - 25th April 2011
Hyatt Hotel, Adelaide Tce, Perth
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://2011.swancon.com.au/

The Jane Austen Festival of Australia
From 14th - 17th April
Canberra
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://www.earthlydelights.com.au/Aus...

The Norman Lindsay Festival of Children's Literature
At the Norman Lindsay Gallery in the Blue Mountains, NSW
2nd - 3rd April
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://www.normanlindsay.com.au/event...

Storylines - Festival of Young Adult and Children's Literature
All Saints College, Perth
6th - 8th April
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://www.allsaints.wa.edu.au/defaul...

The Williamstown Literary Festival
29th April - 1st May
Melbourne
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://www.willylitfest.org.au/

The Childrens Book Festival
3rd - 5th April
State Library of Victoria
Roving Reporter:
Website: http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/event/child...

May

Sydney Writers Festival
Runs from May 16 - 22
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://www.swf.org.au/

Emerging Writers Festival
26th May - 5th June
Melbourne
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://www.emergingwritersfestival.or...

June

Continuum 7
Speculative fiction - Cross Media Festival, Melbourne
Runs from June 10th - 13th
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: www.continuum.org.au/

August

Byron Bay Writers Festival
5th - 7th August
Rocing Reporter: TBA
Website: http://www.byronbaywritersfestival.co...

From Here to Eternity - Romance Writers Conference 2011
Melbourne
Aug 11th to 14th
Roving Reporters: Lillian (writer) & Carmel (reader)
Website: http://www.romanceaustralia.com/confe...

September

Brisbane Writers Festival
?7th - 11th September
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: (not updated yet) http://www.brisbanewritersfestival.co...

National Young Writers Festival
29 September - 3 October
Newcastle
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website (still from 2010): http://www.youngwritersfestival.org/

Write Around the Murray
7th - 11th September
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://www.writearoundthemurray.org.au/

Conflux 7 - From Here to There
October 1 to October 3, 2011
Quality Hotel Woden, Canberra
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://www.conflux.org.au/

October

SheKilda Again - Women's Crime Writing Convention
7th - 9th October
Melbourne
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://www.sistersincrime.org.au/node...


Looking for Aussie Readers group member
s who are going to the festivals and are interested in giving the group some feedback. More than one volunteer for each festival is welcome. Please contact me or Gail. Ta!:)

Carmel wrote: "Mandy, I got a reply from the organiser of the Romance Writers festival in Melb re volunteering & she said she'd get back to me, got my fingers crossed. So if I do, like you (because you said you w..."

That's great Carmel! Thanks. I'll put you down for the MWF!:)

I am a member of Romance Writers of Australia and plan to go to the conference in Melbourne in August as a writer. I am happy to report back if you want me to.

That would be awesome Lillian.

Lillian wrote: "I am a member of Romance Writers of Australia and plan to go to the conference in Melbourne in August as a writer. I am happy to report back if you want me to."

Thanks Lillian, that's great!!:)

Thanks to group member Janelle who just sent me the correct website of the Perth Writers Festival. Check it out in msg #2!

Check out how to become a volunteer at the Sydney Writers Festival here: http://www.swf.org.au/volunteers/

Volunteering for these festivals is a lot of fun. You get to meet authors, mingle with the 'literati' and make new friends.

Fans of YA author Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series will be thrilled to know she will be attending as a guest speaker/author. Don't miss out on meeting her!!

Carmel wrote: "Mandy I've known for a while that Cassie was coming to Australia, but is she only going to Sydney?"

It said in the article I read that she's visiting Melbourne in May after appearing at the Sydney Writers Festival. I'll keep an eye out for more news about appearances.

Check msg #2 for a new festival in March 2011!

Update on the Perth Writers Festival:

Situated on the beautiful grounds of The University of Western Australia, the Perth Writers Festival is a celebration of the written word in all its forms. With something for everyone, the long weekend includes a fabulous opening party, readings, talks, workshops and our always popular Family Day.

Full program of events will be released Thur 27 Jan but many of the visiting authors have already been announced. International authors include Annie Proulx, Joanne Harris, Andrew O'Hagan, Damon Galgut, 'Dexter' author Jeff Lindsay, Armistead Maupin, Tariq Ali and Simon Armitage. Aussie authors include Jon Bauer, Carmel Bird, Gregory Day, Will Elliott, Tim Flannery, Raimond Gaita, Kate Holden, Toni Jordan, Caroline Overington, Kim Scott, John Tranter, Chris Womersley, Sophie Gee and her husband Lev Grossman.

http://perthfestival.com.au/events/pwf/

We're still looking for volunteers to give us some feedback from the festival!!

From The Wheeler Centre website.

On Typewriters & Translation

"Melbourne is playing host to two literary festivals with a difference over the next few days. The Sticky Institute’s I Am Typewriter festival will be “investigating the love affair between zine and machine” until February 13 – and who doesn’t love the click and zing of a typewriter? It’s the surest way to beat writer’s block. The festival will culminate with the centrepiece event, the Sticky Institute’s annual zine fair, taking place on Saturday week, February 12, from 1pm to 6pm. Programme details here.

Meanwhile, AALITRA, or the Australian Assocation for Literary Translation, is putting on Translated! An Interactive Festival of Literary Translation. Our favourite event is ‘The Writer as Translator: The art of self-translation’ on February 9 – this event’s panel includes poet and translator Ouyang Yu. The festival runs from February 7 to 12."

Check out msg #2 for loads more newly added festivals in April and March this year!

Carmel wrote: "Now, I know we have a number of our members who have read or are currently reading the Cassandra Clare "The Mortal Instruments" & "Infernal Devices" series -well if you're a I fan lik..."

I would love to go to the one in melbourne but considering my family and friends are on Sydney have no one to go with if I go as a nigel can I sit with one of you.

Carmel wrote: "Davina wrote: " if I go as a nigel can I sit with one of you. ..."

Ha ha Davina did you mean an angel? If your were a nigel, well I'm not sure, but if you're an angel, yeah that's fine!!!LOL"

You know that saying Carmel? Nigel No-Mates! It's a way of saying that you are alone. Is that what you meant Davina?

Yes I meant nigel no mates. Sorry for the confusion.

Jace is part angel and I wouldn't call him a goody 2 shoes come to think of it the last couple of books I've read with angels Mercy and Angelic none of them would fit the goody 2 shoes mould so maybe you should go as one. :)

It will be cold by then so I'll be the one that looks like I'm wearing every item of clothing from my closet. No dress ups for me either.

National Young Writers Festival 2011 Submissions NOW OPEN
go here;
http://www.youngwritersfestival.org/s...
SUBMISSION CLOSE MARCH 2011
Submissions are now open for the 2011 National Young Writers' Festival (NYWF). We are seeking proposals from fiction writers, poets, journalists, zinesters, magazinesters, bloggers, playwrights, editors, curators, independent publishers, critics, activists, media geeks, comics creators, theory-heads, thinkers, performance artists, visual artists - all and sundry Friends of the Word to take part in the epic 2011 NYWF!

Whether you're fresh-faced and peppy-toed, or you've been around the literary block and lived to tell the tale, we want YOU. If you have a concept to peddle or an idea to burn: grab your lappy, your pen, your crayon - or better yet, all three, and get to filling out the following details.

Submissions close 31 March 2011.

Couple of new festivals added above to msg #2. Check them out!

Is thinking I might take my girls to the
Childrens Book Festival 2011 Sunday 3rd April
on The lawn of the state Library of Victoria.
10 am - 4.00 pm.
Info at (haven't checked out the websit yet.)
wheelercentre.com or slv.vic.gov.au

Thanks will do.

Davina wrote: "Is thinking I might take my girls to the
Childrens Book Festival 2011 Sunday 3rd April
on The lawn of the state Library of Victoria.
10 am - 4.00 pm.
Info at (haven't checked out the websit..."

Sounds wonderful Davina! If you go we'd love to know what you thought of it.:)

No problems, be happy to.

Mandy wrote: "March 2011

Perth Writers Festival
Runs from 4th to 7th March.
Roving Reporter: TBA
Website: http://perthfestival.com.au/events/pwf/

The 2011 Australian Romance Readers Convention
Bondi Be..."

Looks like I might be going to the Sydney writers festival on the 20th May. Was at my Book Club tonight, and they took a group of us last year (I couldn't go), and they mentioned tonight that they would be taking us again on the Fri 20th, so, I'm not sure yet, but will let you know if I do.....

Annie Proulx who wrote The Shipping News is one of the headliners there! Hope I can get there, it would be great...

Hi, Mandy,

ARRC is fast approaching, and I was wondering where/how you'd like me to post updates from the convention? Feel free to email me offline if you wish: kat@bookthingo.com.au.

Thanks! :-)

Received this from Society of editors - thought I'd pass it on:
Whitsunday Writers Festival - Daydream Island will once again be the setting for a great cocktail party at Lovers Cove on the first night with a magnificent gala dinner at Mermaids restaurant on Saturday night.
The Festival will be held 22-24 July 2011 and confirmed speakers are Sam de Brito - blog All Men are Liars and author of No Tattoos til You’re Thirty. Victoria Cosford - author of Amore et Amoretti and journalist for Byron Shire Echo. Susan Wyndham, Literary Editor of Sydney Morning Herald and author of Life in His Hands about neurosurgeon Charlie Teo.
Joanna Savill - well known foodie and founding editor of SBS world news, as well as being an interpreter at EEC in Brussels. Malcolm Knox author of 3 novels and winner of Walkley Award for breaking Norma Khouri hoax story. Bolinda Publishers are organising a surprise guest for us.
http://wowfestival.blogspot.com/

Ditto what Carmel said!!;) What a fantastic place to have a writers festival. Great line-up too. I'd love to read that book about Charlie Teo too!

Just a note on/from the Emerging Writers' Festival coming up in May:



So... if you're feeling like supporting emerging writers and getting books out there, you might want to consider this--it's tax deductible too!

M

@Carmel--I don't know if you can ask to sponsor a specific writer (although you might be able to). At present I don't *believe* I have a sponsor, but then I've only just sent in an offer to Lisa Dempster saying I am available for the festival (with the backing of Hares&Hyenas) and am having a book launch in May that could become part of the festival events.

So... I don't know if I need one or not, but if you wish to do so, you can email Lisa at director @ emergingwritersfestival.org.au (without the spaces, obviously). If you decide to do so--whether or not such an action turns out to be possible or not--thank you very much, and thank you for the offer-it's very kind of you, but it's not something I'm going to ask you to do.

*hugs*

Matt

EDITED: to put in the correct email addy (thanks Carmel!)

I'll give you my bank account details Carmel while you are in the mood for giving money away. You could sponser my kids through private schools. :)

Hahaha! It was worth a shot.

Carmel wrote: "Matt, I've sent her an email and will wait for a response, but it would be a pleasure to sponsor you, I'm all for encouraging Aussie talent! "

Thank you very much, Carmel. Whether it's something they'll allow or not, I'm really touched by your generosity.

Gail «Cyborg» wrote: "I'll give you my bank account details Carmel while you are in the mood for giving money away. You could sponser my kids through private schools. :)"

Naughty Corner!!!!!

I definitely deserved to be sent to the corner Mandy. Here was Carmel being her true generous self. Something she often likes to hide, and all I could do was tease her.

Slinks off to the corner not taking a drink or some nibblies.

Gail «Cyborg» wrote: "I definitely deserved to be sent to the corner Mandy. Here was Carmel being her true generous self. Something she often likes to hide, and all I could do was tease her.

Slinks off to the corner..."

AW! You can take the drinks and nibblies with you! We'll all probably be joining you there later anyway.;)

Posted in the NYWF thread, but submissions to the Young Writers' Festival (as an artist or volunteer) close on the 31st of march. http://www.youngwritersfestival.org/

Well, it's official. I will be part of the Romance Genre panel at the Emerging Writers' Festival, which is happening at 6:00PM on Wednesday the 1st of June at the Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne!

I'll set up an event or two once I've got more details (with updates) but um... thanks for the support everyone, especially to Carmel, and um... hope to see you there!

Carmel wrote: "Wow that's fantastic Matt congratulations!! Very excited for you, don't worry, I'll be there with bells on!!! ."

I've been told there's a special party for sponsors and authors, and people who sponsor and author will also be thanked by the festival, so if you do end up sponsoring an author (me or otherwise), expect to get an invite to that, and possibly your name in the program. :)

Matt

Don't miss Literati on the Gold Coast - 6 & 7 May 2011.

We have free workshops for writers on Friday afternoon and free author encounters all day Saturday at Robina Community Centre. 20 great Australian authors including Nick Earls, Tess Evans, Angela Savage, P.M. Newton and David Astle (better known as DA, or the Dictionary Guy, from SBS's Letters and Numbers). Debut author Peter Rix will have his brand new novel hot off the presses, and Trent Jamieson will be talking about his Death Works trilogy. And more!

You can also join the authors for our delicious three course Literary Feast on Friday evening at The Arts Centre, Gold Coast - fabulous food and two different authors at your table with every course, for $75 per person.

The full program is available on the Gold Coast City Council Libraries webpage - here.

There will also be regular updates on our book coasters blog.

So, if you're on the Gold Coast, or you were looking for an excuse to visit, come to Literati.

And come and say hi to me - Loupie - I'll be the one breathing into a paper bag in the corner :)

Thanks! I've been slowly putting my books onto Good Reads for a few months, since my new year's resolution was to go digital with my reading journal (and face up to the backlog of many years of unrecorded reading), but this is my first foray into the groups.

I attended the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival yesterday. It was a great inaugural event with some very well known Australian writers presenting some excellent discussions. The authors I spoke to were very friendly and I bought a signed copy of Bereft and Bleed for Me.

Tango, those two books sound really good. I have put Bereft on my TBR list!

:) Thanks Carmel. I should probably have updated here!

*hugs*

Matt

Awesome! See you at the artist and sponsor party!!

:D

Matt

well done matt super exciting!

Literati 2011 is happening a robina library on the coast this week end heaps of gold coast authors including
Nick Earls author of 48 shades of brown all free looks awesome!

https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/libr...

Matthew wrote: ":) Thanks Carmel. I should probably have updated here!

*hugs*

Matt"

Congratulations Matt!! Great news, and well earned! :)

Thanks Carmel, I had forgotten about it! I will get in touch with my book club tomorrow, we were supposed to be going down for the day..don't know if it's still happening tho..:)

Quick, someone organise shoes to throw!