Bring Your Book Club to Writers Weekend
There's so much to choose from at Writers Weekend so we've picked out seven sessions that would be perfect for your book club.
From fiction to biography these sessions will give you a lot to talk about.
If you haven't pre-read the book, don't worry about it! Let these sessions be inspiration for your reading list.
Blackfulla Book Club
A chat about @blackfulla_bookclub – a space for reading, laughing and changing the face of Bookstagram
Launched as a Zoom book club at the beginning of the COVID pandemic by two lawyers @blackfulla_bookclub is a space for reading, laughing, vibing and changing the face of Bookstagram.
Join Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman Teela Reid, one of the founders of Blackfulla Bookclub, in conversation with Elfie Shiosaki.
Sat 25 Feb, 10am
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Past Perfect
Tales of family history and reckoning with the past.
Sharron Booth’s debut novel The Silence of Water spans the 19th and early 20th centuries, telling a sprawling tale of a family’s reckoning with the past, while Portland Jones’ new book Only Birds Above is also set in the past, exploring a family’s story of separation between the first and second world wars. Bronwyn Rennex delves into her family history to explore the personal and social impacts of the Vietnam War in her book Life with Birds. Join these three authors in conversation with Emily Paull.
Sat 25 Feb, 11.30am
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Jess Ho 'Raised by Wolves'
Join a hilarious and important new voice on food, culture and Australia.
Jess Ho is one of the most influential voices in Australia’s bar and restaurant scene. In Raised by Wolves they serve up a no-holds barred take on an industry rife with dysfunction - from greed and ego to sexual harassment, exploitation and the never-ending fetishisation of Asian food culture. Join a hilarious and important new voice on food, culture and Australia.
Sat 25 Feb, 2.30pm
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Hayley Scrivenor 'Dirt Town'
In Hayley Scrivenor’s beautifully written debut novel Dirt Town, the landscape of regional Australia is the setting for a story of friendship and loss. When Esther Bianchi goes missing on her way home from school in rural New South Wales, residents’ illusions of small-town safety are shattered.
Hayley is at the crest of a wave of female-authored Australian crime novelists who are changing the genre and this session is not to be missed.
Sat 25 Feb, 4pm
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On the Fringes
A chat about characters who are not from the mainstream.
Holden Sheppard’s The Brink follows a group of teens through a wild ride, exploring contemporary masculinity, while Hayley Scrivenor’s regional thriller and runaway success Dirt Town examines what happens when a girl goes missing in small town Australia. Jennifer Down’s Miles Franklin-winning Bodies of Light is a compelling and heartbreaking exploration of life in institutionalised care. Join these three authors in conversation with Brooke Dunnell.
Sun 26 Feb, 2.30pm
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Larissa Behrendt 'After Story'
A chat about her searing and heartwarming novel.
From one of Australia’s foremost legal voices, comes a novel of rare tenderness. Larissa Behrendt’s After Story is a beautifully rendered portrait of a mother and daughter whose attempt to mend their bond takes place against the backdrop of the great literary sites of Britain. It plots the journey of Jasmine - an idealistic young Indigenous woman lawyer who thinks she can help her people by using the law - and her mum Della whose painful memories of love and loss are often just at the surface. Join us in conversation with a remarkable Australian.
Sun 26 Feb, 2.30pm
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Holly Ringland 'The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding'
A conversation with a bestselling author.
Writer, storyteller and television presenter Holly Ringland is a household name. Her bestselling debut novel, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, has been published in 30 territories and is currently in production to become a seven-part series for global streaming on Amazon Prime, starring Sigourney Weaver. Holly's latest offering, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, takes us on a journey through loss, grief and courage. Join her in conversation with Geraldine Mellet.
Sun 26 Feb, 5.30pm
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