No Reading Required!

The pressure to pre-read doesn’t exist when it comes to our Literature & Ideas Weekend - we’re here for the unforgettable conversations and to pick the brains of some of the most interesting people you'll ever encounter!

But if you’re still feeling a little under-prepared, here’s three sessions where no reading is required, we promise (although we can’t promise you won’t want to grab their books afterwards).

Matt Okine | Being Black 'N Chicken, & Chips

Matt Okine is one of Australia's favourite award-winning comedians. A triple j breakfast darling, stand-up festival circuit performer and now, writer and star of his own semi-autobiographical show The Other Guy on Stan, his career continues to be on the rise.

'a delicate balancing act of humour and heart ... a heartwarming, heartbreaking and hilarious read' - The Herald Sun on Being Black ‘N Chicken, & Chips.

He talks to writer Ben Jenkins about his new novel Being Black ‘N Chicken, & Chips, comedy and fighting the impetus not to cry.

We can relate, and so can you, when he takes on the Literature & Ideas Amphitheatre in a FREE session on Sun 23 Feb at 11.30am.

Chiké Frankie Edozien | The Lives of Great Men

Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria Chiké Frankie Edozien learned to read from the newspapers his father brought home. He grew up to become an ink-stain scribbler telling the stories in service of a greater good. His The Lives of Great Men memoir won the Lambda Literary 2018 nonfiction award for Best Gay Memoir/Biography. 

'In this luminous book, we are exposed to a universe of important but untold stories: the queer African is brought out of the shade of society’s bigotry and thrust into the light. They are given the starring role, finally, and presented to the audience in full view of their humanity.' - Brittle Paper

Chiké Frankie Edozien talks to Holden Sheppard about The Lives of Great Men, his award-wining memoir of growing up gay in West Africa, moving to New York, becoming a journalist at the New York Post and finding love. Plus, he's a tennis enthusiast!

You'll love him as much as we do when he speaks at the FREE session at the Amphitheatre on Sun 23 Feb at 2.30pm. 

Katherine Johnson | Paris Savages

Katherine Johnson is an award-winning Tasmanian author whose new book, Paris Savages, is a fictionalised account of three Badtjala people who were paraded as human curiosities in Europe in the 1800s.

‘While the debate about who can tell whose stories is ongoing, Johnson’s creative deep dive into history has an authenticity that will no doubt help fix the gaps that pervade our predominant narrative. A general understanding is not enough; it is important that we comprehend the specifics of the appalling treatment of native people and cultures that has taken place in our collective past. We must unpack the worst stretches of our history with eyes wide open.’ - Lousie Swinn, The Sydney Morning Herald

Johnson is the author of three previous novels: Pescador’s Wake (Fourth Estate, 2009), The Better Son (Ventura Press, 2016) and Matryoshka (Ventura Press, 2018). Her manuscripts have won Varuna Awards and Tasmanian Premier's Literary Prizes. The Better Son was longlisted for both the Indie Book Awards and the Tasmania Book Prize.

Johnson holds both arts and science degrees, has worked as a science journalist, and published feature articles for magazines including Good Weekend. She recently completed a PhD, which forms the basis of her latest novel, Paris Savages.

To say the least, she knows her stuff. Join her in conversation with Alice Nelson on Sun 23 Feb, 2pm at Alexander Lecture Theatre.