Jack Books Every writer has that low moment. Some are really low, such as Stephen King’s near-death experience in 1999. But for others, a series of events can affect creativity or confidence, leaving their future in question. Candice Fox’s low point came at the very start of her career, a confluence of a eleventh hour … Continue reading →

Sofii McKenzie Bob Brown shares his love of Australia and of nature, and his belief in people power. It’s 3pm on the last day of the Sydney Writers’ Festival and Bob Brown has just taken the stage with public affairs broadcaster and journalist Elle Fanning. It’s been four years since Mr Brown, 67, announced his … Continue reading →

Cheyne Anderson “The secret weapon of investigative journalists are informants; informants and an enquiring mind,” said veteran journalist Quentin Dempster at the panel discussion he chaired, The Secret Weapons of Investigative Journalists, at the Sydney Writers’ Festival. In the packed Sydney Dance Theatre hall, the chair of the panel appeared to both begin and end … Continue reading →

Angela Law Media phenomenon Rosie Waterland is best-known for her laugh-out-loud funny recaps of TV’s The Bachelor series, written for women’s lifestyle site Mamamia. But, at just 28, her memoir, The Anti Cool Girl, reveals a deeply harrowing past. At the centre of her story is her drug and alcohol addicted parents, and her mother … Continue reading →

Charlotte Grieve Ritualistic sacrifice, wife-beating and torture-porn were among the topics canvassed by Philip Dwyer, founding director of the Centre for the History of Violence at the University of Newcastle, at the Festival’s final Curiosity lecture on Friday night. “The central question is not what is violence, but what makes violence in any given society?” … Continue reading →

Laurel Shaw-Adams Whether queuing for an event, browsing the book collections, or discussing literature over a glass of chardonnay, Kelsey Montague wants festival-goers to take a moment to think about what inspires them. Ms Montague is the 2016 Sydney Writers’ Festival artist-in-residence – an international street artist particularly known for her large-scale murals of angel … Continue reading →

Francois Martin How did an English pacifist become the advisor to the head of the United States military during the Iraq war? Emma Sky told her story on Thursday at the Roslyn Packer Theatre, in conversation with host James Brown. Her book The Unravelling: High hopes and missed opportunities in Iraq. She spoke to a … Continue reading →

Jennifer McMillan The Sydney Writers’ Festival discussion about our relationship with nature attracted some 800 people on Friday. On stage were acclaimed British author Jeanette Winterson, Australian writer, scientist and conservationist Tim Flannery and British writer James Rebanks, author of The Shepherd’s Life. The energy in the Roslyn Packer Theatre was palpable when Tim Flannery … Continue reading →

Thomas Van Leeuwen Andrew Denton says he first became interested in the subject of death after reading The Oxford Book of Death while tandem skydiving. “It was for Live and Sweaty, and I hadn’t thought much about the mechanics of terminal velocity – the book just flew out of my hands and got stuck to … Continue reading →

  Aidan Wondracz Megan Mackenzie, a leading expert on gender, security, and women in combat, explores the beliefs that perpetuate gender patriarchy within the military and prevent women from actively serving their country, beliefs that are proven superficial, erroneous and even facetious if compared to the facts of reality. So the question remains: why do … Continue reading →