Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
Media Release
HOW TO LIVE?
SYDNEY WRITERS’ FESTIVAL 2015 Sydney Writers’ Festival marks that time of the year when the city and suburbs are transformed by readers, thinkers and writers. More than 400 Australian and 45 international writers are set to entertain and stir the expected 60,000+ festival attendees in May. This year we’re attempting to make sense of our world with the theme, How to Live? Writers are good guides in this area as they offer solace, knowledge, humour and inspiration. Their words create a space where we can stop and breathe and take time out from the repetition of our daily lives to question, reflect and explore. Where do we find a sense of purpose? And how should we best live our lives? Atul Gawande Caitlin Doughty Åsne Seierstad Douglas Coupland In the spotlight from abroad are: the brilliant novelist and essayist, Mohsin Hamid (Opening Address); author of acclaimed H is For Hawk Helen Macdonald (Closing Address); big name actors with books, Alan Cumming and David Walliams; the world’s biggest selling author for the last 13 years, James Patterson; mortician Caitlin Doughty; the man who coined the term Generation X, Douglas Coupland; renowned novelists Amy Bloom, Micheal Frayn, Ben Okri, David Mitchell, Anthony Horowitz, Emily St John Mandel, Jonathan Lethem; stellar debut novelists Zia Haider Rahman, & Mitchell S Jackson; crime writer Michael Connelly; podcaster Starlee Kine; doctors who write, Atul Gawande & Norman Doidge; journalist Nick Davies -‐ who uncovered the hacking scandal; war correspondents Christina Lamb & Åsne Seierstad, celebrity critic Daniel Mendelsohn, happiness expert Paul Dolan & happiness advocate, Leigh Ann Henion. Local authors set to impress are 2014 Man Booker Prize winner, Richard Flanagan, Miles Franklin Award-‐winning, Evie Wyld (travelling from London); Australia’s bestselling authors Kate Grenville, David Malouf, Liane Moriarty, Graeme Simsion, Helen Garner, Robert Dessaix, Joan London, Steve Toltz, Sonya Hartnett, Nick Earls, Don Watson and Brooke Davis. Also two former Prime Ministers, Julia Gillard and John Howard, and former Queensland Premier turned Sydney-‐sider Anna Bligh join us in separate events.
1 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
Celebrity foodies Rick Stein, Adam Liaw, Paul West and new foodie, Margaret Pomeranz will talking life & cooking. Children’s highlighted authors are Andrew Daddo, Anna & Barbara Fienberg, Tony Flowers, Gus Gordon, Jacqueline Harvey, Leigh Hobbs, Will Kostakis, Melina Marchetta, Garth Nix, Ted Prior, Oliver Phommavanh, A.L Tait and Matt Stanton. Jemma Birrell, in her third year as Artistic Director of Sydney Writers’ Festival said at the program launch, ‘In its 18th year the 2015 Sydney Writers’ Festival explores How to Live? Where do we find a sense of purpose and how should we best live our lives? It’s a subject I’ve seen in all levels of cultural life and running through the books people are particularly connecting with at the moment. In this year’s program over 400 writers will help us make sense of the world, exploring ideas of happiness, grief, spirituality, ageing, and mortality’. Jemma Birrell Sydney Writers’ Festival 2015 will be asking these questions from early May when Thinking Season begins with Julia Gillard’s City Recital Hall event On Standing for Something (Friday May 1). Then a week later in The Rise and Rise of the World’s Biggest Author, James Patterson will look at success and the future of reading at the Sydney Town Hall (Friday May 8).
EARLY FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS Julia Gillard: On Standing for Something Friday May 1, 8:00pm-‐9:30pm City Recital Hall Angel Place Premium $40, A Reserve $32/$25 Bookings 9250 1988 or 8256 2222 www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf or www.cityrecitalhall.com James Patterson: The Rise and Rise of the World’s Biggest Author Friday May 8, 8:00pm-‐9:00pm Sydney Town Hall Premium $40, A Reserve $30/$20 Bookings 9250 1988, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf
2 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
FESTIVAL WEEK MONDAY MAY 18 – SUNDAY MAY 24 Following on from Julia Gillard on May 1 and James Patterson on May 8 is Festival Week. This runs Monday May 18 to Sunday May 24
OPENING ADDRESS: Mohsin Hamid This year’s Festival Week opening address on Tuesday May 19, 6.30pm at Walsh Bay’s Roslyn Packer Theatre will feature Mohsin Hamid speaking on the topic, Life in the Time of Permawar. In an era of incessant conflict, divisions are on the rise and our traditional sources of solace are being disrupted. How then are we to live? And what can fiction do to help? 2015 Opening Address Mohsin Hamid: Life in the Time of Permawar May 19, 6:30pm-‐7:30pm Roslyn Packer Theatre Premium $45, A Reserve $35/$25 Bookings 9250 1988, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf
CLOSING ADDRESS: Helen Macdonald The Festival Week closing address on Sunday May 26, also at the Roslyn Packer Theatre will be Helen Macdonald: On Looking at Nature. Helen is the author of the award-‐winning H is for Hawk. Rich with anecdote and reflection, Helen Macdonald’s closing address explores nature's role in teaching us how to live. Can we learn to treasure nature not as a mirror or a place of refuge, but something to be loved because it is resolutely inhuman? 2015 Closing Address Helen Macdonald: On Looking at Nature May 24, 6:00pm-‐7:00pm Roslyn Packer Theatre Premium $38, A Reserve $28/$20 Bookings 9250 1988, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf
3 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
SYDNEY WRITERS’ FESTIVAL COVERING GREATER SYDNEY AND BEYOND In 2015 Sydney Writers’ Festival grows its commitment to the people of Greater Sydney and beyond by programming the Festival’s headline authors in over 50 suburban and regional venues. Evie Wyld, Caitlin Doughty, Xinran, Ross Gittens, Michael Connelly, Andy Griffiths, Michael Robotham, Nick Earls, Hugh Mackay, Liane Moriarty, Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist are some of the high calibre authors speaking outside The City of Sydney. Writers will delight audiences in Ashfield, Auburn, Bankstown, Belrose, Blacktown, Bondi, Bowral, Camden, Campbelltown, Castle Hill, Casula, Chatswood, Hornsby, Katoomba, Kogarah, Parramatta, Penrith, Randwick, Ryde and Wollongong.
LIVE AND LOCAL-‐ REGIONAL STREAMING In 2015, Sydney Writers' Festival is expanding its horizons with Live and Local – a digital live-‐ streaming project taking Festival sessions to regional centres across NSW, as well as Parramatta Library. Our partner arts centres and writers’ groups have chosen events for their local community to be screened in real-‐time. Events are interactive, with the opportunity for audiences to ask questions of the guest authors in Sydney. In its first year, Live and Local brings Festival sessions to audiences in Albury, Armidale, Bathurst, Byron Bay, Port Macquarie, Taree, Tamworth and Wollongong. The host organisation and venue for each of these events is outlined below. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body. *For more detailed information on Live and Local please email for the Live & Local media release.
[email protected]
FAMILY AND CHILDREN’S EVENTS Family Day is on Sunday 24 May and is our biggest yet! Come down to The Big Backyard in Pier 2/3 for craft and activities, book readings in the Enid Blyton Storytime Clubhouse, Lulu Bell’s Magic Word Garden, Minecraft storybuilding workshops, face painting, treasure hunts, chalk-‐art and much, much more. Plus there’s a full line-‐up of events throughout the day on the Big Backyard Club Stage. We also have a killer program for teens including the first ever TeenCon 2015, an exclusive sneak peek at the hottest upcoming YA releases. *For more detailed information on Family and Children’s Events please email for the Family & Children’s specific media release.
[email protected]
WESTERN SYDNEY
SWF 2015 Thinking Season brings some of the biggest names in literature to Western Sydney. Michael Connelly, Andy Griffiths, Hugh Mackay, Liane Moriarty and Graeme Simsion are just a few names. *For more detailed information on the Western Sydney program please email for the Western Sydney specific media release.
[email protected]
4 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
Emily St John Mandel
Ben Okri
Amy Bloom
Jonathan Lethem
INTERNATIONAL FICTION HEADLINERS • • • • • • • • • •
American Amy Bloom writes short stories and novels. Her latest is Lucky Us. Douglas Coupland wrote Generation X and JPod, and nine other novels. UK literary giant, Michael Frayn known for his play Copenhagen and novels. Nigerian Brit, Ben Okri won the Booker Prize for The Famished Road (1991). Ever popular, David Mitchell. His latest is The Bone Clocks. Prolific writer of adult and YA fiction, TV series, films, plays. Anthony Horowitz. Canadian Emily St John Mandel is a rising literary star. Her fourth novel is Station Eleven. Jonathan Lethem is one of America’s greatest contemporary writers. Michael Connelly wrote the acclaimed Harry Bosch thriller series. Ex LA Times crime reporter. James Patterson has been the world’s highest selling author for 13 years.
INTERNATIONAL FICTION OF NOTE • • • • • • •
Amit Chaudhuri is an award winning Indian novelist, essayist and musician. Canadian Lynn Coady’s collection of short stories, Hellgoing, won the 2013 Soctiabank Giller Assaf Gavron is a novelist and Hebrew translator of Salinger, Roth and JK Rowling . Matt Haig is a UK adult and children’s novelist known for The Humans. Kim Thúy’s debut novel Ru (2012) sold worldwide. She is Canadian Vietnamese. Ayu Utami is an award-‐winning Indonesian writer who was the 2000 Prince Claus Award Laureate. Tommy Wieringa is a Dutch writer who came to fame through his novel, Joe Speedboat.
5 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
INTERNATIONAL FICTION DEBUTS CAUSING A STIR
Mitchell S Jackson’s Zia Haider Rahman Sasha Arango Michael Christie • Mitchell S Jackson’s debut novel The Residue Years lead to a teaching job at NY. • UK Banker & human rights lawyer Zia Haider Rahman’s wrote a critically acclaimed novel, In the Light of What We Know. • Sasha Arango is one of Germany's most prominent screenplay writers and has a debut novel, The Truth and Other Lies. • Canadian pro skater & fiction writer Michael Christie’s first book is If I Fall If I Die.
INTERNATONAL KIDS HEADLINERS •
Laurie Halse Anderson is a NYT’s bestselling author of YA.
•
David Walliams, famous for Little Britain is now the UK’s No.1 bestselling children’s writer.
6 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
INTERNATIONAL NON-‐FICTION HEADLINERS
Alan Cumming Leigh Ann Henion Claire Tomalin Christina Lamb TELEVISION/FILM/RADIO • Alan Cumming is an award-‐winning actor, singer, writer, producer and director. His book is Not My Father’s Son. • Starlee Kine is a writer braving the new world of podcasting. Firstly with This American Life and now with Gimlet Media. CRITIC • New Yorker Daniel Mendelsohn, is the author of The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million, and an award-‐winning writer, critic and translator. ENTERTAINER • Rebecca Vaughan is known for her acting, street clowning, one-‐woman show, Austen’s Women (2010). At SWF she performs, her one woman show, based on Virgina Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway. JOURNALIST • Nick Davies uncovered the UK Hacking scandal. Books, Hack Attack, White Lies, Murder on Ward Four, Dark Heart & Flat Earth News. • Christina Lamb is a war correspondent known for her collaborating with Malala Yousafzai to write, I Am Malala. • Åsne Seierstad is a Norwegian war correspondent who wrote One of Us – The Story of Anders Breivik and the Massacre in Utoya.
7 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
MEMOIR / BIOGRAPHY • Leigh Ann Henion’s debut book, Phenomenal, is about rekindling her sense of wonder. • Claire Tomalin is UK literary heavyweight. Her latest book is a biography on Dickens. • American Caitlin Doughty is a licensed mortician and the host and creator of the popular "Ask a Mortician" web series. Caitlin’s first book, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, is a New York Times bestseller. • Helen Macdonald a trained falconer, tamed a wild hawk and wrote a bestseller about it, H is for Hawk. She is giving the SWF closing address. • Xinran writes non-‐fiction books about the harshness of life in contemporary China. SCIENCE • Norman Doidge M.D. is a psychiatrist known for The Brain That Changes Itself and his new book The Brain’s Way of Healing. • Atul Gawande is a Surgeon, New Yorker staff writer. His book is Being Mortal. • Paul Doland is a UK expert on happiness, behaviour, and public policy.
8 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
THE LOCALS Sydney Writers’ Festival continues to champion the very best of Australian writing with over 300 local writers attending including:
HIGHLIGHTED AUSTRALIAN FICTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Robyn Cadwallader: The Anchoress Brooke Davis: Lost & Found Nick Earls: Analogue Men Graeme Simsion: The Rosie Effect Steve Toltz: Quicksand Ellen van Neerven: Heat and Light (short stories) Ali Cobby Eckermann: Inside My Mother Li Feng: Forged From Silver Dollar Richard Flanagan: Narrow Road To The Deep North Sonya Hartnett: Golden Boys David Ireland: The Chantic Bird (1968) Malcolm Knox: The Wonder Lovers Joan London: The Golden Age David Malouf: Being There Liane Moriarty: Mothers and Others Les Murray: Waiting For the Past Debra Oswald: Useful Michael Robotham: Life or Death
HIGHLIGHTED AUSTRALIAN NON FICTION • • • • • • •
Abdi Aden: Shining The Story of a Lucky Man Anna Bligh: Through the Wall: Reflections on Leadership, Love and Survival Latika Bourke: From India with Love Growing up Australian and the journey of self-‐discovery Frank Brennan: No Small Change: The Road to Recognition for Indigenous Australia Harvey Broadbent: Defending Gallipoli The Turkish Story Hamish Blake. Textbook Romance: Pink Popular Penguins David Carlin: The Abyssinian Contortionist 9 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Mridula Chakraborty: Being Bengali At Home and in the World Kirsty Clements: Impressive. How to have a stylish career Annabel Crabb: The Wife Drought Robert Dessaix: What Days Are For Helen Garner: This House of Grief: The Story of a Murder Trial Juila Gillard: My Story Ross Gittins: Gittins A life among budgets, bulldust and bastardry Kate Grenville: One Life: My mother's story Karen Hitchcock: Dear Life: On caring for the elderly Lee Kofman: Dangerous Bride, The A memoir of love, gods and geography Ramona Koval: Bloodhound: Searching for My Father Simon Lock: In the Front Row: How Australian Fashion made the World Stage Frank Moorhouse: Australia Under Surveillance Caroline Overington: Last Woman Hanged Rachel Power: Motherhood and Creativity: The Divided Heart Hannie Rayson: Hello, Beautiful!: Scenes From a Life Osamah Sami: Good Muslim Boy
AUSTRALIAN COOK BOOK WRITERS • • • •
Andrew Evans: Dude Food Adam Liaw: Adam's Big Pot Easy meals for your family Margaret Pomeranz and Philippa Whitfield Pomeranz: Let's Eat: A Cookbook Celebrating Film, Food & Family Rick Stein: Rick Stein Venice to Istanbul A rambling food journey, Fish and Shellfish
10 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
NEW IN 2015 THE HEMINGWAY BAR The Hemingway Bar in Pier 2/3, Open Late Enjoy live music and signature writers cocktails daily from Thursday – Saturday. BUSINESS BITES For the first time Sydney Writers’ Festival presents three business-‐themed lunchtime events at the St James Ethics Centre. Come and hear top thinkers share wisdom on leadership, successful branding and work/life balance. Business Bite 1: John Howard on Leadership Monday May 18, 12:30pm-‐1:30pm St James Ethics Centre Australia’s second-‐longest serving prime minister delivers his verdict on the longest serving. Adele Ferguson talks to John Howard about The Menzies Era and what it takes to be a good leader. $40 including light lunch, Bookings www.trybooking.com/125990 Business Bite 2: Dee Madigan and Simon Lock on Successful Branding Wednesday May 20, 12:30pm-‐1:30pm St James Ethics Centre What makes a brand irresistible? Advertising guru Dee Madigan (The Hard Sell) and fashion impresario Simon Lock (In the Front Row) spill their secrets to journalist Elizabeth Knight. $40 including light lunch, Bookings www.trybooking.com/125997 Business Bites 3 : Paul Dolan on Work/Life Balance Friday May 22, 12:30pm-‐1:30pm St James Ethics Centre Behavioural scientist Paul Dolan talks to Elizabeth Knight about the importance of purpose in getting pleasure out of work and why balance is the key to a happy life. $40 including light lunch, Bookings www.trybooking.com/126002
11 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
FESTIVAL FAVOURITES DAILY Coffee and Papers is back for its third year at The Bar at the End of the Wharf. A journalist and a writer talk the issues of the day. FREE: 9am, Thursday May 22 – Sunday May 24, Bar At The End of the Wharf FRIDAY MAY 22 The Big Read
An afternoon of enthralling readings with Kate Grenville, Steven Carroll, Damian Barr and Zia Haider Rahman. Includes the announcement of the 2015 Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist Awards. Friday May 22, 4.30pm – 5.30pm, Wharf Theatre 2 $20/$14 Bookings 9250 1988, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf SATURDAY MAY 23 5x15 5x15 returns to Roslyn Packer Theatre. Five speakers, 15 minutes each: Richard Tognetti makes beautiful music; Michael Connelly serves a creative life sentence; Omar Musa dreams of river currents; Starlee Kine sleuths and Adam Liaw shares essential food stories. Saturday May 23, 7:30pm-‐9:00pm, Roslyn Packer Theatre. Premium $38, A Reserve $28/$20 Bookings 9250 1988, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf
12 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
THE CURIOSITY LECTURE SERIES THURSDAY MAY 21 – SATURDAY MAY 22 The Curiosity Lecture Series. Perfect for hungry minds and open hearts, The free Curiosity Lecture Series is back by popular demand with sessions all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There are 21 lectures to choose from. Get acquainted with subject’s great and small, from capital punishment to Elvis’s hips. Be challenged by non-‐monogamy, discover Viking ancestors, settle in with Agatha Christie, grow alarmed at our narcissistic culture and marvel at the rise of the hipster. Hosted by popular philosopher, Damon Young. These are some highlights: THURSDAY MAY 21 Lesley Chamberlain: On Van Gogh's Shoes Thursday May 21, 10:00am-‐10:40am Pier 2/3 Curiosity Stage Why did Van Gogh paint a pair of old boots just after he arrived in Paris in 1886? In doing so, he couldn’t have known the controversy he would spark among art historians years later. Free Karen Hitchcock: On Old Age May 21, 4:30pm-‐5:10pm Pier 2/3 Curiosity Stage Karen Hitchcock explores the ramifications of our ageing population, asking why old people are a disaster and preparing us for the grey tsunami that’s heading our way. Thank god we’ll never be old. Free FRIDAY MAY 22 Nicholas Jose: On Fortune Friday May 22, 10:00am-‐10:40am Pier 2/3 Curiosity Stage The pagan goddess of fortune stands at the centre of our lives, yet we are taught to rise above her, to make our own luck -‐ until that luck runs out. Nicholas Jose considers the role of fortune today. Free
13 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
Jane de Teliga: On Running Away from Home Friday May 22, 1:30pm-‐2:10pm Pier 2/3 Curiosity Stage Fashion writer and baby boomer Jane de Teliga speaks of her mad midlife dash to Europe and the adventure of starting a new life there. Free Lee Kofman: On Non-‐Monogamy Friday May 22, 4:30pm-‐5:10pm Pier 2/3 Curiosity Stage Are non-‐monogamists really as immature, unrealistic, selfish and possibly evil as our cultural narratives postulate? Lee Kofman argues that ethically practiced non-‐monogamy can create relationships that are just as sound as monogamous ones. Free SATURADAY MAY 23 Kári Gíslason: On Meeting Viking Ancestors May 23, 4:30pm-‐5:10pm Pier 2/3 Curiosity Stage How much do we inherit from our ancestors? One winter, Kári Gíslason travelled to Iceland to find his own answers. Was the great Icelandic saga author Snorri Sturluson responsible for Kári’s decision to become a writer? Free Robert Dessaix: On How Enid Blyton Changed My Life May 23, 11:00am-‐11:40am Pier 2/3 Curiosity Stage Enid Blyton’s stories aren’t just whimsical tales filled with treacle pudding and naughty fairies. Blyton also knew the secret places children like to escape to. Robert Dessaix is still finding his way home. Free Fiona Allon: On Hipsters May 23, 12:00pm-‐12:40pm Pier 2/3 Curiosity Stage Bearded young men, single origin coffee, the handmade and fair trade: Hipsterism is everywhere, but is the time of the hipster over or has it just begun? Free
14 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
Emily St John Mandel: On Pandemics May 23, 3:30pm-‐4:10pm Pier 2/3 Curiosity Stage The history of humanity is a history of repeated brushes with pandemics. Emily St John Mandel, author of the acclaimed novel Station Eleven, explores the mechanisms of mass contagion and our fear of illness. Free Anne Manne: On Narcissism May 22, 2:30pm-‐3:10pm Pier 2/3 Curiosity Stage Program Short Anne Manne talks about how a new narcissistic character-‐type emerging from our rampant consumer culture is distorting relationships, sex and sport, undermining empathy for the vulnerable and subverting democratic politics. Free
WEEKNIGHTS IN THE CBD HIGHLIGHTS TUESDAY MAY 19 – FRIDAY MAY 22 Our big name writers and entertainers come out at night in special post-‐work events across the CBD: WEDNESDAY MAY 20 Atul Gawande: What Matters in the End Wednesday May 20, 6:30pm-‐7:30pm Sydney Opera House, Joan Sutherland Theatre Acclaimed writer and Boston surgeon, Atul Gawande, fearlessly explores the realities of ageing today. He speaks to ABC RN’s Dr Norman Swan about his book, Being Mortal, and aiming for a good life rather than a good death. Premium $55, A Reserve $45/$30 Bookings 9250 1988 or 9250 7777, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf or www.sydneyoperahouse.com Alan Cumming: Not My Father’s Son Wednesday May 20, 8:30pm-‐9:30pm Sydney Opera House, Joan Sutherland Theatre Actor and New York Times bestselling memoirist Alan Cumming shares the gripping story of his complicated family relationships in Not My Father’s Son. Alan speaks about this new work with David Marr. Premium $55, A Reserve $45/$30 Bookings 9250 1999 or 9250 7777, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf or www.sydneyoperahouse.com
15 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
THURSDAY MAY 21 Norman Doidge: The Brain’s Way of Healing Thursday May 21, 6:30pm-‐7:30pm City Recital Hall Angel Place Dr Norman Doidge is back with another inspiring book on the relatively new science of neuroplasticity. He talks to ABC RN’s Dr Norman Swan about the almost unbelievable power of the brain to heal our bodies. Premium $40, A Reserve $32/$25 Bookings 9250 1988 or 8256 2222, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf or www.cityrecitalhall.com Helen Garner: How Can We Write About Darkness? Thursday May 21, 8:30pm-‐9:30pm City Recital Hall Angel Place Helen Garner is no stranger to real stories of humanity’s darker side. In this rare talk, Helen speaks about her inspirations, from 1920s crime scene photos to the writing of Janet Malcolm. With Cath Keenan. Premium $40, A Reserve $32/$25 Bookings 9250 1988 or 8256 2222, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf or www.cityrecitalhall.com Richard Flanagan: A Celebration Thursday May 21, 6:30pm-‐7:30pm Sydney Town Hall A.C. Grayling calls The Narrow Road to the Deep North a masterpiece, Obama’s reading it – and we’re celebrating it! In his first Sydney appearance since winning the Man Booker prize, Richard Flanagan talks with Jennifer Byrne about life, writing, and being Bookered. Premium $40, A Reserve $30/$20 Bookings 9250 1988, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf Hugh Mackay Doug Coupland Leigh Ann Henion Anne Manne Paul Dolan How To Live? Thursday May 21, 8:30pm-‐10:00pm Sydney Town Hall Sartre once said, ‘everything has been figured out, except how to live’. Join some of our most intriguing guests Paul Dolan, Hugh Mackay, Douglas Coupland, Leigh Ann Henion and Anne Manne -‐ as they attempt to untangle life’s biggest conundrum. With Ellen Fanning. $28/$20 Bookings 9250 1988, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf 16 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
FRIDAY MAY 22 Stories That Defined a Decade Friday May 22, 6:30pm-‐7:30pm City Recital Hall Angel Place International journalists Åsne Seierstad, Nick Davies and Christina Lamb unearthed the real stories behind some of the decade’s most defining headlines. They speak to ABC’s Mark Colvin about what it takes to follow an obsession at all costs. Premium $40, A Reserve $32/$25 Bookings 9250 1988 or 8256 2222 www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf or www.cityrecitalhall.com David Mitchell: Bending Time Friday May 22, 8:30pm-‐9:30pm City Recital Hall Angel Place Anything can happen in the world of a David Mitchell novel, and the same is true when David sits down to talk with ABC RN’s Kate Evans about his astounding new metaphysical thriller, The Bone Clocks. Premium $40, A Reserve $32/$25 Bookings 9250 1988 or 8256 2222, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf or www.cityrecitalhall.com
17 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
NIGHTS AT THE PIERS & WHARF All the best surprises happen after dark. Ease into evenings with a festival line-‐up that will bring out your inner night owl, complete with reading glasses. From writers’ cocktails and live music at The Hemingway Bar in Pier 2/3, to our line-‐up of storytelling performances on the Club Stage next door, there’s no excuse to turn in early. On Friday and Saturday from 8pm, the Sydney Dance Cafe transforms into the Word Lounge, and at the gloriously civilised hour of 9.30pm, the late night literati will be walking to The Theatre Bar at the End of the Wharf for the Late Night Salon series. What happens in the Salon, stays in the Salon. Across the road at Roslyn Packer Theatre, get stuck into Night of the Nerds, 5 x 15 and an evening of feminist mischief. THURSDAY MAY 21 Late Night Salon: Julian Morrow and Chris Taylor Thursday May 21, 9:30pm-‐11:00pm The Theatre Bar at the End of the Wharf The Chaser lads get up close and (inappropriately) personal with international actor and writer Alan Cumming, acclaimed graphic novelist Simon Hanselmann and mortician Caitlin Doughty. FREE FRIDAY MAY 22 NIGHT of the NERDS: Adam Spencer, Dr Karl, Caitlin Doughty Friday May 22, 6:00pm-‐7:30pm Roslyn Packer Theatre A night of ultimate nerdulgence. Adam Spencer gets down with prime numbers, Dr Karl revels in busting myths and Caitlin Doughty gives a talk on corpses. Premium $38, A Reserve $28/$20 Bookings 9250 1988, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf Word Lounge: Drafts Unleashed + Slam Friday May 22, 8:00pm-‐9:30pm Sydney Dance Lounge Prose writers and poets test their unpublished drafts on a cheering audience. Featuring Abi Ulman, Benjamin Law, Omar Musa and Zohab Zee Khan, Miles Merrill. FREE SWF Night of Nonsense: The Giant Dwarf Comes to the Wharf Friday May 22, 7:30pm-‐9:00pm Pier 2/3 Club Stage The Dwarf comes to the Wharf for one night only with a comedy tasting plate featuring the venue’s finest performers and events including Erotic Fan Fiction, Comedyish and Story Club. $14 Bookings 9250 1988, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf
18 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
Late Night Salon: Damian Barr Friday May 22, 9:30pm-‐11:00pm The Theatre Bar at the End of the Wharf Damian Barr, star of London’s most popular literary salon, brings his inimitable interview style to the late night hub. His guests are raconteurs extraordinaire Anthony Horowitz, Amy Bloom and Tom Keneally. FREE SATURDAY MAY 23 Mistakes We’ve Made and Other Lessons in Feminism Saturday May 23, 6:00pm-‐7:00pm Roslyn Packer Theatre Common sense crusader Annabel Crabb, novelist Amy Bloom, former premier Anna Bligh and Indonesian writer Ayu Utami mull over the missteps and small victories of balancing life, love, gender and work, with Tracey Spicer. Premium $38, A Reserve $28/$20 Bookings 9250 1988, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf SWF Night of Laughs: How Not to Live Saturday May 23, 6:30pm-‐8:00pm Pier 2/3 Club Stage Join Sami Shah, Zoe Norton Lodge, Joel Meares, Alex Lee and Osamah Sami for an evening of head-‐scratching, secret-‐sharing and eyebrow-‐raising as each guest contemplates how not to live, with Ben Jenkins. $14 Bookings 9250 1988, www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/swf Word Lounge: Lit Vaudeville Saturday May 23, 8:00pm-‐9:30pm Sydney Dance Lounge Find out what other wondrous skills your favourite author can muster. Expect banjo playing skateboarding, extreme composting and more. Featuring Edwina Blush, Michael Christie, Mitchell S. Jackson and B. Michael Radburn. Hosted by Miles Merrill. FREE Late Night Salon: Julian Morrow and Chris Taylor May 23, 9:30pm-‐11:00pm The Theatre Bar at the End of the Wharf The Chaser lads open a bottle of wine and have a candid chat with Guardian journalist Nick Davies, US counterinsurgency expert David Kilcullen and Debra Oswald. FREE 19 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
SWF SUPPORTED CEREMONIES In 2015, Sydney Writers’ Festival is honoured to support these award ceremonies acknowledging winning writers as part of its 2015 program: The NSW Premier’s Literary Award (Monday 18 May), The Patrick White Playwrights’ Award and Fellowship (Friday 22 May), The Inaugural Geraldine Pascall Lifetime Achievement Award (Saturday 23 May) and The Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelists (Saturday 23 May).
GENERAL INFORMATION • • • • •
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At SWF 2015 more than 350 events will take place in venues across Sydney and beyond. Sydney Writers’ Festival is estimated to be the 4th largest literary festival in the world. Larger in audiences and content are the UK’s Hay, Cheltnam and Edinburgh. For the past 5 years the Festival has attracted over 80,000 attendances annually to its out of season events and May Festival Week. 2015 marks the 18th year of the Festival. The main venues are Walsh Bay’s Pier 2/3 and Pier 4/5, Bar at the End of the Wharf, The Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney Town Hall, City Recital Hall Angel Place and the Sydney Opera House. SWF 2015 has more than 50 suburban and regional events. These are held in areas including Bondi, Randwick, Ryde, Hornsby, Ashfield and Auburn amongst others. A dedicated series of events is happening in Western Sydney’s Penrith, Campbelltown, Parramatta, Bankstown, Auburn, Blacktown, Camden, Campbelltown, Casula, Parramatta, Penrith. 20 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
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Outside Sydney, the Writers’ Festival holds talks in The Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Bowral.
NOTES TO EDITORS 1 / FULL PROGRAM AT www.swf.org.au 2 / Media Rooms: Thursday May 21 – Sunday May 24. SWF is providing a media room with wifi in the Walsh Bay Festival Precinct. If you would like to reserve a space please be in touch.
[email protected] / 0410 355 790 3/ The full 2015 Sydney Writers’ Festival program will be published online at www.swf.org.au at 8pm AEST on Thursday March 26. Session details, ticketing information and details about all attending authors can be found on the website, as well as the opportunity for audiences to create their own personalised festival schedules.
SPONSORS AND PARTNERS Core Funders NSW Trade and Investment City of Sydney Australia Council Exclusive Legal Partner K&L Gates Major Partners ABC Arts Avant Mutual Group Limited Bupa Health Foundation Gleebooks Man Investments Pantera Press Plain English Foundation Sydney Morning Herald The Concourse Chatswood UNSW Arts & Social Sciences. University of Sydney University of Western Sydney
21 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
Sydney Writers’ Festival: May 18-‐24 2015
How To Live? – EMBARGOED, 8PM THURSDAY MARCH 26 #sydneywritersfestival | www.swf.org.au
Partners Aesop audible.co.uk BDO BWM Dentsu Partners Continued. Challis & Company Editor Group Macleay College Media Super Parramatta City Council Bibliotheque Wines Woolcott Research Cultural Partners Australian Film Television and Radio School Canada Council for the Arts Consulate General of Canada, Sydney Dutch Foundation for Literature Goethe-‐Institut Sydney NORLA Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation US Consulate General, Sydney Hospitality Partners Food Society Pier One Sydney Harbour ENDS /
22 For more details, please contact SWF Publicity Manager Benython Oldfield 0410 355 790 or at
[email protected] More at:www.swf.org.au
