Perth Writers Festival 2009 |
| Written by Perth Accommodation |
| Monday, 02 February 2009 00:00 |
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If we have been unable to help you with your Perth accommodation visit one of these other great websites Perth Writers Festival 2009Perth Writers Festival Precinct, Riley Oval, UWA Friday 27 February–Monday 2 March, 2009 For accommodation in Perth book early and book online at Perth Accommodation Welcome to a world of jet-setting spies, of eco-warriors, of comedians, poets and playwrights as the Perth International Arts Festival launches the 2009 Perth Writers Festival program on Wednesday, January 28. This year’s program contains a feast of literary talent for Perth to discover in a wealth of events, discussions, workshops, many of which are free. Perth Festival Artistic Director Shelagh Magadza said the Writers Festival is an immensely important part of our wider Festival, celebrating language and the essential craft of composition. “Not only does the Writers Festival bring the world of literature to Perth, it also links our city to global discussions of the most critical and interesting issues of our time,” she said. With the inauguration of a new President of the United States and world events at the forefront of our minds, this year’s Festival has a strong thread we call Igniting Debate, dedicated to exploring the big issues facing us as a society.Those looking for a little excitement will be fascinated by the stories of two real-life spies, Dame Stella Rimington and Robert Baer. Stella Rimington was the first female head of MI5 – and the first Director to be publicly named. She joins former CIA operative Robert Baer (played by George Clooney in the film Syriana) in a discussion about life in the secret service and the politics of two of the world’s most powerful governments.We offer a rare first-hand glimpse into the flipside of the spy world as former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Mamdouh Habib tells of his journey to hell and back in his autobiographical The Tale of a Terrorist Who Wasn’t. While the wars that rage around the world form one of the issues that define an age, another that may prove to be even more urgent to our times is the environment. In a not-to-be-missed event, Alan Weisman presents The World Without Us, a fascinating, thought-provoking experiment that asks us to envision a world without humans and questions how long it would take the Earth to recover from the damage we have inflicted. Weisman is a very powerful speaker and his book is an eye-opening examination of our planet.Among those joining Weisman in taking a fresh look at the environment are international authors Stephan Faris and Mark Kurlansky and Australians Chris Pash and Clive Hamilton. One of Australia’s best thinkers and among the most influential philosophers alive, Peter Singer presents the Writers Festival opening address with a look at the value of human life, demonstrating how we, as individuals, have the power to eradicate life-endangering global poverty. Lovers of fiction will find beautiful, lyrical and powerful works by established, world-renowned writers, as well as exciting new and unusual voices. Irish novelist Sebastian Barry discusses his latest book The Secret Scripture with Liz Byrski. This superb novel was shortlisted for the 2008 Man Booker Prize and won the Costa Prize for Fiction (formerly the Whitbread). Also renowned as a playwright, Barry’s work examines the history of Ireland and the nature of memory and forgetting.Among more than 120 participants are some of the world’s foremost novelists including American James McBride, whose latest novel Song Yet Sung, is a lyrical exploration of slavery in the mid 1800s; Nadeem Aslam, author of the extraordinarily beautiful The Wasted Vigil; Tokyo Cancelled author Rana Dasgupta, whose second novel Solo will be published next month and Andrew Nicoll, whose whimsical love story The Good Mayor has charmed readers worldwide. They are joined by Australian literary luminaries and social commentators such as Kate Grenville, Graeme Blundell, Robert Dessaix, Robert Drewe, Monica Dux, Clive Hamilton, and Joan London. We’d also like to make special mention of our Family Day, which was a huge hit in 2008. As such, we have added a second performance stage this year and even more activities for kids to enjoy throughout the day. One highlight is the opportunity to contribute to a special mural designed by artist and author Leigh Hobbs. And while beautiful writing is to be found wherever you look, evocative storytelling takes centre stage in the form of New York storytelling collective The Moth, back in 2009 for two shows in the Octagon. They bring together international guests James McBride, Imran Ahmad, Hannah Holmes and Alan Weisman and local guests including Corruption and Crime Commission General Counsel Patti Chong, former UN senior lawyer and current MP Melissa Parke and surfing poet Sullivan McLeod.While the number of authors is far too large to mention each by name, we invite you to discover the events, biographies of authors, web links, book extracts and reviews via the website www.perthfestival.com.au/perthwritersfestival/ |