Yesterday
Yesterday we invited you to enquire within the world of science as we were joined by Peter Doherty, Lee Gutkind, Michael Corballis and Margaret Wertheim. In her John Button Oration: Cultural Pluralism in a Time of Fear, Martha Nussbaum argued the case for religious tolerance. Our brain busting day of events ended on a much lighter note with Friday Night Live. At our annual late-night special, Libbi Gorr hosted guests including provocateur Germaine Greer, comedian and author Mark Watson, science writer Margaret Wertheim, comedian Lawrence Leung, as well as live music from Maria Minerva and house band TEK TEK ensemble. You can see all the photos from yesterday's Festival goings-on here.
Today
Join John de Graff along with John Quiggin and Jane Gleeson-White as they ponder whether all endeavors should be in support of the global economy in $ Makes the World Go Round. Later in the afternoon, John Ralston Saul, the current president of PEN International, talks with Arnold Zable of the Melbourne PEN Centre about the dangers faced by writers, journalists, publishers and editors. We’ve lined up an afternoon of crime as Åsa Larsson discusses her heart-stopping thrillers in Ice Cold Crime and later, Michael Duffy considers the fatal attraction of the dark side in Criminal Appeal. To cap off the day, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk presents Obama’s Big Ideas while Maria Minerva, Fox+Sui and Lost Animal explore storytelling through song in Lyrical: Breaking and Entering.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow marks the end of MWF 2012 and we have a jam-packed day of stellar events for you. The Bishop who walked away from Christianity, Richard Holloway joins Claire Bidwell-Smith to discuss the ‘how’ of writing memoir in The Art of Memoir and later in the afternoon, Åsa Larsson and Michael Duffy allow us the opportunity to delve into their minds and methods in The Art of Crime. Enjoy the warmer weather with Dr Gary Presland on a walk to discover the natural landscapes around the Yarra and explore The Natural Origins of Melbourne. Don’t forget! Father’s Day is tomorrow. Spend your afternoon discussing all things Dad with Patrick Gale, Deborah Robertson, and Tony Birch. As the final evening inches closer, John Ralston Saul talks with the Sydney Opera House’s Ann Mossop and ponders, ‘When are ideas safe, and when are they truly dangerous?’ in Strange Ideas.
Maria Minerva
Born in Estonia, the ethereal-voiced Maria Minerva serves up an idiosyncratic style of hazy, slowed and spectral disco from her base in London. Maria will be appearing in Lyrical: Breaking and Entering at The Toff in Town, and the free event Songwriter Speaks: Maria Minerva. Before she became the UK’s lo-fi princess, Maria was freelancing as an art and music critic while studying art history at the Estonian Academy of Arts. We're thrilled to be showcasing her musical stylings at this year’s Festival.
Creative Nonfiction
Find out why creative nonfiction is the leading genre the world over when Lee Gutkind, founder and editor of Creative Nonfiction and a pioneer in the field of narrative nonfiction, launches the journal's first Australian themed issue. A free event held at The Wheeler Centre 6.30pm tonight, Leah Kaminsky, Deborah Leiser-Moore (Tashmadada) and Peter Bishop (The Writer Conversation) will present prizes valued at almost $10,000 for the two best essays.
Proudly supported by Tashmadada
Chris Cleave
Londoner Chris Cleave's most recent novel, Gold, is set in the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics. Combining sport, globalisation, terrorism and literature, he’ll be appearing in several events over today and tomorrow, including In Conversation: Chris Cleave, Still Great Britain? and Seminar: The Art of the Novel. His debut novel Incendiary was an international bestseller published in 20 countries. In addition to winning a string of awards, Incendiary was released as a major motion picture in 2008. His second novel, The Other Hand, was inspired by his early childhood in West Africa, and was a New York Times #1 best-seller.
