When the 2013 PWF was launched at UWA Winthrop Hall as few weeks ago, the room was abuzz with conversation. Hardly surprising given that the audience was made up of the bulk of the WA literary community, along with several avid readers. Trying to stop the audience talking was going to be a battle. Thankfully the lure of getting inside information about who to see, soon hushed the crowd.
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Katherine Dorrington © The Ponder Room
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The evening was kicked off with a welcome to country from Aunty Jannette, plus introductions from UWA Vice Chancellor Bill Laudin and Festival of Perth Director Jonathan Holloway.
In a nod to how technology is changing the writing landscape, instead of reading a list of upcoming authors names, we were shown a brief video featuring a few words from some of those on their way. This included Peter Hellier, Anita Heiss, Susan Johnson and Benjamin Law. Others on their way from further afield are China Mieville and Lawrence Norfolk from UK, Dennis Lehane from the USA, Margaret Atwood from Canada, Ahdaf Soueif from Eygpt and Loretta Napoleoni from Italy.
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William Yeoman; Jonathan Holloway © The Ponder Room
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Whilst acknowledging the new platforms, Jonathan reminded us that while the range of writing platforms have grown …
‘No one has invented a platform that turns bad art into great art’.
Next The West Australian’s William Yeoman interviewed Program Manager Katherine Dorrington.
Amongst other things he enquired about her top five must see sessions. They were:
- The Opening Address by Ahdaf Soueif;
- Jared Diamond talking about tribal communities and how they mirror our own lives, adding that ‘economic dominance does not mean we raise our children any better.’;
- An Evening Of Readings by six authors;
- Out of the Box which looks at storytelling on the small screen; and
- Margaret Atwood. As you may have already read Katherine admitted to ‘stalking her’ for many years to get her to Perth.
She also singled out the Stella Prize Trivia Night as a kind of RockWiz meets Scrabble, where twelve authors in two teams of six, test their literary knowledge. Plus A Glass of Wine and a Good Book put on by WritingWA where local authors will get to voice their new works.
When asked about the theme for this year, Katherine said they don’t really start with a theme because they never know which authors will confirm, ‘it emerges organically depending on who confirms.’ However she conceded that two themes had arisen – the war experience and travel.
I too am excited to see the Out of the Box series, especially HBO president Henry McGee. Billed as a series of discussions about how ‘television drama has risen to a serious art form of storytelling, rivalling cinema and literature’, it will be interesting to hear these writers, directors and producers discuss, how they have responded to the changing digital landscape. I’m thrilled that the organisers feel Perths writing palate is mature enough to include all forms of writing.
It’s also pleasing to see that the number of free workshops continues to be large (over 50) and that a good whack of the others are priced around $13.50. This ensures a broader audience and a stronger platform for some very rich debates.
My personal highlight will no doubt be Michael Leunig. To snatch a peek inside the mind of an Australian icon is an extremely rare treat, especially in Perth. One particular Leunig classic has graced my fridge for over 20 years, even through house shifts.
As with most smorgasbords, as I stand on the precipice waiting to dive in I’m left pondering:
- Where to begin? Should I start with romance and crime and then move onto the weightier area of politics?
- Or would the contents of my brain curdle if I began with biography or literary fiction and topped up with Chick Lit?
- Since it’s the first time we’ve seen a dedicated TV section at PWF the question remains …. will all the children play nicely together in the sandbox, or will we see a lot of … centre stage, far away brooding looks, when one too many questions get asked?
Only one thing’s for sure, as I suggested in an earlier post (how-to-get-most-out-of-festivals), for anyone going to the PWF wear loose fitting clothing, comfy shoes and pack your lunch beforehand, because once you step onto the campus it has you, and there’s no stopping until the end.
Family day on Sunday
Runs: Thursday 21 – Sunday 24 Feb
The University of Western Australia
www.perthfestival.com.au
