22 June 2009

Professional Development

The Melbourne Writers Festival celebrates the fact that we’re a city of readers and writers, by offering audiences a fantastic range of workshops and seminars with our visiting guests. When bringing writers from around the world (and around Australia), it seems unwise not to utilise their knowledge and thus our program of Workshops & Seminars has been developed to develop our local talents.

In 2009 the MWF is continuing to run both workshops and masterclasses, a seminar series and The Whole Shebang - our very popular day for those seeking to begin their writing career.

Workshops are for all-comers, no matter what their level of experience, while masterclasses are for those with some record of publishing success. More details will be found on our website when the program is launched.

Some of the writers involved in running the workshops, masterclasses and seminars include Lisa Lutz, John Boyne, M J Hyland, Philip Hensher and Alexander Waugh.

Visit the MWF blog for more highlights

Steve Grimwade
Associate Director

Melbourne Writers Festival authors in the spotlight

Kamila Shamsie

Shortlisted for Orange Prize for Fiction in 2009, Kamila Shamsie will be one of our international guests at the festival. Kamila was born in 1973 in Pakistan and is the author of four previous novels: In the City by the Sea, Kartography (both shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize), Salt and Saffron and Broken Verses. In 1999 she received the Prime Minister’s Award for Literature and in 2004 the Patras Bokhari Award - both awarded by the Pakistan Academy of Letters. Kamila now lives in London.

Bolder and more ambitious than her previous novels, Burnt Shadows is a major novel, set against the backdrop of war, of intersecting lives of people from different nations and cultures. If you are a fan of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, or The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai you will enjoy Kamila Shamsie.

‘An absorbing novel that commands, in the reader, a powerful emotional and intellectual response Kamila Shamsie is a writer of immense strength’.
Salman Rushdie

Jeff Sparrow

Jeff Sparrow is a well known face in literary Melbourne. Currently the editor of the literary journal, Overland, he first came to our attention with an intriguing slant on Melbourne, Radical Melbourne: A Secret History and Radical Melbourne 2: The Enemy Within. Both books should be on every Melbournian’s bookshelf. He is also the author of Communism: A Love Story (shortlisted for the 2007 Colin Roderick Award) and, his most recent book, Killing: Misadventures in Violence.

Ninety years after the First World War, the discovery of the mummified head of a Turkish soldier - a bullet-ridden souvenir brought home from Gallipoli by a returning Anzac - launched Jeff on a quest to understand the nature of deadly violence. How did ordinary people - whether in today’s wars or in 1915 - learn to take a human life? Was it hard to kill another person or was it terrifyingly easy? What did war do to soldiers to make hoarding a human head seem normal, even necessary? The questions lead Jeff on a journey through history and across the US, talking to veterans and slaughtermen, executioners and academics about one of the last remaining taboos. Compassionate, engaged and political, Killing takes us up close to the ways society kills today, in a prolonged meditation on what violence means, not just for perpetrators but for all of us.

MWF09 program released on Friday, July 17 in The Age

On Friday, July 17 2009 pick up a copy of The Age for your copy of the festival program. An online version of the program will be on our website, www.mwf.com.au, where you can also book your tickets.

Last year was our biggest year yet with many events selling out so, don’t be caught out, book early and benefit from the early bird discount.

Read the MWF e-bulletin for special subscriber information!

Melbourne Prize for Literature 2009 - entries close 17 July 2009

The $60,000 Melbourne Prize for Literature 2009 and $30,000 Best Writing Award 2009 will recognise and reward excellence and talent amongst Victorian authors across all writing genres. Entry can be made either by individual application by authors or by nomination by publishers, agents and other.

Entries close on 17 July 2009. To request an entry form and for more information visit www.melbourneprizetrust.org or call the Melbourne Prize Trust on (03) 9685 9276. .

Finalists will be announced on 16 September 2009 and displayed at Federation Square between 9 and 23 November 2009 - the $3,000 Civic Choice Award 2009 will also be available for a finalist to win. All announcements will be made at www.melbourneprizetrust.org.

The Melbourne Prize for Literature 2009 supports Melbourne’s new status as a UNESCO City of Literature

The Smith Family

The Melbourne Writers Festival is delighted to announce a new community partnership with The Smith Family: an independent non-profit organisation helping to unlock opportunities for disadvantaged Australian children through education and learning.

The Smith Family offers thousands of disadvantaged children across the country access to education and learning support programs that help build skills in reading, numeracy, financial and digital literacy. This is made possible by The Smith Family’s generous supporters, community and corporate partners.

Through student sponsorship, The Smith Family also provides financial assistance to help families pay for essential education expenses such as uniforms, books and excursions.

Research shows that supporting children’s education is one of the most effective means of breaking the cycle of disadvantage and allowing children to achieve their potential.

Learn how you can help a child achieve their dreams at www.thesmithfamily.com.au, or phone 1800 633 622.

Located at the prestigious Paris End of Collins Street in the heart of the central business district, Sofitel Melbourne On Collins commands the city’s premier address, nestled amongst historical buildings, elegant boutiques, theatres, restaurants and corporate headquarters.

All 363 rooms which start on level 35 and soar 15 stories above have sweeping views of the Melbourne skyline, and offer wireless internet as well as integrated ‘touch pad’ technology for ambient lighting and digital surround sound.

In a city that proudly celebrates its culture, Sofitel Melbourne On Collins enjoys a global reputation as The Hotel for the Arts, presenting several art exhibitions in the hotel’s gallery spaces and actively supporting arts organisations and events such as the Melbourne Writers Festival.

To find out more about Sofitel Melbourne On Collins services www.sofitelmelbourne.com.au.

Special Offer

Exhibition: A Day in Pompeii

The volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, A.D.79 buried the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, encasing it in a time-capsule for almost 2,000 years.

Unearth the story of daily life in this ancient city with more than 250 priceless objects on show. Experience first hand the dramatic eruption of Vesuvius in an immersive 3D theatre and view the Body Casts of the victims buried under the ash in Pompeii’s final day of drama.

Present a printed copy of this e-bulletin and receive 20% off the ticket price for entry after 5pm on Thursday 2 July 2009 or join MV Members today and receive a FREE ticket to A Day in Pompeii or Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, plus year long member-only benefits.

For more information phone 13 11 02 or visit museumvictoria.com.au. Open daily 10am-5pm , Thursdays until 9pm. Online tickets available.

Illustration: Darren Pryce
Source: Museum Victoria

Giveaway

Film: Lucky Country

1902….the Australian Federation is a year old.

12 year-old Tom’s beloved father Nat has dragged him and his sister Sarah to an isolated farm at the edge of the woods. But Nat’s dream of living off the land has died and he is losing his grip on sanity. When three ex-soldiers arrive at their cabin one night Tom, like his father, believes they are providence.

But their presence becomes more menacing when one of them reveals a secret: he’s found gold.

For your chance to win on of 10 double passes to a special preview screening of Lucky Country on Wednesday July 1, 6.30pm at Palace Como, South Yarra, simply email competitions@mollison.com with the subject line ‘Lucky Country MWF’.