Six of the Best for the CAIRNS TROPICAL WRITERS FEST
These six headliners are the tip of the iceberg for the depth of local and visiting talent lined up for the biennial Cairns Tropical Writers Festival at The Cairns Hilton on the weekend of 10-12 August 2018 .
Richard Fildler as a former Doug Anthony All Star and now a broadcaster will feature in three festival events . The author of two award-winning books , his daily Conversations with Richard Fidler broadcast nationally on ABC Radio is the most popular podcast in Australia , averaging over three million downloads every month . At this year ’ s festival as the guest at the literary dinner , the tables will be turned on Richard , with the interviewer putting Richard ’ s own life in the spotlight .
Alexis Wright���������������������������� Gulf of Carpentaria who won five national literary awards , including the Miles ���������������������������������������������� Her most recent non-fiction book , Tracker , a collective memoir of NT Aboriginal leader , Tracker Tilmouth , won the 2018 Stella Award . Alexis will be ‘ in conversation ’ about her writing life on Friday evening 10 August as a free event , and will appear again on the weekend to talk specifically about her Tracker book .
LOOK OR BOOK : www . cairnstropicalwritersfestival . com
Julian Burnside AO QC is celebrated nationally as a barrister , human rights and refugee advocate , and author , well known for his strong opposition to the mandatory detention of asylum seekers for which he was awarded the City of Sydney Peace Prize . In Cairns , Julian will host a breakfast , be interviewed , launch a new book by Iranian journalist Behrouz Boochani who has been on Manus Island since 2013 , and hold a conversation titled Is Our Democracy Working ? with Richard Fildler and filmmaker Anna Broinowski . Two fringe events include a screening of his doco Border Politics by EndCredits at Event Cairns Central , and an address to the Cairns for Refugees group .
Jane Caro is the author of nine books , but is probably best known for her appearances on Channel Seven ’ s Sunrise , ���� ������������� ����� ���� ��� �� �������� ���������� ��� ���� ������ ���������� � ��� �� festival lunch , Jane will talk about two of her books , Destroying the Joint : why women have to change the world , and Unbreakable : women share stories of resilience and hope . Jane will also launch Flesh and Blood , the final book in her young adult trilogy about Queen Elizabeth the First , and well as join a panel on writing for young adults .
Robert Drewe is an Australian literary legend with more than 20 highly acclaimed books – novels , short stories and memoirs – that have won state , national and international prizes , been widely translated , and been adapted for film , television , theatre and radio . At the festival , Robert will be interviewed about his recent novel , Whipbird , and the essential elements of writing a successful short story . This coincides with the launch of his latest short story collection , The True Colour of the Sea .
Ashley Hay started writing in science but now writes novels . Her awards include the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies ’ Colin Roderick Award and the New South Wales ’ Premier ’ s Literary Awards ’ People ’ s Choice ( for The Railwayman ’ s Wife ). The New York Times celebrated her first novel , The Body in the Clouds . Her most recent novel , A Hundred Small Lessons , was shortlisted for the 2017 Queensland Literary Awards . At the festival , Ashley will join both fiction and non-fiction panels , as well as run a masterclass .
These six are only a fraction of the long list of authors gathering in Cairns for the biennial festival , with a large youth program , screenwriting , playwriting , poetry , biggest book club , book launches and a Festival Book Fair to celebrate writers and writing as one of the cornerstones of Australia ’ s fast-growing creative industries .