Joined by my festival friend, we saw four sessions on Saturday 21 May 2022
Barrie Cassidy and Friends: Election 2022
When this session was pitched, organisers had expected the federal election would have been held the week prior, so Barrie Cassidy and his panel of eminent journalists could dissect the outcome. As it happens, it was held on the morning of Election Day so the session was more speculative.
Cassidy was joined by Fran Kelly (ABC), Niki Savva (SMH) and Amy Remeikis (The Guardian) for an interesting discussion about the election, the leading candidates and the media.
Amy Remeikis, who is one of my favourite people on the planet, spoke about the rage she still feels at Morrison over his inability to understand the anger of women at his lack of empathy for Brittney Higgins, and his failure to engage with women's issues unless his wife explains them first. Remeikis spoke about the rise of the independents who have come to the fore due to the decade of inaction on climate change and Morrison's failure to govern.
While much of the panel's focus was on the six week campaign, Cassidy brought them back to the fact that the election is not about the campaign but about the three years that preceded it. The panel was highly critical of the Morrison government's achievements in office.
There was a lot of discussion about the role of the media in the campaign. Cassidy was scathing about the bias of Murdoch press. The panel talked about the gotcha questions, the debates and about the travelling press pack. There was a real sense of disappointment in the media coverage and a need for a post-mortem to unpack how the media can improve for future campaigns.
It was excellent to see Barrie again (I miss him on Insiders!) and this panel was a great start to the day.
Jennifer Down and Hannah Kent
I am a huge fan of Australian author Hannah Kent. Her novels Burial Rights (2013), The Good People (2016) and most recently Devotion (2021) are such beautifully written stories. I admire the way she blends historical facts in her fiction to craft compelling narratives.
Kent was appearing in a few sessions at the Sydney Writers Festival, but I chose this one as she was appearing with Jennifer Down, author of Bodies of Light (2021) which was shortlisted for this year's Stella Prize.
Susan Wyndham asked these authors about the pressures of writing their third book (as so often the second book causes the most challenge). Both authors said that writing their current novels was very much like a debut. Kent described the process of writing Devotion and how it took so much longer than she expected as during the period between books two and three she became a parent.
Down talked about the challenge of writing her novel when she works full-time, so she crams her research and writing of this book in her leisure time. Given the difficult subject matter of her novel, this meant spending her down-time in some dark places exploring the impact of trauma.
I found this session fascinating as they described the research they undertake to underpin their novels. Down explained her approach is very much like a magpie or bower bird, collecting random bits of material until she finds something that sends her on a path to follow. Similarly, Kent does extensive research. When she found a ship captain's firsthand account of travelling to Australia on the Zebra in 1838 she was inspired and ended up setting a third of her book on the voyage.
After the session I spoke to Hannah Kent while she signed my copy of Devotion.
Small Towns, Big Secrets
We had a gap in our program so my festival friend and I bought rush tickets to attend this session, not knowing the authors. Dr Kate Evans (ABC) chaired the panel of Australian crime novelists including Garry Disher, Hayley Scrivenor and Dinuka McKenzie (who was a delightful last minute replacement for Aiofe Clifford).
Hayley Scrivenor is a debut novelist of the newly published Dirt Town (2022). Set in a fictional town in NSW, the story revolves around a girl who goes missing on the way home from school and a detective who seeks to find out what happened.
Garry Disher is an established crime writer best known for his Wyatt series, the Challis and Destry novels, and the Hirschhausen series. He is a three time winner of the Ned Kelly award. His latest novel is The Way it is Now (2021) is about a burnt out cop who has to investigate a crime, which brings back past memories.
Dr Evans began by asking the writers what attracted them to set their stories in small towns. Each author had created a fictional town based on real places they were familiar with so they could infuse their stories with rich depictions of the landscape. Each author gave a description of their fictional town and told a bit about the story they had written.
Disher talked about how many crime novels are rooted to place. For example Ian Rankin's Rebus series is deeply Edinburgh and Michael Connelly's Bosch series is completely Los Angeles. Disher explained that in his novels, and those of many other Australian writers (including the panelists, Jane Harper, Chris Hammer, Sarah Bailey etc), feature investigators that are either outsiders or are people who have left the community and then returned, creating a tension with locals as they are seen as not belonging.
This was an interesting session and it was lovely to be introduced to new authors. I really enjoy Australian crime novels and while I await the next Harper/Hammer/Bailey, I now have new titles to explore. [I am currently on holidays and have started reading Bitter Wash Road - the first in Disher's Hirschhausen series.]
Limits of Imagination
Our last session for the day was on representation and creativity: Who has the right to tell certain stories? Sisonke Msimang chaired the panel which featured Aboriginal writer, filmmaker and lawyer Professor Larissa Behrendt (After Story), Chinese/American/Australian author Paige Clark (She is Haunted) and 2021 Booker Prize winner South African Damon Galgut (The Promise).
This was a fascinating discussion, at times uncomfortable, with panelists debating whether questions of the right of representation inhibit the creative process. Should authors only write what they know? If so, does that limit creativity?
Clark talked about how her collection of short stories feature characters that are like her, but said that ten years ago she may not have been able to write this as she would not have had the same opportunities.
Sisonke Msimang asked really insightful questions and addressed head on the issue of white men's anxiety that diverse representation in literature makes less room for them. Msimang said, 'there might be some things to lose, but it doesn't have to be a loss.' Indeed there is far more to gain from diverse voices instead of cultural appropriation.
I really enjoyed this panel. It was challenging, thoughtful and considered. After hearing Larissa Behrendt speak about her novel After Story, I am really keen to read it. Following the session I spoke with Damon Galgut as he signed a copy of The Promise for me.
That's a wrap of Day Two of my SWF. Time to race home and watch the election results, before coming back for the final day tomorrow.
Books in my collection signed by authors today:
- Damon Galgut - The Promise
- Maxine Beneba Clarke - How Decent Folk Behave
- Hannah Kent - Devotion
Read more about my time at the Sydney Writers' Festival here:
- Day 1 - Includes Sean Kelly, Judith Brett, Jackie Huggins, Melissa Lucashenko, Sarah Krasnostein, Richard Fidler, Sisonke Msimang and Clare Wright
- Day 2 - Includes Barrie Cassidy, Jennifer Down, Hannah Kent, Garry Disher, Damon Galgut and Larissa Behrendt
- Day 3 - Includes Chris Masters, Kate McClymont, Nakkiah Lui, Marica Langton, Jane Caro and David Marr