From squats to spell-checks, writers can be (perhaps surprisingly) as much a gym rat as a literary luminary. Join Ailsa Piper as she speaks to a panel of writers who hit the pavement as much as the pages about the relationship between body, mind and creativity. Featuring Tony Birch (Ghost River, Dark As Last Night), Bill Hayes (Sweat: A History of Exercise, Insomniac City) and Chelsea Watego (Another Day in the Colony).
This session was curated by Ellen van Neerven.
Proudly supported by the Faculty of Arts, The University of Melbourne
20% early-bird discount until 11.59pm, Thursday 6 April
Flexible refund policy
Community tickets for First Nations peoples
Convenient public transport and parking options
Coffee, bars and dining options nearby
Readings bookshops available plus book signings
Over 80% of our 2022 guests felt MWF helped them gain new insights about the world, held their interest and were inclusive, well-produced and topical! (With more than 70% keen to attend again!)
20% early-bird discount until 11.59pm, Thursday 6 April
Flexible refund policy
Community tickets for First Nations peoples
Convenient public transport and parking options
Coffee, bars and dining options nearby
Readings bookshops available plus book signings
Over 80% of our 2022 guests felt MWF helped them gain new insights about the world, held their interest and were inclusive, well-produced and topical! (With more than 70% keen to attend again!)
Tony Birch is the author of three novels: The White Girl, winner of the 2020 NSW Premier’s Award for Indigenous Writing, and shortlisted for the 2020 Miles Franklin Literary Prize; Ghost River, winner of the 2016 Victo...
The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in nonfiction, Bill Hayes is a frequent contributor to the New York Times and the author of seven books, including The Anatomist, Insomniac City, and How We Live Now: Scenes from ...
Ailsa Piper works as a writer, performer, teacher, mentor and moderator. Her theatre script, Small Mercies, was co-winner of the Patrick White Playwright’s Award. Her memoir, Sinning Across Spain, grew from her passion...
Chelsea Watego is a Munanjahli and South Sea Islander woman born and raised on Yuggera country. First trained as an Aboriginal health worker, she is an Indigenist health humanities scholar, prolific writer and public int...
Queer writers Claire G. Coleman, Benjamin Dreyer, Bill Hayes, Kris Kneen and Kirli Saunders share the seminal queer texts that shaped them, in conversation with host Maeve Marsden (Queerstories).
Prize-winning writer Ellen van Neerven sheds light on Personal Score, their groundbreaking look at sport from a First Nations and queer perspective, in conversation with Tony Birch.
Zena Cumpston, Michael-Shawn Fletcher, Lesley Head and Bruce Pascoe cast light on the ingenuity of First Nations practices and knowledges in relation to plant life, with Sally Warhaft.
Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame talks about The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner, her deeply felt and inspiring memoir that tells her story on her own terms, in conversation with Abigail Ulman.