Five Sessions Not to Miss at Brisbane Writers' Festival

When you read, you assume a character’s voice. What if you donned their clothes as well? Or, what if you listened to a group of authors read over-the-top short stories while wearing costumes to match?

That’s the concept behind Fanciful Fiction Auxiliary, aka reading aloud meets dressing up, and all for the audience’s entertainment. Join the likes of best-seller Amie Kaufman, local talent Michelle Law and more for the kind of reading aloud you probably haven’t experienced since you were a kid. It’s free, it’s some early Saturday night fun and it’s taking over the Brisbane Writers Festival precinct’s Top Shelf Bar.

Once a quarter, Yarn unravels quite a few threads. The regular storytelling event asks eager speakers to take to the stage, without notes, and tell a true tale. It’s both cathartic and entertaining, and for the participants and the audience alike.

Given its focus on stories of all kinds, it’s no wonder that Yarn’s latest session will hit up the Brisbane Writers Festival‘s Top Shelf Bar, complete with an array of special guests. Come for the enlivening real-life accounts, stay for remembering just how a good tale told well can connect, linger and work its way from one person’s actual experience to another’s memory.

Five writers. One evening. A single topic. Plenty of weighty matters to ponder. That’s Brisbane Writers Festival‘s Literary Salon, which focuses on A World Without Writers. If you’re going to ponder a realm without those ostensibly wedded to the written word — and without the materials they create — then why not ask for their thoughts?

On September 8, The Family Law‘s Benjamin Law, Flesh Wounds‘ Richard Glover, Panchinko‘s Min Jin Lee and more will sit, talk and work through the subject — all while wedding an old tradition with new ideas. Dating back to the 16th century, salons are all about enlightening discussion. Expect a whole heap here.

If you’re attending a writers festival, here’s something you probably already know: reading is one of life’s great leisure-time pleasures. And, if you’re attending Brisbane Writers Festival, you’re probably feeling guilty about taking time out of your schedule for doing something you enjoy.

The concept of relaxing — of leisure, and of its pleasures — is the subject in the spotlight at this session. Robert Dessaix literally wrote the book on the topic, and he’ll be chatting it through with ABC Radio National’s Sarah Kanowski. Listen, learn and then take the resulting insights back to your busy life.

Seeing a novel come to life is something that happens everyday. Experiencing a beloved story materialise in front of your eyes while you’re inside an artwork — that isn’t, as great as stage and screen adaptations can often be. Welcome to Angel’s Place, and to Carpentaria: A Performance, which just might change the way you think about re-creations of literary material.

Taking place at Brisbane Writers Festival, The former comes courtesy of a monument by Aboriginal artist Gordon Hookey, which becomes an immersive stage for the performance. The latter is inspired by Alexis Wright’s novel, which tells of the fictional Queensland town of Desperance, a clash between indigenous and white communities, and the aftermath.

If you’re eager to find out more, the Miles Franklin Award-winning Wright will also be participating in an in-conversation session.

Image: Mick Richards.