Writing Down Under

The Sydney Writers’ Festival runs until May 23rd in the beautiful harbor city of Sydney, Australia.

Artistic director Chip Rolley, this year chairing the event for the first time, brings a passionate eye for both the literary and topical components of the Festival:

The literary endeavour is at the heart our festival and this year we welcome Colm Tóibín, Peter Carey, Lionel Shriver, Yiyun Li, Les Murray, Alex Miller and a host of newer novelists, as well as the swag of poets who complete our literary roundup. We have always provided space for poets and international writers to read their work but this year there will also be a series of Reading Musters, giving you the chance to hear a great number of local fiction writers read.

Even so, Rolley reminds potential attendees that this year’s festival falls “at a critical moment in history -— with a world still reeling from the near collapse of the global financial system and threatened by the prospect of catastrophic climate change.” To that end, the Festival has incorporated authors who are looking at change and renewal in many ways, including John Ralston Saul, David Wessel, Raj Patel, Bill McKibben and many others.

Festival highlights include sessions with Stephanie Dowrick, Robert Forster, Thomas Keneally, Christopher Hitchens and others. Those looking for more information on the Festival will find it here.