Adelaide Writers Festival

Festival Favourites

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There is always a lot to choose from in Adelaide at this time of year.

One of my favourites – for being beautiful was going to the Botanic Gardens for the Chihuly glass exhibition.

We saw this in Kew Gardens London a few years ago so I was keen to see it here in Adelaide. I wasn’t disappointed. Most pieces on display are different to the exhibition in London.

We arrived in the afternoon light as it was getting toward sunset. Beautiful.

We visited the deck cafe for a G& T and something to eat before starting the trail around the park visiting the 16 sites of glass. about 2.5km of walking.

There was music. This week it’s Texas a country western band. Lots of fun.

Then we started walking. It’s dark along the path with fairy lights directing you around.

I’ll just post my favourite. Though all were stunning.

We’ve also been to a few fringe shows at night. One with Louise Messenger who we saw 2 years ago when she sang Ella Fitzgerald. This time it was stories of love…. And sometimes breakups!

She was great.

For another change we went just into the hill to Sleeps Hill to the old tunnels from the train that ran up the hill and through to Melbourne between 1879 and finishing in 1919. Then it became a mushroom farm and is now privately owned and open to the public during festival time.

It’s a curious place. Underground with big thick brick walls painted white. You walk through about 600 metre of tunnel. Divided by big black curtains each section has something different. A bit about the history, photos of the time.

Then movies on the ceiling of different plants – mushrooms moving. Then paper mushrooms painted amazing fluro colours.

The last section was the train heading toward Adelaide coming out of the tunnel

I’m back at writers week after having day 4 off. Is all a bit overwhelming to be there everyday. and quite hot.

Today I listened to Daisy Goodwin talk about her novel Diva about Maria Callas and to Dava Sobel and her book on Marie Curie. Very interesting

Then a session on writers using place to effect in their writing.

Now at one on history.

Lots of Trump talk! The session with Nick Bryant was great. He’s a journalist who has lived in the states and written about the political history of the US. He has great insight. And he’s moved back to Australia. Says it all!

Steve returned to Brisbane today. Hopefully he gets back before the cyclone winds of Alfred get too much.

And the Heat Goes On

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Yes it’s a hot one in Adelaide. Quite the heat wave going on here. But so different to Brisbane which swamps you with humidity. Here is a searing dry heat.

We manage – helped along by Margs beautiful ducted aircon.

Our friends Peter ( Macca) and Elizabeth from Crescent Heads are long time friends from waterpolo days. We met poolside in Sydney after our sons were selected in the Australian under 21 side. they looked like fun so I suggested we share a place in Naples where the world champs were held in July 2003. Now we catch up and travel together.

Elizabeth found a tour, a tasting and lunch at Penfolds winery Magill. It’s just on the edge of the city.

A beautiful collection of old buildings which are still in use today producing the Penfolds renowned Magill Eatate wine.

The family developed the wine business starting in 1844 in the Magill area of Adelaide. This stands today as the closest winery in the city though most of the grapes are grown in the Barossa and other wine areas.

The legendary wine maker Max Schubert put the winery on the map with his Grange series. As part of the tasting after the tour we got to try the Grange as well as the Magill Estate. And their Chardonnay is a good taster as well!

After tasting six wines we were ready to eat. So off to the Magill restaurant for a delicious lunch. Italian Burrata is a favourite of mine now and made a lovely start to lunch. Followed by Kingfish ceviche I was very happy. Catching up with Elizabeth and Peter is a great treat. We’ve travelled together many times during and after our sons Waterpolo careers. World championships, Olympic Games and trips to NY and we travel happily with many laughs.

The lunch crowd was in full flight. It is obviously a popular place with locals as well as visitors to Adelaide. Next up was a tasty piece of beef and honeycomb chocolate mousse. By now I was done!

We had met another couple during the tour and tasting and they joined us for coffee. George and Francesca from Scotland. Such a lovely couple we shared many travel stories and laughs as the afternoon slipped away.

Peter, George Francesca myself and Steve after a very long lunch!

Fun at the Festivals.

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We’ve tried to catch a few shows in between attending the Writers session. There’s so much on it gets hard to fit it all in.

We went to the State Library into the beautiful old Mortlock Chambers. Emma Knight, a well known Adelaide Musician & writer has developed a show around books. She looked back at her favourites, chose a line from the book and wrote a song around it. Such an original idea and it was well done. In the intimate setting of the beautiful room with balconies we enjoyed an hour of entertainment unlike any other show.

Mortlock Chambers
Emma Knight

It was a warm evening so we went to the nearby 2KW rooftop bar for a drink and bite to eat. It has the best burrata dish. And a great view.

With friends Linda, Elizabeth & Peter McGregor from Crescent Head

The next night we went to a Pub Singalong quiz show. Lots of fun & interaction.

From the singalong we headed to the Garden of Unearthly Delights. It’s a big garden – a party hub of venues with shows of all types from comedy to music to burlesque. We saw Nurse Georgie Carroll. She was a nurse and now is a comedian. She has a big routine of stories! Very funny and nurses would love it. She has a signer in stage with her and that was hilarious to watch. Seeing her signing some of the things being said and described was so funny.

Google her and have a laugh. One of the lines I enjoyed was ‘menopause has stolen the rest of my sentence’.

Another full Festival day. We’ve set a cracking pace but it’s great fun.

Family, Friends & Festival Fun.

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Adelaide has really turned it on. The heat! And the fun.

It’s 36 most days but so dry compared to the humidity of Brisbane.

So we kept the pace up at Writers Week.

I found the session on the relationship authors have with their editors very enlightening.

I really enjoyed the authors panel on the relationship with their editor. Madison Godfrey. A young poet, Anjum Hasan, a novelist, poet, shirt story writer and editor & author of the well received History’s Angel. Another got my list! The third was author Kate Grenville a favourite author of mine.

Each author spoke about how an editor is essential. They all said editors start with a little massaging! To soften the impact of the toughness needed to give a good edit.

Following this there was a panel discussion on publishing. Three agents spoke about the world if agents and punblushinv house. Miranda France, Vanessa Radnidge and Jeanne Ryckmans. As expected there was a line up of people, most of whom had written books and were dealing advice on how to get published.

I couldn’t help but think of my Instagram friend Shelley Dark. A funny woman with a keen eye for photography, and a passion for writing. Shelley has been working on a book for sometime now and it’s finished. But where is the publisher? Perhaps some of the hints I picked up at this session might help….

1. Put your manuscript in a draw for at least a year. 2. Don’t give up. 3. Get an agent. 4. Don’t send to an agent and a publisher at the same time. 5. Don’t get an editor to edit before an agent has seen it. 6. Don’t use AI to help write your book.

The session with Mark Brandi, Una Mannion and Lucy Treloar was good. It was on Genre: do rules apply. They discussed their books and the area of genre they were sometimes assigned by their publisher. As murder mystery thriller are all good sellers that tag is often put on covers. Even though the book is not about that! Misleading. They all said their readers were often disappointed the books weren’t thrillers or mysteries!

I listened to Anjali Joseph with Claire Nichols from the ABC book show. She’s a new author for me but I think I’ll read her book Keeping in Touch set in Assam in India.

Anjali Joseph

A few favourite sessions were with Pip Williams author of The Bookbinders of Jericho. She is entertaining and interesting all at once.

Kate Grenville has written another book about a family member. This time her Grandmother. Dolly Maunder. It’s now on my list.

Kate Grenville

And the always entertaining William McInnes had us laughing hard. He’s an entertainer and his books are always a delight to read.

There were many more authors, commentators & journalists on ( Lisa Miller & Leigh Sales were entertaining ) a few I missed one or two not so great but it’s all terrific.

It’s the best Writers Week in Australia. In my opinion!

Adelaide Writer’s Festival – Day 1

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Oh Adelaide you have turned in some great weather for the first day if the Writer’s Festival. Not too hot, not too cool.

We made a few plans over breakfast and walked down Melbourne St towards the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden.

Adelaide is a beautiful place to walk. It’s mostly flat, lots of parklands and a lovely river flowing through its centre.

We had an unhurried walk towards the river crossing on the footbridge arriving at Adelaide University.

Installation outside Adelaide University

Arriving at the entry gate I realised I had left my phone – and more importantly my covid certificate back at the house .

A little shuffling …….A paper sign in and I was in.

First session was Annabel Crabb. For those who don’t know her she is a lawyer, political journalist turned media personality, author, Podcaster , mother and great friend of Leigh Sales of 7.30 fame.

She is also a talker or as she admits is a babbler. She talked with another friend Miranda Murphy who stood in for Leigh Sales and is the editor of their book. Well Hello.

The book sounds great. It’s full of stories and recipes and funny stories.

Annabel kept us entertained for the full hour.

Coffee called so we took a break and explored the festival site. There are many more people here this year. In fact they were queuing at the entrance waiting to get in.

The next session was Christos Tsiolkas and Charlotte Wood. Christos is perhaps best know for his books The Slap and Barracuda – and both have been made into TV series. His latest book 71/2 is something different. it’s fiction but based on his own life experiences. It called auto fiction a term which he himself didn’t fully understand! In it he finds himself cut off from the world and becomes lost in the beauty of his surroundings.

Christos is friends with Charlotte Wood another well known highly awarded Australian author. I’ve read her books The Natural Way of Things and The Weekend.

Her latest book explores creativity.

Two talented authors talking about creativity and writing.

We enjoyed lunch under the trees taking in from afar the talk with Clem Bastow and Emma Jones. Both authors have written about their late diagnosis with autism.

Our last session was Liane Moriarty. Very well known for her popular books Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers she is a down to earth lovely person.

Her books – and there are many are very popular here in Australia. Her latest ‘Apples Never Fall’ is another well told story set in Sydney.

We decided to leave and walk back in the sun to get ready for a 6.30 Fringe Festival performance of Soul & Blues. Only it sold out ! So I’ve booked tickets for tomorrow night.

We spent some time choosing a few Fringe shows and booking tickets!

Tonight dinner at The Lion. My sister in law Marg, daughter Vashti and little Florence met us for dinner. Such a great catch up.

Hotel on Melbourne St.

Arriving in Adelaide

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Please Adelaide don’t rain. We have had way too much rain in Brisbane. It seems strange to be leaving when so many people are still cleaning up after the floods. Our thoughts are with you all

But here we are in Adelaide, ready to enjoy the Writer’s Festival. I loved it so much last year I talked a few friends into coming along with me.

An early start to avoid traffic, we had time for coffee before boarding. An easy 2 hrs later we landed in beautiful Adelaide.

Ros and I had found a great little terrace house in North Adelaide . This area is full of heritage, gorgeous stone terrace houses. The streets are lined with the most beautiful trees ready to change colour as Autumn arrives.

Our house is a charmer.

We quickly left bags and headed around the corner to a great little pub. The Kentish Arms. We sat outside and enjoyed a Gin & Tonic and a few shared tapas plates. This could become our ‘local’. Shortly after the Friday afternoon crowd started to arrive. It’s obviously a popular place.

The afternoon sun started to come out so we started exploring the streets while walking towards O’Connell St.

They don’t call Adelaide the city of churches for no reason.

The Adelaide Fringe Festival has started and there are lots of shows on offer. Comedy, singing, dance burlesque, bands …….We hope to get to a few, in between the Writer’s Festival. The first was a quick look at the O’Connell Twilight Fringe.

Jill waving to a friendly local

Laden with shopping bags we headed back to our lovely house – with a quick dash to The Kentish Arms for a bottle to share.

Dinner in our courtyard and we are feeling very happy to be ready to enjoy the Writer’s Festival.

What book have you enjoyed reading lately?

I’ve just finished The Island of Missing Trees by Turkish writer Elif Shafak. Set in Cyprus it was a fascinating read, where a fig tree is one of the main characters in the story. Elif is speaking at the festival. I loved it!