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Outspoken presents
Tony Birch
in conversation
Wednesday November 15
Maleny Community Centre
6 for 6.30pm
Tickets $25, students $18
And, introducing
Melissa Ashley |
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Since booking Tony Birch for this event I've had time to read his new novel,
Women & Children, and, without question, it is one of the best books I've read all year. Comparisons are odious - never more so in the book trade - but the writer who came to mind when reading this engaging novel was Clare Keegan and her book
Small Things Like These. Tony has both a similar sparseness to his prose but also a way of discussing deeply serious matters with a lightness that disguises their depth. Highly recommended. Don't miss the opportunity to hear him speak. |
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Tony Birch is the acclaimed author of four novels, including
The White Girl and
Ghost River, as well as three short story collections and two books of poetry.
Most recently his short story collection
Dark as Last Night won the New South Wales Premier's Christina Stead Prize for fiction, the Queensland Literary Award Steele Rudd prize and was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's literary prize. He has previously been awarded the Patrick White Literary Award for his contribution to Australian literature.
Professor Tony Birch has recently been appointed the third Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne. Tony will be the third to take up the mantle previously held by two other literary greats, Richard Flanagan and Alexis Wright.
Women & Children follows the life of Joe Cluny. It is 1965 and he is living in a working-class suburb with his mum, Marion, and sister, Ruby, spending his days trying to avoid trouble with the nuns at the local Catholic primary school. One evening his Aunty Oona appears on the doorstep, distressed and needing somewhere to stay. As his mum and aunty work out what to do, Joe comes to understand the secrets that the women in his family carry, including on their bodies. Yet their pleas for assistance are met with silence and complicity from all sides.
Women & Children is a novel about the love and courage between two sisters, and a sudden loss of childhood innocence.
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And, we are very pleased to introduce:
Melissa Ashley
Melissa is the best-selling author of
The Birdman's Wife, which won many awards, including the Qld Premiers/University of Queensland Fiction Award and the Neilsen Bookscan Award.
Her new novel is
The Naturalist of Amsterdam.
At the turn of the 18th century, Amsterdam is at the centre of an intellectual revolution, with artists and scientists racing to record the wonders of the natural world. Of all the brilliant naturalists in Europe, Maria Sibylla Merian is one of its brightest stars.
For as long as she can remember, Dorothea Graff’s life has been lived in service to her mother, Maria: from collecting insects to colouring illustrations for Maria’s world-famous publications. While Dorothea longs for a life that is truly her own, she constantly finds herself drawn back into her mother’s world – and shadow.
From the jungles of South America to the bustling artists’ studios of Amsterdam, Melissa Ashley charts an incredible period of discovery. With stunning lyricism and immaculate research,
The Naturalist of Amsterdam gives voice to the long-ignored women who shaped our understanding of the natural world – both the artists and those who made their work possible. |
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Melissa will be giving a workshop on the morning after the event, places are strictly limited, please see below... |
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Please Note:
Outspoken events start at 6.30pm sharp
late-comers will not be admitted until the change of speaker,
at around 6.50
(we hope you understand, it's just too disruptive otherwise) |
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ABOUT US
Outspoken is organised by Steven and Tyyni Lang.
All authors are in conversation with Steven Lang.
Events commence with a fifteen to twenty minute interview with our 'introducing author'. This will be followed by approximately one hour of conversation with our headline author, including time for questions.
Please visit our website for more details and a list of our programmed events.
Maleny Community Centre will be running a bar so please come from
5.45pm to enjoy a drink.
These are one-off events and tickets will be strictly limited. If you would like to attend please make a booking as soon as is convenient. Please also tell anyone else you think might be interested. |
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This initiative is supported through the Creative Industries Investment Program and is jointly funded by ArtsCoast through Sunshine Coast Council’s Art and Heritage Levy and the Regional Arts Development Fund in partnership with Queensland Government.
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We very much appreciate the support of our local bookstore, Rosetta Books. The owners, Lea and Rob, will be selling both of the author's books on the night |
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We are also very grateful for the support of our local newspapers |
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