Byron WF Digital

Writer, comedian and broadcaster Matt Okine talks with Sunil Badami about the writing of his novel Being Black and Chicken and Chips, a work of fiction inspired by true events in Matt’s early life, including the loss of his mother to cancer. He discusses the difficult task of merging fact and fiction, of writing about your friends and family, and the role of humour in working through trauma.

Secondary school presentation

Ellen van Neerven is an award-winning writer of Mununjali Yugambeh (South East Queensland) and Dutch heritage. In this session they talk with Benjamin Law about their journey into writing, and their experiences at university as a young person, that eventually lead them to discover First Nations literature and stories of resistance. Ellen discusses the recurring themes of their work, from gender queer identity, to inter-racial relationships and black pride, ending with a powerful reading from their new collection Throat, titled ‘The Only Black Queer in the World’.

Secondary school presentation

Craig Foster, former captain of the Socceroos and refugee advocate talks with Maeve Marsden about his role in the fight to save fellow footballer and refugee Hakeem al-Araibi from imprisonment and imminent extradition by the Bahraini Government. Craig discusses his reasons for writing the book and the place of activism in sport more broadly, declaring that sport should not separate itself from social, cultural and political life.

Secondary school presentation

19-year old author Vivian Pham talks with mentor and Executive Director of Story Factory, Dr Cath Keenan, about the writing of her novel The Coconut Children – a story of love, loss and migration set in Sydney’s Cabramatta in the 1990s. Vivian reflects on the complexities of writing about your friends, family and community, and considers how her heritage and history informed this story.

Secondary school presentation

Christos Tsiolkas is the celebrated author of six novels including Loaded, which was made into the feature film Head-On, The Slap and Barracuda. In this session he discusses his early reading life and his journey into writing as a young man.  He offers wisdom and insight for any young person considering pursuing the artistic life. Christos also talks about the themes that connect his latest novel, Damascus, to his back catalogue. These are some of the very same themes that have obsessed him throughout his writing life: the nature of goodness, faith and doubt, sexuality, and the bonds and obligation of family.

Secondary school presentation