The Word Writers Fair, Adelaide, 2010
No Comments »20th August, 2010; Category: Christian, Events, Master of Arts course, The Writer's Life
The Word Writers Fair
I should have promoted this sooner.
Never mind – there’s still time for South Australian writers to attend the first Word Writers Fair in Adelaide tomorrow, 21st August 2010. (Just make sure you vote in the federal elections first!)
This special event is free. All you have to do is rock up at Tabor Adelaide, 181 Goodwood Road, Millswood. There’s plenty of free parking on-site too.
Tabor is where I am doing my Master of Arts in Creative Writing so I know some of the speakers and can highly recommend them. Registration is from 8:30am and the programme kicks off at 9am and goes until 5pm.
It should be a great day with plenty of useful input from the speakers. There will be a bookshop too, selling books written by some of the speakers. You can get them signed on the spot.
For more information, including a programme guide click here.
Good writing – and see you there.
Book review: new edition of a popular bird field guide
Simpson and Day Field Guide to the Birds of Australia 8th edition
Many of my readers here possibly do not know that I am a passionate birder. In fact, I write a very popular birding blog called Trevor’s Birding (click here). It is one of the most popular of its type with many hundreds of daily visitors. Heaps of photos too.
One of the essential tools of every birder (bird watcher) is a reliable field guide. These books illustrate each of the bird species found in a particular country or region. I have about 10 such books covering Australia, south east Asia, the Indian sub-continent and Europe.
In Australia we are blessed with a number of great field guides. With over 500,000 copies sold since the first edition in 1984, the Simpson and Day Field Guide to the Birds of Australia has proved to be one of the successful guides. Today sees the publication of a new, fully revised and updated 8th edition.
I’ve written an extensive review of this guide on my birding blog here.
The guide has been published by Penguin Books Australia.
Lest we forget
Lest we forget.
Today is ANZAC Day, a very special day on the calendar in both Australia and New Zealand. On this day we remember our war heroes, those who served – and continue to serve – our country on the battlefields of the world.
I wrote a special tribute to the ANZACs a few years ago. It can be read here: Poem: Anzac Cove.
The words of this poem have been set to music by New Zealand composer Andrew Baldwin and the song is being performed as a part of the ANZAC Day celebrations in Ypres, Belgium.
We will remember them.
Mt Macedon War Memorial
Some thoughts about writing from Tom Keneally
2 Comments »18th March, 2010; Category: Adelaide Writers' Week, Authors, Events, General, Quotes, The Writer's Life
Adelaide Writer’s Week 2010
I had the privilege of hearing Australian writer Tom Keneally speak several times during this year’s Adelaide Writers’ Week. On each occasion he was in fine form and proved to be not only a brilliant speaker, but also funny and instructive – often at the same time.
I didn’t take many notes during the week but preferred to just sit, listen and soak up the wonderful atmosphere while listening to such a fine parade of great writers. I did take a few notes for one of Tom’s talks.
“I am the one who needs my books – the world goes on perfectly well without them. I am no longer under the delusion that the world needs my books.” Tom Keneally, Adelaide Writers’ Week 2010
This is a sober reminder about the world and about books. He is perfectly right, of course. The world will continue functioning as it does without that novel or short story or poem you are slaving over. It will make no difference at all if that piece of writing is never published.
Tom is also wrong
At the same time, I believe that Tom is also wrong. The world may not need that novel, non-fiction book, sonnet or article, but there is surely someone out there – perhaps only one person, or a handful of people – whose lives can be changed, influenced or even enhanced by what you write. This is why we must, as writers entrusted with divine words, always strive to write the very best we possibly can.
Our writing can – and should – make a difference.
Good writing.
Tom Keneally opening Adelaide Writers' Week 2010