Yao Wang To the person who has the instinct, travel can be a whole way of life. Why is it that so many people can’t resist getting away from home to a new environment? Does it matter where we go, or is it just a question of getting away from it all? Writer Robert Dessaix … Continue reading
Alice Goodman Michael Leunig’s signature image came from a moment of frustration, some 40 years ago. He was 24, and working as a newspaper’s political cartoonist in Canberra, “a little wet behind the ears,” and feeling totally incapable of producing the required witty political satire. The Australian government was sending his former classmates and friends … Continue reading
Lucy Rennick After one has attended a discussion on good manners, one might expect to be privy to the proper use of each fork and spoon on the table; one might have been perhaps a little bored during the discussion, but one would be well-informed on “the right way” to behave in a civil society. … Continue reading
Esad Mujacevic Sydneysiders turned out on an unexpectedly warm autumn day to hear insider stories of their city as seen through the eyes of writers Louis Nowra and Felicity Castagna, and illustrator Antonia Pesenti. The Real Sydney session at the Philharmonia Studio, Walsh Bay, on Friday was chaired by Delia Falconer, herself an acclaimed writer. … Continue reading
Greta Stonehouse “The Joy of Art both means nothing, and it can mean everything.” Rachel Kent, senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, was chairing a discussion on why art is important at Pier 2/3 at Walsh Bay on May 24. What art means is a contentious question. The panel members all have clear … Continue reading
Brett Peterson Former prime minister Malcolm Fraser said in a talk, entitled Australia and the World, at Sydney Theatre on Saturday that the alliance with the United States leaves Australia with little independence should conflict break out in Asia. It’s a subject he covered in his latest book Dangerous Allies. In a conversation facilitated by … Continue reading
Ben Nielsen Like devout religious followers, writers and readers are flocking to Sydney’s Walsh Bay finger wharfs in celebration of the written word. As the crowds swamp their favourite author or peruse the selection of novels on sale, it seems necessary to ask the most basic question. Why do we need stories, and how do … Continue reading
Eleanor Glenn-Doyle A crowd of nearly 198 women – and two men – gathered to listen to internationally renowned fashion critic and author Colin McDowell speak to designer Collette Dinnigan about her life, her style and her new book Obsessive Creative. Ms Dinnigan is famously private about her life. Unbeknown to most she had an … Continue reading
Scott Hodder “If you must rush, rush slowly”: This is one of many life lessons adventurer Tim Cope learnt on his epic, three-and-a-half year journey across the Great Eurasian Steppe. Accompanied only by his dog, he rode more than 10,000km on horseback, from Mongolia to the Danube River in Hungary, in a quest to understand … Continue reading
Michelle Reti What is it about identity that continues to fascinate and intrigue authors and readers? In both fiction and non-fiction, authors have repeatedly explored changing concepts of identity through their characters. Janette Turner Hospital, Lenny Bartulin and Robert Wainwright gathered in the Philharmonia Studio, Walsh Bay, to discuss the elusive nature of identity – … Continue reading
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