The Emerging Writers’ Festival launches its 2014 program with the ultimate game of fact vs fiction. How often do novelists base their work on actual events? Do journalists exaggerate the truth for the sake of a good story? Do poets even know the difference?
Four guests from this year’s Emerging Writers’ Festival present their tall tales at the program launch. The trick is to convince everyone they are telling the truth, unless of course they’re lying. It’s up to you to decide. Choose your side and behold the 2014 Emerging Writers’ Festival program in all its glory, as the truth (and this year’s stellar lineup) is finally revealed!
The Emerging Writers’ Festival promote the interests of emerging writers – to improve their opportunities for professional development as well as their engagement with the broader public. Each year EWF brings writers, editors, publishers and performers together with readers for a festival that is an essential part of Australia’s literary calendar.
Co-hosted by Emerging Writers' Festival Director Sam Twyford-Moore and Wheeler Centre Head of Programming Simon Abrahams.
The 2014 program will be available on the night – in print and online. Join the Emerging Writers' Festival for a drink to celebrate the launch of their programme at Thousand Pound Bend from 7.30pm.
Featuring
Simon Abrahams
Simon Abrahams is a strategic arts and cultural leader, dynamic programmer and experienced producer whose work has been recognised nationally and internationally. He is Chair of Theatre Network Victoria, and a freelance arts consultant and performer.
Previously, Simon served as the Wheeler Centre’s Head of Programming, Executive Producer at Polyglot Theatre, Artistic Development Program Manager at Arts Centre Melbourne and Producer at Gasworks Arts Park. In 2010, Simon was named amongst Arts Hub’s Top Ten Australian Arts Leaders.
Liam Pieper
Liam Pieper is an author and journalist. His first book was a memoir, The Feel-Good Hit of the Year, shortlisted for the National Biography Award and the Ned Kelly Best True Crime award. His second was the Penguin Special Mistakes Were Made, a volume of humorous essays. He was co-recipient of the 2014 M Literary Award, winner of the 2015 Geoff Dean Short Story Prize and the inaugural creative resident of the UNESCO City of Literature of Prague. His first novel, The Toymaker, received the 2016 Christina Stead Fiction Award from the Fellowship of Australian Writers.
Michele Lee
Michele Lee is an Asian-Australian playwright and theatre-maker working across stage, audio and live art.
Her work is largely narrative-focused, in comedy and drama and explores stories of women, otherness and found families. She has been commissioned by Griffin Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company (STC), Malthouse Theatre, Arts House, Next Wave Festival, Darwin Festival, Platform Youth Theatre and St Martins Youth Arts Centre. Current works and works-in-development include Single Ladies (Red Stitch) and Security. Previous works include An assistant's notes for a pandemic (Arts House Refuge project, Hypothetical) Going Down (Malthouse, STC), Rice (Queensland Theatre, Griffin Theatre), Off Centre (STC), The Naked Self (Arts House, FOLA) and Talon Salon (Next Wave Festival, You Are Here, Darwin Festival). Rice won the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award, the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award, an Australian Writers’ Guild award and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Award, Nick Enright Prize. Her memoir, Banana Girl, is published by Transit Lounge.
Zoe Norton Lodge
Zoe Norton Lodge is a writer/presenter on The Checkout (ABC1). In 2015 she published her first book, Almost Sincerely, a collection of 'autobiographicalish' short stories. Zoe is also the co-creator of Story Club, a monthly storytelling night, ABC2 TV show and podcast.
Sam Twyford-Moore
Sam Twyford-Moore is a writer and the founding host of The Rereaders, a fortnightly literary and cultural podcast. From 2012 until 2015, he was the Festival Director and CEO of the Emerging Writers’ Festival, during which time he directed three Melbourne-based festivals, launched the Digital Writers’ Festival and toured the festival to Hobart, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and across Indonesia. As a writer he has contributed to the Monthly, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Australian, Meanjin, the Guardian, the Lifted Brow and others. He is the author of The Rapids: Ways of Looking at Mania published in August 2018.
Nicholas J. Johnson
Nicholas J. Johnson grew up in the circus around carnies and sideshow folk, understanding and practicing sleight of hand and card tricks, and intimate with the power of manipulation, deception and distraction. After decades of rubbing shoulders with fraudsters and liars, Nicholas J. Johnson is now a sought-after performer, writer and scam consultant, educating the public about the tricks of the con artist’s trade.
He has appeared on A Current Affair, The Project, Sunrise, Kids WB, Today, ABC Radio National and Triple J as an expert on fraud and deception. He has consulted with everyone from magician David Blaine to Circus Oz. An acclaimed comedian, Nicholas J. Johnson has performed at Edinburgh Fringe, Adelaide Fringe and the Melbourne Comedy Festival, where he was nominated for the 2014 Golden Gibbo Award for best independent comedy, and received the 2015 Moosehead Award.
His debut novel Chasing The Ace was published in 2014. His follow-up, Fast and Loose, was released July 2015. Nicholas J. Johnson lives in Melbourne.