Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Saturday 28 May
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Where would we be without Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness? Or Albert Camus’ The Stranger? Or Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome? It’s easy to forget that none of these literary classics are full-length novels; they’re all short-and-sharp novellas.
After an extended dip in popularity, we’ve seen a resurgence of the novella form with big names like Alice Munro and David Vann getting in on the action. And on a local level there’s nobody who has embraced it quite so enthusiastically as Nick Earls. In his ambitious new project, The Wisdom Tree, the prolific Brisbane-based author is writing a cycle of five independent but interconnected novellas set in New York, Brisbane, Vancouver, Alaska and LA. It’s a bold experiment that aims to break new ground in both novella and audiobook publishing. The five stories will be released in print, ebook and audiobook at monthly intervals from May to September.
The first title in the series, Gotham, is about a music journalist chasing fame in New York City. At this special event, which will begin with readings from Gyton Grantley, Rhys Muldoon and Sarah Ward, Earls will discuss the challenges of this innovative project and the unique demands of the novella form.
Presented in partnership with Audible.
Featuring
Nick Earls
Nick Earls writes long, short and medium-sized fiction, including thirteen novels and numerous shorter works, as well as works for children. His most recent novel, Analogue Men, was published by Random House Australia in July 2014. His novella series, Wisdom Tree, will be published worldwide, one novella per month, from May to September 2016.
Chris Flynn
Chris Flynn is the author of The Glass Kingdom and A Tiger in Eden, which was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize. His fiction and non-fiction have appeared in the Age, the Australian, Griffith Review, Meanjin, Australian Book Review, the Saturday Paper, Smith Journal, the Big Issue, Monster Children and many other publications. He has conducted interviews for the Paris Review and is a regular presenter at literary festivals across Australia. Chris lives on Phillip Island, next to a penguin sanctuary.
Sarah Ward
Sarah is a multi-award winning, powerhouse chanteuse and performer.
Creator of the formidable Yana Alana and Tha Paranas, the act has received ten Green Room Awards including three for Best Cabaret Artiste and most recently a Helpmann Award nomination. Sarah has performed with La Soiree at The Sydney Opera House in 2014 as well as the Darwin Festival and Brisbane Festival in 2013. She was disco diva in Finucane and Smiths Glory Box during their Melbourne season, Adelaide Fringe Festival season and in Buenos Aires.
Early in 2013, Sarah toured with Arena Theatre Company performing a new cabaret work, Cautionary Tales For Children, which was nominated for a Helpmann award. Sarah toured for two years with Circus Oz nationally and internationally as their Ring mistress, writing original material and songs for her role.
In 2010 she was commissioned by the Melbourne Workers Theatre to create the music for the new work Every Angel Is Terrible. She was also part of a creative development for a new music theatre show, Revival, by David Chisholm. Both works appeared as part of Carnegie 18 at the Melbourne Arts Centre 2011.
For two years running Sarah was co-musical director for the Women’s Circus for shows A Plane Without Wings Is A Rocket (2006) and Antechamber (2007). Sarah was also a one half of the celebrated hip-hop cabaret act Sista She, touring from 2003 to 2008.
Rhys Muldoon
Rhys Muldoon is an award-winning Australian actor, writer and director who has worked in film, television, theatre and radio. Rhys is currently filming the latest season of House Husbands, and is a well-known face across Australian film, theatre and TV with credits such as The Sapphires, Tony Blair in Stuff Happens, Rake, Jack Irish, Valentines Day, Secret Life Of Us and Tot Mom.
Gyton Grantley
An AFI and Logie award winner, Gyton Grantley has appeared on the big and small screens of Australia. Known best for his work in the original Underbelly as the notorious gangster Carl Williams, Gyton has also shone in films Beneath Hill 60, Balibo, The Reef, Prime Mover, Danny Deckchair and Blurred.