What does it mean to be a storyteller in Australia today? Two of our most treasured authors, Tony Birch and Alice Pung, will appear in conversation with Paddy O'Reilly at Clunes, to discuss the thrills, dangers and possibilities of storytelling.
They'll discuss their most recent books, Common People and Close to Home, and explore how stories transport and transform us. Does form matter? Does genre matter? And what's the special significance of stories from, and about, home?
Presented in partnership with Clunes Booktown Festival.
Who?
Tony Birch
Tony Birch is the author of three novels: the bestselling The White Girl, winner of the 2020 NSW Premier's Award for Indigenous Writing, and shortlisted for the 2020 Miles Franklin Literary Prize; Ghost River, winner of the 2016 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Indigenous Writing, and Blood, which was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award in 2012. He is also the author of Shadowboxing, and three short story collections – Father’s Day, The Promise and Common People.
In 2017 Tony was awarded the Patrick White Literary Award. In 2021 he will release two new books, a poetry collection, Whisper Songs, and a new short story collection, Dark as Last Night. Tony Birch is also an activist, historian and essayist.
Alice Pung
Alice Pung is an award-winning Australian writer whose books include the bestselling memoirs Unpolished Gem (2006) and Her Father's Daughter (2011), and the novel Laurinda (2014). She is the editor of the anthology Growing Up Asian in Australia (2008), and created the Marly books for Penguin's Our Australian Girl series (2015). Her latest book is the novel One Hundred Days (2021).
Paddy O'Reilly
Paddy O’Reilly is a writer from Melbourne. Her work has been published and broadcast widely both here and internationally. Her latest novel, The Fine Colour of Rust, is published in the UK, Australia and the USA.
Where?
Presented in partnership with
