Jenna Guillaume

Name a literary genre that has always placed women front and centre. Romance.

Romance writing is largely by women, for women – and in Australia, the genre has evolved a lot in recent years, with exciting new publishing models, booming sub-genres and big hits by local authors on the international stage. Australian romance writers are busier than ever, writing funny, smart, sexy and, above all, entertaining fiction.

At this special event at the Wheeler Centre, we hear from some of the stars of Australian romance. Each writer shares a short reflection or provocation on the genre, followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A.

What are the reactionary conventions of romance, and what are its more subversive elements? What do stolen kisses, ripped bodices and father figures mean today? What's changing, what's here to stay, and what sets the 21st-century woman’s heart aflutter?

Featuring Jenna Guillaume, C.S. Pacat, Jodi McAlister, Angelita Biscotti, Anne Gracie and Minnie Darke.

Sally Warhaft and Jill Abramson on stage at the Athenaeum Theatre — Photo: Scott Limbrick

How should the media survive the current age? It’s a question that haunts the bones of many in the industry, and a through-line of Merchants of Truth, a bracing new account of American journalism’s moral crisis written by Jill Abramson.

A former executive editor of the New York Times, and a widely-respected media veteran, Abramson looks at fake news, click-bait and the commercial objectives of Facebook and Google. Her unflinching – sometimes bleak – investigations take readers to the front-line of the essential and existential decisions being made at the heart of four key outlets: Buzzfeed, VICE, the Times and the Washington Post. Against Facebook virality and Google’s algorithm, can hallowed principles of objectivity and impartiality survive?

The first woman to hold many of the senior roles she’s occupied, Abramson shares what she’s learned through her celebrated career. She also addresses the criticism and controversy surrounding the book: she has been accused of being dismissive towards young, digitally savvy journalists and their readerships’ interests, and of factual errors and plagiarism – charges which she refutes.

With host Sally Warhaft, join us for a fascinating and frank discussion with one of modern journalism’s most experienced figures, and an exploration into the future of media.

Alison Whittaker delivers the address — Photo: Scott Limbrick

The F Word Address is our annual talk from an outstanding Australian woman on a pressing feminist issue. This year, our speaker is the phenomenal Alison Whittaker: poet, essayist, legal scholar and Gomeroi woman.

Whittaker’s address focusses on the complexities of using storytelling as a tool for justice for Blak women – in law, and in literature. How have traditions of sharing story among Indigenous people influenced how they articulate their histories, and assert their rights, in Western civil or criminal jurisdictions? Who are the audiences for Blak social justice narratives? And do Aboriginal women rely on a listening conscience that isn’t there?

In a 30-minute talk, followed by a short interview with host Claire G. Coleman, Whittaker draws on her legal research and writing work to consider the limits of storytelling – and to propose new ways to strengthen and centre storytellers themselves.

Claire G. Coleman and Alison Whittaker in conversation — Photo: Scott Limbrick

The video of this event, which will be published soon, includes Auslan interpretation.