IF YOU have a story you’re busting to tell but need some tips, pack up your quill and ink and head to Albury for Write Around the Murray, a four-day festival of reading, writing, illustration and storytelling.
The event, from September 5-9, will host more than 30 creative types keen to share their experiences and insights with audiences.
Among them will be Robert Hillman, whose biographies include Gurrumul: His Life and Music, and The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif, about Afghani refugee Najaf Mazari. Hear him chatting with Jason Steger, discussing his latest novel, The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted.
Seniors who grew up reading western frontier novels will enjoy a session with Barry Young, one of Australia’s finest exponents of the genre. His novels include The Undefeated, which won a Spur award nomination in the US, and Shadows on the Lonesome Trail.
Write Around the Murray is the only literary based festival in the region, attracting high profile and emerging authors and presenters.
As well as author talks, it will include panel sessions, book launches, workshops, a literary lunch, short story competitions, children's activities, a schools program, exhibitions and a wood-fired oven event by the Murray.
One workshop that will be of particular interest to many seniors is Life Stories with Kate Rotherham. Here would-be memoir writers will learn how to get started and to bring their stories to life.
On September 8, Lisa Dempster, author of Neon Pilgrim, will host a session on how to write about your travels. She will cover tips and techniques for recording your trip while on the road, and look at how to create a structure for your memoir and translate your experiences into a narrative upon return.
Most events take place at Albury Library Museum. Some are free, others are ticketed.
Program or bookings, writearoundthemurray.org.au
