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It's that time of year again. Sydney Writers' Festival is back live with an A-list line up of international and Australian writers exploring literature, politics, society and the writing life. Here are our favourite picks on what we think are the not-to-be missed sessions.
Hanya Yanagihara: To Paradise
May 20, 8:30pm-9:30pm, $50/$45
The Booker Prize–shortlisted author of A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara introduces her new novel To Paradise, exploring themes of love, loss and the elusive promise of utopia, in conversation with Anton Enus.
American novelist Yanagihara is an epic storyteller. Her novels span eras and lifetimes. To hear this writer in person speak of how she approaches such sweeping themes such as love, often from a non-heteronormative viewpoint, is one not to miss.
Jackie Huggins & Chelsea Watego
May 21, 10:00am-11:00am $30/$25
Eminent First Nations writers and thinkers Jackie Huggins (Sister Girl and Jack of Hearts: QX11594) and Chelsea Watego (Another Day in the Colony) discuss their collections that confront the past and present, in conversation with Larissa Behrendt (After Story).
History is highly contested in Australia, who writes it and what it says about us. Listening to Huggins and Watego speak about what it means to tell stories that re-centre the Blak experience, with Dr Behrendt, the author of After Story is bound to be a lively conversation. It is especially topical amid national conversations around January 26 and protests around historical statues and monuments post-Black Lives Matter. In an era where national myths and stories are interrogated, it one not to miss.
George Haddad & Omar Sakr
May 22, 12:00pm-1:00pm, $25/$20
Acclaimed Arab-Australian writers Omar Sakr (Son of Sin) and George Haddad (Losing Face) come together to discuss their debut novels about family, history and identity, set in Western Sydney.
Western Sydney is Australia's third largest economy and where half of Australia's most populous city live, but we rarely hear stories from this region that are rich and nuanced. Enter, Haddad and Sakr, debut novelists from Western Sydney, a region with deep immigrant histories. They explore masculinity and sexuality; family and identity, in their work.
Class Dismissed: At the Margins of Identity
May 21, 4:00pm-5:00pm, Free, no bookings
The myth of a classless society continues to be eulogised in Australia, despite obvious inequalities underpinning wealth and privilege. SWF Guest Curator Tony Birch speaks with Christos Tsiolkas, Amy Thunig and George Haddad about how class informs their work.
Money is one of society's biggest taboo topics - examining what it means to be poor in Australia and exploding the myths of meritocracy can provoke discomfort and denial. This dream line-up explores class, mobility and its intersection with race and one's position in Australia's social hierarchy; and how this informs the stories they tell; and the opportunity to tell those stories.
The Accessible Writer
May 19, 4:00pm-5:00pm, Free, no bookings
Liz Martin, CEO of Accessible Arts, leads a discussion into the reality and pathways for writers with disability or who are Deaf. Featuring Fiona Murphy (The Shape of Sound), Eliza Hull (We’ve Got This) and Gayle Kennedy (Koori Girl Goes Shoppin).
How do we make the arts more accessible and in turn open the field for different kinds of storytellers and stories? It starts with this session, as panellists discuss the challenges, realities and perspectives of writers with disability or who are D/deaf.
Sarah Walker On the Joys of Being Absolutely Shithouse at Sport
May 20, 1:15pm-1:45pm, Free, no bookings
Sarah Walker (The First Time I Thought I Was Dying) rejected the world of sport until she discovered the mental health benefits and freedoms that come from allowing yourself to be awful at something.
There's been a huge cultural shift in understanding mental health and the benefit of somatic therapies. This fun exploration of what it means to go out of your comfort zone when it comes to sport, in a sport-loving nation is one to bookmark. The session looking at how to enjoy sport as a form of relaxation and for mental health; rather than bound up in the pressure of competition and performance is the perfect afternoon chill session.
What if My Mum Reads This?
May 22, 4:00pm-5:00pm Free, no bookings
How do you write a no-holds-barred story when it’s based on real people and events? And seriously, what if your mum reads it? Sarah Malik and Benjamin Law speak with former winners of the SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition. Presented in partnership with SBS Voices.
This session exploring the joys and perils of writing memoir is a must-see panel for those considering the memoir genre or interested in what it takes to write from your life. The panellists explore the navigating the sensitivities of family and other real-life figures who are captured in their work; and the catharsis (and panic) involved in writing personal stories.
Listen to SBS Voices' new podcast, The New Writer’s Room, in the , , , , or wherever you listen to podcasts.
In the your hosts Caitlin Chang and Sarah Malik talk about what caught their eye in the 2022 Sydney Writers' Festival program.
