The annual Brisbane Writers’ Festival took place from September 9-13, 2009 at various venues in Brisbane, particularly at the State Library of Queensland. This exciting event attracted large audiences and covered a diverse range of book themes to satisfy a variety of readers’ needs. Brisbane people had a chance to meet with 30 international guests and hundreds of Brisbane writers to discuss their popular works. The festival had the appealing title: 'When ink on a page becomes true passion'. The massive crowds turning up at the festival demonstrated Brisbane people’s genuine interest in literature. They came to share their fervent passion for books and meet with their favourite authors...

The festival’s rich agenda accommodated many discussions of issues and concerns related to writers and their works. The 143 discussions and analyses covered a wide range of themes from lyrics, fiction, cooking, crime, history to politics and environment. Another important feature of the festival was the masterclass and workshop program which provided essential skills for young writers. They included useful sessions such as ‘The Rules of Paradise: Grammar’, ‘Self Editing Secrets Unveiled’, ‘How to get published’ and ‘Boolarong Press: Inside the Publishing House’, to name a few. Ticket sales were brisk for many parts of the festival but many sections of the festival were free.

‘Other People’s Lives’ discussed the extent to which other people’s lives should be ours for the sharing. Matt Peacock, one of the ABC’s most experienced journalists explained how he had exposed one of the greatest corporate scandals in Australia’s history in his new book ‘Killer Company: James Hardie’. Mohamed Khadra, a professor of surgery at the University of Sydney and the author of ‘Making the Cut’ told the audience how his professional experience had helped him write his latest book ‘The patient’. In his view, it is important that doctors have an open dialogue and share concerns with their cancer patients in order to relieve their suffering. The current bureaucratic health system is strongly reflected in his book. Attending this session panel was Margot O’Neill, an award-winning journalist who currently reports for the ABC TV’s Lateline program. Her first book was ‘Blind Conscience’.

‘This is the first writers’ festival that I’ve ever been to. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself. I’ve met so many different kinds of writers here. Everyone was willing to share the right process that had compelled them to write. That’s how I most enjoyed about it. ‘Other people’s lives’ was my favourite session because it was the most closely related to the kind of reading that I am interested in. I have a lot of respect for people for the passion about their writing, for the length they went to to get their stories written. That’s what I really like about it. They were all writers from real life point of view and personally I find it most important to say a fiction writer can write away a fiction world. I think it’s much harder to face something that would happen in the real world’- said a member in the audience.

‘Taking Up the Arms: The Corporate Led Green War’ was an environmental session with a capacity audience. Jeb Brugmann urged that cities should be considered as the medium for revolutionary change. His book ‘Welcome to the Urban Revolution’ outlined how cities should be designed in an environmentally friendly way, taking into account issues such as new building technology, water recycling and energy efficiency. While he believed he could persuade city governments, he found the biggest obstacle to be urban people’s resistance.

Mark Diesendorf, Deputy Director of the Institute of Environmental Studies at UNSW, has written a manual for grassroots social movements to use to pressure governments and businesses for rapid reductions in greenhouse emissions. He claims that Kevin Rudd used excellent rhetoric and makes promises to promote renewable energy while in reality nothing has been done to address this issue. A scientist studying wind power, he went around Australia thirty years ago to advocate for alternative energies and campaign against coal. Australia is still hooked on dirty coal and oil while there is an abundance of wind, solar and biomass energy available. Diesendorf’s book ‘Climate Action: A Campaign Manual for Greenhouse Solutions’ discussed the strategy and tactics for grassroots’ struggle against government and businesses.

At ‘The Mothers Ditch the Manolos’, middle-age female audiences were greatly entertained by Gretel Killeen and Julia Morris. These single mothers explored the dramatic aspects of midlife and shared their intimate experiences with the audience. They concluded that ‘We’ve got to be satisfied with what we are up to’ and ‘searching for happiness rather than searching for love’. Gretel is a charming TV host whose latest book is ‘The night My Bum Dropped’ in addition to the other twenty books she had written. Julia is a TV comedian and author of the book ‘Don’t You Know Who I Used To Be?’; their humour was infectious and the audience responded wholeheartedly.

‘Food: By the Book’ was held at mid-day in the red tent of the Breezeway Beer Garden at the Library. Alison Taafe, an experienced chef, introduced her cook book ‘Fun, Fast and Fabulous Food: A Practical Guide to Home Entertaining’. She and her husband prepared three fabulous courses in which the menu was taken from the book and invited the audience to taste the wine. Alison’s interaction with the audience was engaging and everybody seemed to relax and enjoy the session.

‘Café Scientific: The Science of Psychopaths in Storytelling’ was one of the sessions which drew a large audience. Jeff Lindsay, author of the Dexter series about an ‘ethical’ serial killer, was joined by Queensland scientists specializing in psychology and criminology. Together, they analysed the issues surrounding the psychopath, his reasons for violence, his motives and how he can change. Jeff considered that there is a bit of a psychopath or impulses in any person, that a psychopath becomes a menace to the society only after he commits crime. He sees himself as a superhero who believes he can achieve anything by any means. About a third of Australian prison population have mental health problems.

Ms. Fiona S., a participant at the festival said: ‘The Writers’ Festival is such a fabulous exchange of ideas, it’s a wealth of talents and interesting people. To find this sort of intellectual stimulations in Brisbane is wonderful. I wish the festival could be held here every weekend. It’s such a fabulous and funny and interesting environment to be. The State Library is a beautiful building and everybody loves the whole precinct’.

The Festival is a highlight in Brisbane’s rich and diverse cultural life. It brought together the book loving community. Many people, mostly the elderly, eagerly attended the event, participated in heated discussions and bought books on sale at the event. Although this year’s Festival is now over, the audience has gone away, the happy memory of the Festival will long resonate in their minds. We look forward to the pleasures of next year’s festival.

The Queensland Poetry Festival returns again to the Judith Wright Centre of Performing Arts,  from Saturday August 22 until Sunday 23 August. Don't miss your chance to hear some of the world's most renowned, surprising and eccentric poets set their verse free.

Here's our interview with festival director, Julie Beverage:

What are some of the big attractions at this years Queensland Poetry Festival?

Because of it's unique nature, the festival in itself is a big attraction, with three days of poetry in all its splendid forms, there is no other festival in Australia quite like QPF. The opening night session a tangle of possibilities is going to be awesome. Featuring absurdist poet AF Harrold (UK), the incredible Elizabeth Bachinsky (Canada), Neil Murray from the Warumpi Band (NT) and the 2009 Arts Queensland Poet in Residence, Hinemoana Baker (NZ). A truly spectacular line-up. I'm really looking forward to the Saturday night session also, a million bright things, in this session each poet on the program will do a short set - it will be like the best round of open mic you could ever hope for!

What would you say to anyone who has never been to an event like this before?

QPF is so accessable because of its diverse programming, you can come along for half a day, a full day or the whole weekend and experience different forms of poetry delivered in innovative ways. As the entire festival is performative, the audience can experience the poems as they would a theatre performance, or a music gig. In this way, the interaction between the poets and the audience is very intimate. I guess what I'm saying is, if you idea of what a poetry festival looks like is a bunch of men with big moustasches sitting around in smoking jackets and talking about sestina's - you couldn't be further from the truth and you should come along and check our amazing program!

How has hip hop and rap influenced modern poetry, or vice versa?

Hip hop is a genre of modern poetry, just like SLAM or free verse - the awesome thing about poetry is that it can't be defined, modern poetry isn't just one thing. We have a great local hip-hop duo Mofu and the Crepe Paper Kalashnikovs performing at QPF this year - and we've programmed them with Hinemoana Baker, who is a folk singer and writes in free verse - their techniques, delivery and forms are poles apart, but the are completely complimentary of each other.

Who is your favourite Australian poet?

This too is a big question - I love Martin Johnston and Michael Dransfield. Contemporary poets I love include Ian McBryde, Kevin Gillam, Graham Nunn, Jordie Albiston, Gina Mercer and Nathan Shepherdson.. the list could go on. The amount of amazing poetry being written in Australia is overwhelming.


What is most beautiful about the spoken word?

I personally think that everyone loves being read to. To me poetry on the page is all about the space between the lines, the line breaks and what is not being written. Similarly for spoken word, the poetry is what happens in the silence. To experience a truly great poetry reading or spoken word performance is something that stays with you, it resonates and is personal you know? At QPF, I get to sit for 3 days in a dark room and be read to - what could be better than that!

Click here to view the Queensland Poetry Festival website.

Giant robots from the future? Mindless entertainment? Plot twists that just don’t add up? Sorry if we got your hopes up, but you won't find that here, just quality Australian produce...

The 18th St George Bank Brisbane International Film festival will be held at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) from Thursday the 30th of July to Sunday the 9th of August.

Subdivision, shot in Hervey Bay, is a dramatic comedy about the tangles of bureaucracy in the community, featuring Brooke Satchwell, Gary Sweet and a solid cast of Australian talent.

For those who like a little bit of grit, Prime Mover, is an inspiring Aussie tale of the highway, and life, and how they can become one and the same along the way, featuring Michael Dorman, William McInnes, Anthony Hayes and Gyton Grantley.

St.George Bank BIFF Executive Director, Anne Demy-Geroe, said there was an impressive selection of local films on exhibition.

“Local films are selected on their merit, just as the international titles are. That so many quality local films have made the cut this year is a fantastic achievement for our local industry,” Demy-Geroe said.

The closing night premiere of Robert Connerly's Balibo features Anthony La Paglia, Oscar Isaac, Damon Gameau, and Gyton Grantley, in the story of the search for truth after the murder of five Australian journalists by Indonesian troops in East Timor in 1975.

"Balibo is an important part of Australian history.

"An event that has been left ignored for too long, it explores the dangers that tie investigative journalism and the plight of the Timorese people and their breathtaking country," Grantley said.

Click here to see the full program

Anthony La Paglia plays Roger East in Balibo, opening nationally August 15, 2009.