CMIS Evaluation Fiction Focus

Dreaming, as one does, of travel and always thinking about books and reading, Fiction Focus has compiled a  far-from-complete list of 2010 literary festivals that bring together two of life’s most rewarding pursuits. Happy to add others if you bring them to our attention.

• 26 February-1 March: Perth. Perth Writers Festival
• 28 February –5 March: Adelaide. Writers Week
• 6-8 March: Dublin. Dublin Book Festival
• 12-14 March: Tucson, AZ, USA. Tucson Festival of Books
• 15-19 March: Mudgeeraba, Queensland. Somerset Celebration of Literature
• 17-19 March: Bullcreek, WA. All Saints Lit Fest of Young Adult and Children’s Literature
• 20-21 March: Faulconbridge, NSW. Norman Lindsay Festival of Children’s Literature
• 1-5 April. Perth. Swancon : WA Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention
• 14-16 May: Darwin. Wordstorm 2010
• 12-16 May: Auckland. Auckland Writers and Readers Festival
• 17-23 May: Sydney. Sydney Writers Festival
• 21-30 May: Melbourne. Emerging Writers Festival
• 15-18 July: Mildura, Victoria. Mildura Writers Festival
• 6-8 August: Byron Bay, NSW. Byron Bay Writers Festival
• 14-30 August: Edinburgh. Edinburgh Book Festival
• 1-5 September. Brisbane. Brisbane Writers Festival
• 2-6 September: Melbourne. AussieCon4 – World Science Fiction Convention
• 8-12 September. Santiago de Compostela, Spain. IBBY 32 Congress
• 27 September-1 October. Brisbane. SLAQ/IASL Conference, with a literature strand
• late October. Dates to be confirmed. Waiheke Island, Auckland NZ. Words on a Small Island. Read about the inaugural festival.
• 6-10 October. Ubud, Bali. Ubud Writers Festival

Please note that not all of the above websites contain 2010 content, although the dates are correct at the time of publication.

Oh for the Lotto life!

Image of The Bookman from The Gnome King of Oz (1927) used under Creative Commons licence

The US National Book Festival, that is. It’s in full swing in Washington right now, and the tweets are flying.

To attend in a virtual sort of way, the Twitter hashtag is #nbf. Works well in Twitter clients such as Tweetdeck.

Here’s the children’s and YA lineup and webcasts will be happening, too.

Came across the brochure for Word Play, the youth segment of the soon-to-be Brisbane Writers Festival (9-13 September).

The lineup is impressive:

Andy Griffiths – Brian Falkner – Belinda Jeffrey – Colin Thompson – Charlotte McConaghy – Carole Wilkinson -  Melaina Faranda – Pat Flynn – Jackie French – Tristan Bancks – Tempany Deckert – Richard Newsome – Jack Heath – James Roy – James Moloney – Michael Gerard Bauer – Pamela Rushby – Sherryl Clark – Peter Carnavas and Scott Monk.

so if you are in the vicinity, check it out. There is a related online literature festival happening as we type for students and teachers across Australia. This one finishes on 18 September.

It’s soon the turn of the City of Literature to host a Writers Festival. Dates: August 21-30.

Here’s the lineup of writers for young people. Something of a Who’s Who for a Book Week crossover event.

From the White House:

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will serve as Honorary Chairs of the 2009 National Book Festival, organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress. Now in its ninth year, this popular event celebrating the joys of reading and lifelong literacy …

Read on and sigh.

The heads-up came from the Joy of Childen’s Literature, for which we are both grateful and envious of our US cousins. A new slogan? ‘All the way with BO and M). C’mon Aussie, C’mon’. (Overseas readers will almost certainly need the hyperlinks here for the popular culture references).

Well, the promised Perth Writers Festival summation didn’t happen for all sorts of reasons but the ABC podcasts are stll being posted. Do yourself a favour and spend an hour with James McBride, the latest of the sessions to go online. The author of The Color of Water was possibly the coolest and certainly one of the most entertaining (of many entertaining people) at the Festival.

And when the Sebastian Barry podcast is posted (soon) transport yourself to Ireland. To be there to hear him read from The Secret Scripture was a privilege and a highlight of the weekend.

Another day to go and still digesting the two just past. Wondering which of the many books purchased to be read first – they are all begging. A more relective post later. Meanwhile, don’t forget the podcasts.

Last night’s highlight? The Moth. Yet another podcast to help the kilometres click past on long journeys.

At the end of the month the Perth Writers Festival takes place at the University of Western Australia. Part of PIAF, the 2009 Writers Festival will see a number of children’s and YA authors and ilustrators in attendance, including:

Friday 27 February

• Libby Gleeson, on writing picture books
• Leigh Hobbs, on illustrating picture books
• Sally Rippin and Alice Pung, on compassion
• Mem Fox in conversation

Saturday 28 February (all sessions free)

• Leigh Hobbs again, this time with Carole Wilkinson
• A panel session on censorship in YA writing chaired by Julia Lawrinson. With Sally Rippin, Libby Gleeson and AJ Betts
• Leigh Hobbs, Andrew Nicoll and James Phelan on characterisation
• Tristan Bancks, Barry Jonsberg and Justine Larbalestier on writing for YA
• Libby Gleeson and Robert Hillman on refugee stories

Sunday 1 March (all sessions free)

• Alice Pung, James McBride and Imran Ahmad on writing about race
• Carole Wilkinson, Hannah Holmes and Bridget Curran on historical research
• Sonya Hartnett, Rana Dasgupta and Arnold Zable on fable

Monday 2 March (all sessions free)

• Sonya Hartnett and Cate Kennedy on the inspiration of the everyday

This is just a taste. There are many more writers in attendance in a rich and varied program. In something of a coup, Sebastian Barry, last week announced the winner of Costa Book of the Year Award, is a guest and will close the Festival in conversation with Liz Byrski.

For full details, click on the logo.