Sunday, June 19, 2005
nt writers festival
This weekend was the NT Writers' Festival "Wordstorm 2005". There were over 70 different events and workshops offered and for a town the size of Darwin, that's a pretty good effort.
Wordstorm's only in its second year but I reckon it's the most professionally-run event I've encountered in Darwin. Congratulations to the hard-working members of the NT Writers Centre who put it all together.
I dipped my toe in rather than going all out to attend every possible event of interest - I mean one does have other responsibilities on the weekend such as washing, ironing, shopping and all that other dreary but necessary stuff- but I thoroughly enjoyed it all and would certainly have liked to do more. Next year I might organise myself a bit better in advance and take Thursday and Friday off so I can fit more in.
On Friday evening, "Dismantle" visual art exhibition offered artworks by well known local artists around the theme of the short story "Who can blame us for that" - winner of the 2004 NT Literary Award. Hearing the author and friends read this story added interest to viewing the artistic interpretation. We followed this with an "Off the Page" event featuring Samuel Wagan Watson, Martin Harrison, Nick Earls, Sue Woolfe and Linda Christanty set in the tropical gardens of Mirambeena Resort and with musical interludes by Jillaine Jones. The atmosphere was great and it was pretty good value for the $15 entry fee - although I have to say,philistine that I am, that listening to a very long story based in legend in both the original Bahasa Indonesia and English translation did get a bit tedious.
A 3 hour Saturday morning workshop "Creating Characters" with Nick Earls was the highlight for me - he talks as funny as he writes!. He managed to lead even the most talentless of us into creating original and interesting characters. Gotta say there were some pretty talented people in the workshop though.
Foregoing the Saturday evening performance of three award-winning Aboriginal short films out of pure exhaustion, I managed to rouse myself to attend a free poetry-reading/open mike session at a local bookstore down by the marina this afternoon. Free wine and food, lots of talented readers and the bonus of hearing from Robert Dessaix and Dorothy Porter.
I'm just now getting to read the full program and kicking myself for all I missed... ah life in Darwin in the dry season is just so full of good things to do.
Wordstorm's only in its second year but I reckon it's the most professionally-run event I've encountered in Darwin. Congratulations to the hard-working members of the NT Writers Centre who put it all together.
I dipped my toe in rather than going all out to attend every possible event of interest - I mean one does have other responsibilities on the weekend such as washing, ironing, shopping and all that other dreary but necessary stuff- but I thoroughly enjoyed it all and would certainly have liked to do more. Next year I might organise myself a bit better in advance and take Thursday and Friday off so I can fit more in.
On Friday evening, "Dismantle" visual art exhibition offered artworks by well known local artists around the theme of the short story "Who can blame us for that" - winner of the 2004 NT Literary Award. Hearing the author and friends read this story added interest to viewing the artistic interpretation. We followed this with an "Off the Page" event featuring Samuel Wagan Watson, Martin Harrison, Nick Earls, Sue Woolfe and Linda Christanty set in the tropical gardens of Mirambeena Resort and with musical interludes by Jillaine Jones. The atmosphere was great and it was pretty good value for the $15 entry fee - although I have to say,philistine that I am, that listening to a very long story based in legend in both the original Bahasa Indonesia and English translation did get a bit tedious.
A 3 hour Saturday morning workshop "Creating Characters" with Nick Earls was the highlight for me - he talks as funny as he writes!. He managed to lead even the most talentless of us into creating original and interesting characters. Gotta say there were some pretty talented people in the workshop though.
Foregoing the Saturday evening performance of three award-winning Aboriginal short films out of pure exhaustion, I managed to rouse myself to attend a free poetry-reading/open mike session at a local bookstore down by the marina this afternoon. Free wine and food, lots of talented readers and the bonus of hearing from Robert Dessaix and Dorothy Porter.
I'm just now getting to read the full program and kicking myself for all I missed... ah life in Darwin in the dry season is just so full of good things to do.
Comments:
You've heard about my poetry I can tell - a subject of great mirth to certain members of my family. However the event was so welcoming, non-judgmental and low-key that I just might pluck up the courage next year.
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