PJ Harvey, A Writer From ’30 Rock’ And More Will Be At The Melbourne Writers Festival This Year
Yes, THAT PJ Harvey.
The Melbourne Writers Festival is renowned for showcasing a diverse range of guests from all crafts: be it popular fiction authors, infamous academics, fresh local talent and the creative minds behind your favourite TV shows and movies. This year they’ve made the inspired decision to invite musician and Mercury Prize-winner PJ Harvey to read her first collection of poetry. This is very, very good news.
IT’S HAPPENING.
In her only Australian appearance, Harvey will perform The Hollow of the Hand with an “electrifying visual presentation of life in warzones” with acclaimed Irish photojournalist, Seamus Murphy. Other big international names to appear at the festival are prize-winning author of Life of Pi Yann Martel, We Need to Talk About Kevin author Lionel Shriver (who will deliver the Closing Night address) and Justin Cronin, author of popular vampire trilogy, The Passage.
Just quietly, the sessions focusing on local talent will probably be the ones that sell out the quickest this year. Author of the hotly-anticipated book The Hate Race, Maxine Beneba Clarke, will deliver the Opening Night address, literary legend Helen Garner will discuss her latest book, Everywhere I Look, and Australian of the Year Rosie Batty, will chat about her book, A Mother’s Story.
If you’re not much of a reader and TV is more your cup of tea (it’s okay, we won’t judge you) you are very well catered for this year. Actor and writer of The Young Ones, Alexei Sayle, will appear in conversation with American comedy writer Steve Hely, who has written for 30 Rock and The Office.
Festival Director Lisa Dempster emphasised that this year, MWF aimed to pick writers from a wide range of fields. “Identity is the theme for MWF16 and we’ve invited more than 400 authors, scriptwriters, comedians, journalists and illustrators to explore what makes us who we are — including race, gender, sexuality, politics and travel,” she says.
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The Melbourne Writers Festival is on from August 26 to September 4. You can read the whole program here.