The Sydney Writers’ Festival has unveiled a pretty impressive lineup for its 2012 program, based around the central theme of toeing the line between private and public, discretion and publication. You know, because of twitter and Rupert Murdoch and stuff. Headlining the festival are international fiction heavy-hitters Jeffrey Eugenides (The Virgin Suicides, Middlesex) and Jeanette Winterson (Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?) alongside local talent including Puberty Blues author, Kathy Lette and more than 300 international and Australian writers.
If you fancy a bit of live banter, there’s a Saturday night Town Hall discussion on feminism and another on marriage equality with Winterson, Masha Gessen, Dennis Altman and Benjamin Law, who recently nailed his appearance on Q&A so you know he can panel with the big guns. Not sure if there’ll be a live feed of twitter discussion so there goes half the fun of public forums.
Alternatively, if you fancy the idea of a thousand self-inflicted paper cuts doused in lemon juice, do your citrus stockpile a favour and attend Katter Country: in which politician turned author turned breakdancer Bob Katter will discuss his book, An Incredible Raceist of People, which is apparently a history of Australia from 1890 to 2010. Because that’s when progress stopped. Katter will be joined in conversation – but hopefully in song – by fellow Queenslander and somebody that we used to f**king know, Kevin Rudd.
Fire up your twitter thumbs. Or perhaps pick up a book. Full program and ticketing information for the program, which will run May 14-25th (overlapping with Vivid), at the Sydney Writers’ Festival Website. Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning (March 31st) at 9am.
