The La Trobe University/ABR Annual Lecture

The Mildura Writers’ Festival is always one of the most congenial and stimulating events on our literary calendar. Clive James, our lead reviewer this month, has just agreed to attend this year’s festival and to deliver the 2003 La Trobe University/ABR Annual Lecture. The lecture will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, 25 July, and the festival will follow that weekend (July 26–27). Clive James (pictured below) will also deliver the lecture in Melbourne soon after the Mildura Writers’ Festival. Full details of both events will follow in the June/July issue. ABR subscribers will be entitled to attend this major lecture gratis.

Sydney Writers’ Festival

May 19–25 sounds like a good week to spend in Sydney, with thirty international and 150 Australian authors taking part in 100 events at the Sydney Writers’ Festival. Guests include Janette Turner Hospital, Jonathan Franzen and William Dalrymple. For information about the programme, phone (02) 9252 7734 or visit the website: www.swf.org.au.

Going Down Auctioning

Last December, Going Down Swinging launched its twentieth annual issue. Unfortunately, some non-swinger purloined the entire door-takings – $1400. Such a loss is close to disastrous for any magazine, and Going Down Swinging needs to recoup this money. Co-editor Stephen Grimwade informs us that the journal is organising a literary auction. Among the many items up for auction will be a copy of ‘the infamous GDS #1 (1980)’; a copy of Jeff Kennett’s Dog Lovers’ Poems, autographed and endorsed by his successor, Steve Bracks; a bundle of new releases from Allen & Unwin valued at more than $450; prose and poetry manuscript assessments by Sophie Cunningham and Kevin Brophy, respectively; and subscriptions to ten literary magazines (including, naturally, ABR). The auction will take place at the Old Colonial Inn, 127 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 15. For more information, to subscribe, or to return the missing $1400, call Stephen Grimwade on 0425 766 288 or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Magazine chairs

It’s hard to keep up with all the changes in Australian magazines. Eureka Street, as we have already noted, is now edited by Marcelle Mogg, while her predecessor, Morag Fraser, becomes a most welcome new board member of ABR. Philip Harvey, a regular contributor to our magazine, becomes the Poetry Editor of Eureka Street. The Adelaide Review, edited for many years by Christopher Pearson, is now edited by Peter Ward. Katherine Wilson and Nathan Hollier have taken over as Editors of Overland. Their first issue, ‘Bludgers’, is now available. Meanwhile, the ABC has announced that Limelight, a new monthly arts and entertainment magazine, will absorb 24 Hours magazine in July.

Training course for writers

Writers ‘who have had some publishing success’ might be interested in an intensive four-day training course that will be hosted by the SA Writers’ Centre from 22–25 July. Guest speakers will include Christine Harris (‘Breaking into Interstate Markets: An SA Perspective’), Tom Shapcott (‘Taxation, Accounting and Effect Record-keeping’) and José Borghino (‘Contracts and Copyright’). The cost is a mere $100 for members, or $180 for non-members.

Writers in focus

Raimond Gaita, our La Trobe University Essayist this month, is always worth hearing. On May 6, he will be in conversation with Stephanie Dowrick at the State Library of Victoria. The cost is $12 ($10 concession). Bookings: (03) 8664 7016.

Dangerous times

‘We live in dangerous times,’ writes Greg Mackie in introducing the prospectus for this year’s Adelaide Festival of Ideas. Indeed we do. All the more reason not to miss this festival, which will run from 10–13 July. Overseas speakers will include Robert Fisk and George Monbiot, from the UK. Australian guests will include Dennis Altman, Peter Beilharz, and Fiona Stanley. To apply for a detailed programme of events, send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Ringing the changes

The NSW Writers’ Centre has a new Chair and Deputy Chair: Angelo Loukakis and Pat Woolley, respectively. Meanwhile, the Centre’s events programme continues apace. Over the next few weeks, Patti Miller, whose new book, Whatever the Gods Do, is reviewed in this issue of ABR, will conduct a course in life-writing. The cost is $150 for members, $180 for non-members. Full details of the Centre’s programme are available on (02) 9555 9757 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Spreading the word

Finally, inside this issue you will find a copy of our new promotional flyer. If you already subscribe, why not help us spread the word by giving it to a friend? We would be more than happy to send you more flyers if you can use them. Flyers are available from the Office Manager, Dianne Schallmeiner, on (03) 9429 6700 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..