events
SYDNEY WRITERS' FESTIVAL: A LINE IN THE SAND
In this special anniversary volume, A Line In The Sand, Red Room Poetry brings together over 80 pieces from leading poets and public figures in a retrospective that covers 20 years of the best Australian poetry.
Hosted by Jennifer Wong, join contributors Eunice Andrada, Kim Cheng Boey, Brendan Cowell, Toby Fitch, Laura Jean McKay, Jazz Money, Bruce Pascoe, and Omar Sakr and as they read their work from the anthology.’
https://www.swf.org.au/program/season-2024/a-line-in-the-sand-twenty-years-of-red-room-poetry/
SYDNEY WRITERS FESTIVAL: ANIMAL MAGIC
‘Take a walk on the wild side with award-winning writers Chris Flynn and Laura Jean McKay as they discuss their contributions to Griffith Review 82: Animal Magic with journal editor Carody Culver.’
WORDS ON THE WAVES: STORY CLUB
‘Story Club takes brilliant Australians from all walks of life and makes them sit in a big comfy chair to tell a true, personal story around a theme. Think bed-time stories but with more oversharing and unmitigated mortification. In this second special Central Coast edition, Story Club will be hurtling through an often-funny, sometimes forlorn four-dimensional continuum with the theme: ‘If I could turn back time’. Stepping into the time machine are speakers Pia Miranda, Benjamin Stevenson, Laura Jean McKay and Adrienne Ferreira. Hosted by the fearless founders Zoe Norton Lodge and Ben Jenkins.’
WORDS ON THE WAVES: STRANGE CREATURES
‘As humans, we love to see ourselves reflected in the strangest of places. Farmyards. Pigs and spiders. The spirit world. And what do we see when we gaze in the mirror? Usually, so much more than we expect: grief, hope, existential wonder, and more. These three brilliant writers – from NZ, Catherine Chidgey (The Axeman’s Carnival), from Sydney, Angela O’Keeffe (The Sitter), and from Brisbane, Laura Jean McKay (The Animals in That Country) – cast glittering literary nets to scoop up basic human truths, presented through weird and wonderful eyes.’
BRISBANE WRITERS' FESTIVAL: Inverted Perspectives
‘The glee of experimentation is gloriously showcased in these books, whose writers consider the meaning of life by de-centering the human perspective. Whether floating in space or flowing with the cycles of nature, these works invite us to consider our place in the cosmos.’
Laura Jean McKay + Ceridwen Dovey + Catherine Chidgey + Daryl Qilin Yam + Ella Jeffery
https://bwf.org.au/2024/brisbane-writers-festival/inverted-perspectives
Avid Reader: Talking Stories Workshop
‘SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER | INSTORE EVENT
10am - 1pm | HALF DAY WORKSHOP
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Like a writer, fiction has its own voice – a voice that can be hard to find. Toni Morrison has said ‘Instead of saying something general about [a character], I would say, "I wonder what that is?" and then try to see the world the way they might see it. So that you enter the world instead of hovering over it and trying to dominate it and make it into something. You have to have that kind of absence of hostility—absence of anything. You should do it for every character.'
Perhaps you have an idea for a story but no idea how to tell it? An existing story that doesn’t seem to speak to you anymore? A character who doesn’t have anything to say? Or maybe you’re seeking the answer to that ever-elusive question: what is my writer voice?
Join the short story obsessed Laura Jean McKay in a short fiction workshop to find voice – the author’s voice, the story’s voice and the character’s voice – through readings, exercises, sharing and discussions.’
https://avidreader.com.au/pages/9479-LauraJeanMcKay-TalkingStories
MELBOURNE WRITERS' FESTIVAL: Talking Shorts workshop
‘Acclaimed short story writer Laura Jean McKay (Gunflower, Holiday in Cambodia) shows you to how to craft characters and dialogue to make your short stories sing.’
https://mwf.com.au/program/laura-jean-mckay-talking-shorts#author
Melbourne Writers' Festival: Ghost Cities and Ghost Futures
‘Prize-winning writers Siang Lu (Ghost Cities) and Laura Jean McKay (Gunflower) discuss their daring and surreal new works about a different kind of world, speaking with Sofija Stefanovic.’
https://mwf.com.au/program/ghost-cities-and-ghost-futures#author
Animal Cultures Conference
Voice, Violence and Vulnerability: Writing More-Than-Human Worlds
Laura Jean McKay, Hayley Singer, Vanessa Berry and Briohny Doyle.
As we are a practice-based panel, we will offer short readings from our authors of their own and related work as part of our engagement with interpretations of more-than-non-human animal culture and knowledge. Briohny Doyle will look at human-canine relationships in Why We Are Here; Vanessa AASA Conference 2023 10 Berry discusses human connections with other animal worlds in Gentle and Fierce; Laura Jean McKay talks about interspecies communication in The Animals in That Country and Gunflower; and Hayley Singer discusses the amplification of human violence in Abandon Every Hope: Essays for the dead.
Animal Magic: Griffith Review Launch
THURSDAY 23 NOVEMBER 2023 | AVID READER INSTORE EVENT
6.00pm for a 6.30pm start | 60 mins
‘Join us for the launch of Animal Magic Griffith Review 82 with Carody Culver in conversation with Laura Jean McKay, Melanie Saward and Amanda Niehaus.’
https://www.avidreader.com.au/pages/8751-GriffithReview82-AnimalMagic
ADELAIDE: Laura Jean McKay at The Australian Short Story Festival
Join Laura Jean McKay in Adelaide at The Australian Short Story Festival in sessions across three days on Breaking New Ground, The Weird and the Wonderful and Breaking the Writing Rules. Full program here:
GUNFLOWER: OXFORD
Climate Fiction: Laura Jean McKay and Lucy Ayrton in Conversation
It's impact, creation, and relevancy discussed by two brilliant contemporary authors of the genre.
GUNFLOWER: London launch
Join us at Waterstones Trafalgar Square to welcome an international panel of not one, not two, but THREE Arthur C Clarke Award Winning Authors - to talk sci-fi, cli-fi, and why genre fiction matters!
Celebrating the release of her new short story collection, Gunflower, 2021 awardee Laura Jean McKay joins this year's winner Ned Beauman in conversation with fan favourite Lauren Beukes, for what promises to be an evening of frank, funny and insightful writerly musings.
GUNFLOWER: MANCHESTER
GUNFLOWER - Laura Jean McKay in conversation with Gregory Norminton
Join us for the launch of Laura Jean McKay's GUNFLOWER - the new collection from the award-winning author of The Animals in That Country.
GUNFLOWER: West Kirby
West Kirby Bookshop: An evening with Laura Jean McKay
We are delighted to welcome Laura Jean McKay to West Kirby to celebrate the publication of her latest book, GUNFLOWER.
GUNFLOWER: Edinburgh
Gunflower: an evening of stories with Laura Jean McKay
https://lighthousebookshop.com/events/gunflower-an-evening-of-stories-with-laura-jean-mckay
GUNFLOWER Hobart launch
Join Robbie Arnott in conversation with Laura Jean McKay to celebrate the release of Gunflower at Fullers Bookshop on Hobart. https://www.fullersbookshop.com.au/event/gunflower-laura-jean-mckay-in-conversation-with-robbie-arnott/
GUNFLOWER Melbourne launch
Join us for the Melbourne launch of GUNFLOWER by Laura Jean McKay, in conversation with Romy Ash! Readings will be there too!
At The Crystal Palace Courtyard, North Carlton
Bookings through Scribe josh@scribepub.com.au
GUNFLOWER Sydney launch
Join us with Laura Jean McKay to celebrate the release of Gunflower. Laura will be joined by James Bradley.
GUNFLOWER Brisbane launch
FRIDAY 6th OCTOBER 2023 | INSTORE EVENT
6.00pm for a 6.30pm start | 60mins
Join us for an in-conversation with Mirandi Riwoe to launch Laura Jean McKay's new book Gunflower
https://www.avidreader.com.au/pages/7898-LauraJeanMcKay-Gunflower
Food Lovers' Cook Book Chat
FRIDAY 25 AUGUST | INSTORE EVENT
6pm for a 6.30pm start | 60 mins
We don't only love to read at Avid Reader, we also love to cook!
Come along to our Food Lovers' Cook Book Chat and discover just how much avid readers Fiona and Caitlin Stager, Kelly and our very special guest, critically acclaimed author Laura Jean McKay, love delving into the world of cook books!
Hear about our old and new favourites, savour delicious samples and rejuvenate your cooking repertoire.
Your $15 ticket gets you the Cook Book Chat, delicious tastes from the cook books discussed, and 10% off any purchases on the night (not just Cook Books!).
The Avid Reader Bar will be open from 5.30pm. https://avidreader.com.au/pages/8199-FoodLoversCookBookChat
Queensland Poetry Month Showcase
Hosted by Rae White with a special musical guest set by McKisko, the 2023 Queensland Poetry Month Showcase brings together some of Queensland’s most exciting and respected poets.
Join award-winning author Laura Jean McKay, acclaimed poet Shastra Deo, experimental poet and sonic artist Pascalle Burton, multi-prize winning poet Nathan Shepherdson, Arrernte and Jamaican multidisciplinary artist Aurora Liddle, the 2022 Thomas Shapcott winner Jarad Bruinstroop, and former Greens Councillor Jonathan Sriranganathan for this annual showcase of some of Queensland's finest contemporary poetry and spoken word.
This special literary event will be in-person at State Library, and live streamed.
THE VOICE OF YOUR FICTION - WORKING WITH DIALOGUE AND CHARACTER
An in-person workshop at Avid Reader, Brisbane. Saturday, 15 July 2023 10:00 am 1:00 pm AEST
Just like people, stories and the characters in them have voices. Make your prose shout in a workshop that explores character and dialogue, along with point of view and the story's voice. Working through a series of exercises, you'll share your work in a lively discussion of how stories speak from the page.
https://www.avidreader.com.au/pages/6906-TheVoiceofYourFiction-AHalfDayWorkshopwithLauraJeanMcKay
Festival of Flash
Online: The Festival of Flash - Featuring Laura Jean McKay, Gina Cole, Michelle Elvy, Faisal Halabi, Cilla McQueen, Reihana Robinson and Ian Wedde to talk about A Kind of Shelter Whakaruru-taha! Join us 10th June 2 pm NZ /12 pm Aus east coast https://youtube.com/channel/UCRfqd6nWZt5T72kD-TifBCg
Representing South Korea’s Others
Krys Lee + Choi Eunyoung + Laura Jean McKay
Korean social life continues to be influenced by cultural practices that distinguish insiders and outsiders. What do writers seek to achieve by depicting the experiences of people deemed outsiders? The totalising western worldview often fails to comprehend the nuances of social life in other countries. These writers discuss the complex social hierarchies of South Korea and the capacity of the written word to illuminate what it’s like to live on the margins. Curated by Sung-Ae Lee.
https://bwf.org.au/2023/brisbane-writers-festival/representing-south-korea-s-others
Brisbane Writers' Festival: Empathy
Laura Jean McKay + Krys Lee + Fiona Kelly McGregor + Fiona McFarlane + Melanie Myers illuminate the possibilities and limitations of empathy, how thought is transformed across boundaries of language, time and culture, and the indelible friction that’s essential to the act of reading.
Animal Liberation: 50 Years On
Brisbane: 3 April 2023 8:00 pm 10:00 pm AEST; UK: 3 April 2023, 11:00 am – 1 pm BST
An online event hosted by the Sheffield Animal Studies Research Centre to mark the 50th anniversary of Peter Singer’s "Animal Liberation". Speakers: Danielle Celermajer, Alex Lockwood, Laura Jean McKay, Eva Meijer
Peter Singer's Animal Liberation Now, the first fully revised and updated edition of Animal Liberation since 1990, will be published in the US, UK and Australia/NZ in late May/early June.
The event is free and open to all. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/animal-liberation-50-years-on-tickets-587329768147