Get ready for the Mandurah Readers’ and Writers’ Festival this January, featuring Fremantle Press talent!
This annual adult literature event, hosted by the City of Mandurah Library & Heritage Services, will be held at Seashells Mandurah from 16–18 January. It promises an exciting weekend filled with literary discussions and events.
Friday 17 January 2025
11.00 am – Explore the Australian Gothic, where a forbidding and unwelcoming landscape imposes its influence on the story’s characters and actions, with authors Josh Kemp and Karleah Olson. Jasper Cliff by Josh Kemp, is set in the east Pilbara (a place that rarely features in Australian literature) and leans into the realm of gothic horror to explore the effects of ongoing colonisation on the landscape and community. A Wreck of Seabirds is a brooding piece set on the West Australian coast. Karleah Olson wrote it as part of a PhD thesis about entrapment and liminal space in Australian Coastal Gothic Literature. She said, ‘If you’re looking for it, you’ll see that each of the protagonists in this story are trapped in one way or another’. For more details and to book your spot, visit: Australian Gothic Crime with Josh Kemp & Karleah Olson.
4.00 pm – Join Holden Sheppard, David Allan-Petale and Josephine Taylor for an engaging panel discussion focused on fiction writing in Perth. Get insights into Holden’s fiction, including Invisible Boys, soon to be released as a ten-part Stan Original series, and then delve into some stunning debut works: Josephine’s Eye of a Rook and David’s Locust Summer. Writers and readers are invited to submit questions in advance via email (manlib@mandurah.wa.gov.au) for the panellists to answer on the day. For more details and to book your spot, visit: Writers of the North Group Panel Discussion.
Saturday 18 January 2025
11.00 am –The Skeleton House by Katherine Allum has been described as ‘nuanced and raw’ by The Australian, as well as ‘brilliant’ and ‘sinister’ by ABC Perth. Join Katherine in conversation with Kathy Heys discussing The Skeleton House, which won the 2023 Fogarty Literary Award. The book looks at what it’s like living on the margins of a devoutly Mormon town that is divided into true believers, lapsed believers and non-believers, like Meg (or OTM – people who are Other Than Mormon). For more details and to book your spot, visit: Festival Katherine Allum – The Skeleton House.
2.00 pm – Join Gerard McCann and Khin Myint in conversation with Anne-Louise Willoughby as they discuss Anatomy of a Secret, a powerful memoir about the personal toll of seeking justice from the Catholic Church. Emily Bitto describes it as a ‘profoundly important and moving testimony’ that will resonate deeply with readers. For more information and to book your spot, visit: Writing a Memoir with Gerard McCann and Khin Myint.
4.00 pm – A Place in the Country by Chris Ferreira gives practical advice to help you achieve long-term peace and prosperity on the land. This session will guide audiences through the essentials of purchasing and maintaining a rural property. Whether your goal is food, profit or enjoyment, Chris offers the ‘eyes wide open’ approach to creating your own beautiful, productive and sustainable rural landscape. You’ll also learn practices for protecting property and gain knowledge on FireWise landscape design, as well as vital strategies for reducing the risk posed by bushfires. For more details and to book your spot, visit: Chris Ferreira A Place in the Country.
Tickets to the Mandurah Readers’ and Writers’ Festival are free to the public, but ticket registrations are limited.
Book sales will be made available by Dymocks Busselton, so don’t miss out on your opportunity to meet these amazing authors and get your copies signed.
A full program is available via the City of Mandurah website, visit: What’s On in the City of Mandurah.
