Day One – July 16, 2015

So commences the voyage into literary paradise!

We’ve begun at almost precisely the middle point of Australia’s winter, on an expectedly freezing morning in Mildura, the host location of our festival of focus and my hometown. Today, Sue Gillett has masterfully prepared us for the next few days, going into great depth about how we should approach the subject’s assignments and the festival and how the two interrelate in virtually every aspect. We were given guidance on how to construct and maintain these blogs and how to decide what to do for our essay or equivalent piece, and lastly formed groups in which we will present the prestigious and most wonderful WiA Awards!

The night event, Tom Keneally in conversation with Stefano de Pieri, was a surprise because originally it was not included in our schedule, but it was a last minute addition and how wonderful things can be when they suddenly change like that! Tom Keneally was late in transit so Sharon Olds graciously stepped in and gave some of her time in talking with Paul Kane, both of whom were already acquainted. Sharon was a generous and charming spirit, giving insight into how she approaches writing poetry before unexpectedly sharing a piece she penned on the plane travelling from the States to Australia, about travelling and the joys and lamentations that accompany it. She was, simply by her presence, a miracle that came out of the blue.

After a short interval, Tom Keneally appeared to the delight of the audience. Tom and Sharon were two entirely different personalities yet he, too, had a magnetism that made for a truly wonderful experience listening to him. Tom’s full-bodied laugh rang out across the audience as he remarked upon everything from the ‘Monty Python’-esque government currently in power and the need, when it gets to a certain point while writing a historical novel, to “go with the probabilities”.

Both writers allowed time for audience members to ask questions, which they answered genuinely and extensively. I left the event with a distinct sense of have a spell cast upon me, and went home to write a couple of passages for my own story, being that bit more inspired, and that bit more aware.