Anna Funder

Join four lauded non-fiction writers who have turned to fiction: Anna Funder (Stasiland) returns to 20th century Germany for All That I Am; Leslie Cannold (What, No Baby?) who further examines feminist questions in The Book of Rachael, Christopher Kremmer (The Carpet Wars) turns to sin and iniquity in The Chase; and journalist Malcolm Knox turns to the surf in The Life. Geordie Williamson asks, how do their fiction and non-fiction approaches differ?

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Don Grover, Tim White, Kate Eltham and Joel Becker discuss the future of the bookshop.

if:book’s Kate Eltham will introduce her vision of bookselling’s future, and speculate what new technologies might mean for bookshops after the regulatory and formatting dust has settled. Featuring Books for Cooks’ Tim White, Don Grover, CEO of Dymocks Booksellers, and chaired by the ABA’s Joel Becker.

Supported by the Australian Booksellers Association

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Kate Grenville, Antoni Jach, Tess Gerritsen and Chris Womersly discuss their love of reading.

Authors Kate Grenville, Tess Gerritsen and Chris Womersley discuss the books they read as children and teenagers that gave them a love of reading, in an event about the power of literacy to transform lives. With Antoni Jach.

Proudly supported by The Smith Family

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Malalai Joya

Former Afghan politician Malalai Joya, one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World 2010, respected journalists John Martinkus and Karen Middleton, and Overland editor Jeff Sparrow discuss conflict and occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the consequences of two wars that never seem to end.

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Ian Morris

Multi-award-winning writer and presenter Ian Morris has published several books on history and archaeology. Over lunch he talked about his latest book, Why the West Rules…For Now, explaining how the west came to dominate – and what will happen next.

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George Megalogenis

The world’s population will reach seven billion in late 2011. Is a Big Australia coming? If so, why, how and is growth a good thing? Trend forecaster Bernard Salt (The Big Tilt), Katharine Betts (People and Place) and George Megalogenis (The Australian) talk to Sally Warhaft about generational change, immigration and planning for a soaring population.

Proudly supported by Monash University

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Jay Rosen delivers the New News Keynote Address

Jay Rosen has taught journalism at New York University and written about the media for nearly every major US publication, whether print or online. Here, he discusses the current state of political journalism in the US and in Australia, which he believes shares many of its ills. He argues that its problems tell a wider story: that of an impoverished notion of politics at the very centre of the practice of journalism. Offering solutions for the future, he argues that a better knowledge of and respect for politics could change everything.
This is the keynote address of New News 2011 presented by MWF and the Public Interest Journalism Foundation at Swinburne University of Technology

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Andrew Fowler

Whether profiling prominent figures or exploring the lives of those swept up by political and cultural change, biography and investigative journalism play an essential role in explaining global events. With a particular eye on the ‘war on terror’, Julianne Schultz chairs a Griffith REVIEW session with Assange biographer Andrew Fowler, Best Australian Profiles editor Matthew Ricketson and essayist Shakira Hussein.
Proudly supported by Griffith REVIEW

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Kerry Greenwood, Lynda La Plante, Sue Green and Jane Clifton plan the perfect crime.

Three doyennes of crime writing share the stage. Join Crime Writing Hall of Fame (UK) member Lynda La Plante (Blood Line), evergreen Kerry Greenwood (Heavenly Pleasures) and the always popular Jane Clifton to talk about the thrill of the genre, their latest books, and their favourite way to dispatch a villain. With Sue Green.

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The Honourable Michael Kirby delivers the John Button Oration

The 2011 John Button Oration will be delivered by former High Court Justice, the Honourable Michael Kirby, who has been described as ‘a judicial activist with firm moral convictions’ and ‘the great dissenter’. Kirby served on the High Court of Australia for 13 years. In his oration, The Fire Within, he’ll reflect on values, purpose and leadership. Prior to the oration the $20,000 John Button Prize will be awarded to the best piece of thinking and writing on the subject of public policy.

Proudly supported by the Philip and Vivien Brass Charitable Foundation

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